Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-12-16

TAI, sufficient to complete the railroads
building. and to furnish cheap coal not
only 10 Alaska but to the whole Pacific
coast. The passage OF q law permitting
the leasing OF government coal lands in
Alaska after public competition. and the
of the territory. with enabling
powers to meet tho local needs, will lead
TO an Improvement in Alaska and the de-
velopment OF her resources that Is likely
To surprise the country.
Pensions.
The uniform policy OF the government
In the matter of granting pensions TO those
gallant and devoted men who fought 10
save the life of the nation in the pertlous
days OF the great civil war, has always
been or the most liberal character. Those
men are now rapidly passing away. The
best obtainable official statistics show that
they are dying at the rate OF something
over 1900 a month. and, in view Of their
advancing years, this rate must inevitably,
in proportion. rapidly increase. To the
man who risked everything on the field Of
battle TO save the nation in the hour Of
it's direst need, we owe a debt which has
not been and should not be Computed In a
begrudging or parsimonlous spirit. But
while we should be actuated by this spirit
to the soldier himself, care should be ex-
ercised not to go to absurd lengths, or dis
tribute the bounty OF the government to
classes of persons who may, at this late
day, from a mere mercenary motive, seek
To ODlaln some legdl relation with dIl Olu
veteran now tottering on the brink or the
grave. The true spirit OF the pension laws
is to be found in the noble sentiments ex-
pressed by Mr.. Lincoln in his last in
laugural address, wherein, in speakfng or
the nations duty 20 .ts soldiers When the
struggle should be over, he said we should
care for him who shall have borne the
battle. and for his widow and orphans.
Forest Service.
l have already referred to the forests
of the United States and their extent,
and have urged, as / do again, the re-
moval OF the limitation upon the power
of the executive to reserve other tracts
OF land in six western states in which
withdrawal for his purpose is now for
hidden. The secretary of agriculture
gives a very full description of the dis
astrous fires that occurred during the
last summer in the national forests. A
drought more intense than any recorded
in the history of the west had intro
duced a condition into the forests which
made fires almost inevitable, and loco
motive sparks, negligent campers and
in some cases ncendiaries furnished the
needed immediate cause. AT one time
the fires were SO extended that they
coverd a range of a hundred miles, and
the secretary estimates that standing
timber of the value of SIS. 000, 900 was de-
stroyed. Sventy-six persons in the en-
ploy of the forest service were killed and
many more injured, and l regret to say
Lnat there is no provision in the law by
which the expenses for their hospital
1 ca VI VI llIClI hllSlI ilGill SOulu 70
met out Of public funds, The Red Cross
contributed $1,000, and the remainder OF
the necessary expenses was made up by
private contribution, chiefly from the
force % the forest service and It's Of
ficials. / recommend that suitable leg
islation be adopted to Gamble the secre-
obligations of the government in this
Tespect
The Census Bureau.
The taking of the census has proceeded
with promptness n efficiency. The
secretary believes. and / concur, that it
will be more thorough and accurate than
any census which has heretofore been
taken, but it Is not perfect. The motive
pride to induce the padding of census
returns in order to increase the popula-
ton of a particular city has been strong
enough to lead to fraud in respect TO a
few cities in this country, and l have
directed the attorney general to proceed
with all the vigor possible against those
who are responsible for these frauds.
They have been discovered and they
viii not interfere with the accuracy of
the census. but 1t is Of the highest inn
portanee that official inquiry of this
sort should not be embarrassed by fraud
ulent conspiracies in some private or
local interest.
/ invite the attention to the very Sc
rious injury caused to oil those who are
engaged In the manufacture of phos-
phorous matches. The diseases incident
to this are fTightful. and, as matches
can DE maze from OL1GF materials en-
tlrely innocuous. l believe that the In
furious manufacture could be discouraged
and ought to be discouraged by the I'M
position of a heavy federal tax. i rec
omriend the~adoption of this method OF
stamping out a very serious abuse.
Eight Hour Law.
Since 1858 it has been the declared rur-
puse VI this government to favor the
movement for an eight-hour day by a
provision Of law that none Of the en-
pl nGnr1@ employee yed hy or To on behalf Of the
eight hours in every "a. The first dec
laration of this view was not accom-
panied with any penal clause and with
no provision for Its enforcement, and,
though President Grant, by a proclama-
ton twice attempted TO give it his sane
ton and to require the officers OF the
Of the trainers OF the law was uiti-
mately defeated by a decision Of the SUI
Preme court holding that the statute as
drawn was merely a direction of the
government to its agents and is not in
validate a contract made in behalf of
the government which provided in the
contract for labor for a day Of Longer S6a
the present eight-hour law was passed,
which provides that the services and
employment of all laborers and mechan-
les who are now or may hereafter be
employed by the government of the Uni
ted States, by the District OF Columbia,
or by IN contractor or sub-contractor
Oi dAy VI lllt PuDtit rs VI lilt Ollllcu
States and OF the said District of Co
lumbia is hereby restricted to eight hours
in any one calendar day, and 1T shall be
unlawful, ETC., etc.
This law has been construed to limit
the application Of the requirement to
those who are directly employed b. the
government or TO those who are en-
ployed upon public works situate upon
land owned by the United States. This
construction prevented its application TO
government battleslips and other vessels
built In private shipyards and to heavy
guns and armor plate contracted for and
made at private establishments.
The proposed act provides that no labor
er or mechanic doing any part OF the work
contemplated by a contract with the Unit
ed States In the employ OF the contractor
or any sub-contractor shall be required
or permitted to work more than eight
hours a day in any one calendar day.
It seems TO me from the past history
that government has been committed TO a
policy OF encouraging the limitation of the
days work TO eight hours In all works of
construction initiated by itself. and It
seems TO me illogical to maintain a differ
ence between government work done on
government soil and government work
done in a private establishment, when the
work is OF such large dimensions and In
wolves the expenditure of much labor for
a considerable period. so that the private
manufactures may adjust himself and his
establishment TO, the special terms of en-
ployment that he must make with his
workman for this nartiruiar toh rro e