Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-01-21
TAFT IS FOR UNIFORMITY
Endorses Uniform Law and
Procedure
PINCHOT also Receives OVATION
Danger In Pressing Uniformity Too
Far-Local Conditions and eli.
mate in Tradition Must be
Considered.

w WdSulustOu.-TTc Tceiucut idil anu
Clifford Pinchot, whom the former
recently removed from his position
as head of the forestry bureau, spoke
from the same platform in address
ing the National Civic Federation
which is in session here to discuss
problems of uniform state legisla-
tion. Both received hearty ovations.
Felicitating the Civic Federation
for their good sense in meeting in
Washington, especially at the same
time as the meeting of governors,
President Taft said that from Wash
ington everything radiated to the
farthermost parts of the country.
And you are not the only citi-
zens of the United States looking in
the direction of Washington" said
the president. There are athers,
which statement was met with
round Of hearty APPLAUSE. In dis
cussing the movement started by
the federation of uniformity in state
laws, President Taft said that 1t was
the outgrowth of demand on the
part of the good citizenship to bring
about better conditions In the social
fabric. He defined a constitutional
lawyer as gentleman who has
gone out of the practice Of law and
has gone into politics" which called
forth laughter and applause and
cries of good, good"
gracin gthe growth Of centraliza-
ton Of power in the general govern
ment in contradistinction to the pow
er of the states. he said that the early
appointment of Chief Justice Mar
shall made Capitalization possible by
exercising that power. which good
Judge exercised with his colleagues
"he did not minimize the power Of
the constitution"
The president said that there should
be uniformity In judicial procedure
and he declared. with emphasis that
II anything In the system deserved
attack It was the delay that could be
secured by the wealthy under judi
cal proceedings and he advocated
some change in the form of federal
court proceedings which could be
taken as an example by the state.
He wanted court procedure simpli-
fed along the lines of English prac-
tice, both in equity and criminal
law.
Mr.. Taft told the movement for
a uniform law relating to child lab
or and cited the utterances Of the
governor of Massachusetts, in behalf
of a federal law regulating child la
Dor. because the power of the fed
eral government was greater than the
power of the state.
Speaking on the subject of conser-
vation, the president said:
"The federal government has no
power to compel owners Of forests
ia attend to those forests with view
to the welfare of the community or
the neighbors, who live there, or OF
those who are affects by denuding
land of the trees. That must be done
through state government II it is
done at all, and so with respect to
many of the streams"
Mr.. Pinchot said that subjects
such as forest preservation had been
advocated by Americans for more
than a hundred years, but that the
control of water power monopoly In
the common interest was younger
than the present century.
1--WE have come at last to the point
of action" he said, "and we must
either go forward or fall backward