New-York tribune., 1910-08-29

acted. and now over seventy millions of
acres have been rewithdrawn or lands
included within the classes described:
Much OF the land reserved as coal lano
is valuable for agriculture, and there
fore Congress adopted an entirely feas-
ible and useful plan by which the home
stead laws were applied to the surface OF
the land, while the coal in the ground is
still reserved as the property OF the
government This is departure in
our land laws and is highly TO be COM,
mended. In addition to this IL was
deemed necessary, in order that certain
reclamation projects of the government
should be completed within a easonabie
time, that an issue of S2O,000,0OO bonds
should be authorized with which to
secure water for the settlers upon gov
ernment lands within the promise OF the
project, the bonds to be redeemed by
the water rents for the service rendered
In this way hundreds of settlers VINO
have been patiently waiting for the com
pletion of the projects. and suffering
great privaton will be rehabilltated. At
the same time the law authorizing the
bond issue prevents the expenditure or
any Of the proceeds Of the bonds in any
of the projects until a board of army
engineers shall report the same as
worthy and feasible. Moreover, addl-
Il ional provision has been made in the
appropriation laws for money with
which to carry on surveys of unsurveyed
public lands, a crying need in certain
states and in Alaska. Thus, it is not too
much to say that most important steps
have been taken toward the proper con-
Servation Of our resources in the leglSia-
ton of the present Congress. There re-
mains to be considered and settled the
question of the method of disposing or
these lands SO that the government may
retain sufficient control to prevent
monopoly in their use and to secure the
public against extortion for coal, oil, gas,
phosphate or water power, on the one
hand, and yet may give to private capt.
tai sufficient inducement to bring about
a normal development of the wealth
c -ntained in these lands to aid in the
building up of the country. Neither the
Democrats of the House nor the DEM
ocrats of the Senate as a body, although
their platform formally declared in
favor of conservation, have taken any
active part OF can be counted upon to
assist materially in the solution OF these
complicated questions.
Another subject of pressing impor-
tance is that of the improvement of our
waterways The present Congress has
enacted rivers and harbors bill, appro-
priating more than S41 100000 for the
carving out of a number of well dehned
plans for the permanent Improvement OF
rivers and harbors within certain
period, and in addition authorizing con-
tracts to be entered into subject to nut
eating more than $40, 100000 The bill
was subject to criticism in that it still
continued the old piecemeal system ana
appropriated something for nearly every
project recommended by the army engl-
neers. 1t is hoped and believed that IN
the next session and thereafter the engl~
neers will so make their recommends
tions as to indicate the projects OF
greater Importance, so that adequate
sums may be appropriated for their COM
pletion within reasonably short time
and the piecemeal policy of extending
the construction of improvements OF this
kind Indefinitely for years may be aban-
doned
Other Pledges Redeemed
The Republican platform promised that
it would admit to statehood the terri
tories of New Mexico and Arizona. and
that promise has been redeemed with
suitable provisions for securing good ana
sane constitutions OF the states by re-
quiring their adoption in advance of the
election of state officers and their SUD-
mission to Congress for consideration
and possible rejection at one of its ses-
sions.
All this long list of useful enactments
was promised in the Republican plat
form and has been put through by Re
publican majorities.
Congress has also enacted into law, In
accordance with the promise which l
made as a candidate for the Presidency,
a bill requiring the publication by the
Congressional committees Of detailed
statements Of the money received by
them and the money expended by them
in the political canvass Of each Congress
Sional candidate.
In addition, the present Congress has
appropriated 100000 to enable the EX-
eClItiye to investigate and make recon-
mendation as to the methods by Whlcn
the cost OF running the government may
be reduced. I regard this last as one OF
the most important parts OF the aamin-
istration's policy. am connoellt that =
full opportunity is given. and Republi-
can Congress is elected to assist. the cut
ting down of the national expenditures
by the adoption Of modern economic
methods ir doing the business OF the
government will reach to point or saw
ing many millions. How much the eN-
penses can be curtailed 1t is Impossible
to approximate at this time. The prob
lem before the administration is to get
full value for every dollar it discusses.
The appropriations for the last year
were more than $4,000. 600 less than the
appropriations of the year before ana IN
the actual execution OF the law 91I'opo'-
| COO was saved in the operation of the
| Postoffice Department, for which appro-
priation had already been made.
!
Future Legislation.
4 number of other promises remain to
be kept. 7 have already alluded TO the
provisions to regulate the issue or STOCKS
and bonds by interstate commerce rail-
ways, to which the Democratic minority
IN the Senate gave its solid opposition, on
the ground that the central government
has no constitutional power to make and
enforce such regulation. In addition,
there is the promised procedure to deter
mine how preliminary injunction shall
issue without notice, and when. In sub
stitution for this the Democratic plat
form proposes an amendment TO the ex-
listing law which would create a, priVi-
legged class OF lawless workmen and
would seriously impair the power of the
courts of equity to do justice. Then
there is the measure to promote the mer
chant marine engaged in foreign service,
to which in previous Congresses the
Democratic party has always opposed an
almost solid front. There is the measure
fOrbiddihg the acquisition of stocks by
one railway company in a competing
line and there are lso those bills, al
ready referred to, to secure further safe
ty appliances on railways and to estab-
lish q basis for Workmens compensation
There is also the promise Of the Repub-
lican platform to make better provision
for securing the health OF the nation.
The most tangible and useful form that
this can take would be the establish
ment of a national bureau of health, to
include all the health agencies of the
government now distributed in different
departments.
Finally there is the AppaIac chan For