The forum. [volume] (Springfield, Ill.) 1904-192?, 1910-11-05

in the cost of living and of production
which prevail in this country and
elsewhere, to furnish Congress a
guide in any revision of particular
schedules of the tariff which such
changes may make necessary in the
future. Revisions should be made
schedule by schedule as changes oc-
cur, SO as to avoid the harmful con-
sequences of business unrest and I'M
certainty which always accompany a
general revision of the tariff
Record of Last Congress.
We congratulate the country upon
the unparalleled legislative accom-
plishment of the Sixty-first Congress
in enacting into law practically all
of the pledges of the last Republican
National Platform. The amendment
to the Interstate Commerce Act, Gre
ating Court of Commerce and ex-
tending the jurisdiction of the Inter-
state Commerce Commission the
law authorizing the President to with
draw public lands for the protection
of water power sites and the con-
servation of our natural resources;
the creation of a Bureau of Mines;
the postal savings bank law; the
amendment to the employers liability
law; the amendment to the act re-
quiring the use of safety appliances
on railroads; the law compelling pub
licity Of contributions for campaign
purposes; the enabling act for the
admission of New Mexico and Arizona
and many other acts promised In the
Republican national platform.
We endorse and commend the Re-
publican members of Congress from
Illinois for their loyal cooperation
with the President in the work of
carrying forward the policies of the
Republican party and in the redemp-
tion of the pledges given by it to the
people.
Commend President Taft.
We commend President Taft for his
impartial and fearless administration
of the federal laws. He has brought
in sugar frauds against the govern
ment, recovering millions of revenue
due; successfully interviewed to pre-
vent arbitrary increases in freight
rates; impartially enforced the anti
trust law and enforced policy of
economy in governmental expendi-
lures without crippling public service.
We commend President Taft for the
steps he has taken to advance the
cause of conservation and to conserve
for the public benefit our great wealth
of natural resources. We favor the
conservation and development of the
natural resources of the State and
Nation. We favor the coordination
of the various agencies engaged in
conservation work in our States, SO
that their labors may be conducted
with efficiency and economy and with
the best advantage to every branch
of conservation work We deem 1t i'm
portant that the States should at
once take steps to conserve for the
public benefit the water power which
is susceptible of development in it's
streams, and more particularly be-
tween Lockport and Utica on the pro-
posed Lakes-to-the-Gulf Deep Water
way. This water power rightfully
belongs to the State. Private co.,
porations and persons are taking ad-
vantage of the neglect of the State
to conserve the water power for the
public benefit and are endeavoring to
acquire vested rights inimical to the
public interests. These rights the
STATE will later be required to con-
denim and purchase the very water
power which it has created at a vast
outlay of public money. This should
be prevented by the early passage of
legislation which will transfer to the
States the ownership of the water
power sites.
Waterway Development.
The federal Congress has authorized
the President to create a commits
sion, which has recently been appoint
ed, to study the question of oo-opera-
ton between the federal government
and the State of Illinois, and our
State should have a commission au-
thorized to confer with the federal
commission regarding the waterway
through our State and to cooperate
with the federal government If it is
found that the work will require more
funds than are authorized by the con-
stitutional amendment. The power of
the Illinois commission should be so
limited by the General Assembly that
ii could not undertake the work of
waterway construction and water
power development until all matters
necessary for the creation of the
water power and the construction of
the waterway have been determined
favorahly to the State. and that The
cost of the construction of the water
way and the development of the water
power shall not exceed S20000.000
and that the water in the Des PLANES
and Illinois rivers shall be sufficient
to provide a revenue which will retire
all waterway bonds as they mature.
Misleading statements have been