The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1911-12-21
Taft ftShows Finances Of Nation
to Be in Excellent Condition

1913, unless something unforeseen oc-
ours. This Is about eighteen months
before the time promised by the en-
} gineer.
We are now near enough the com
pIetion OF the canal to make Ii inn
peratively necessary that Legislation
should be enacted to fix the method
by which the canal shall be maintained
and controlled and the zone governed
The fact is that today there is no stat
utory law by authority of which the
president is maintaining the govern
ment OF the zone. Such authority
was given In an amendment to the
/ Spooner act, which expired by the
terms of its own limitation some years
ago. Since that time the government
has continued, under the advice of the
attorney general that in the absence
of action by congress, there is neces-
sarily an implied authority on the part
of the executive to maintain govern
ment in a territory in which he has
to see that the laws are executed. The
fact that we have been able thus to get
along during the important days of
construction without legislation ex-
| pressly formulating the government of
the zone, or delegating the creation of
1t to the president, is not reason for
/
same kind of a government after the
construction is finished. The implied
authority of the president to maintain
| civil government In the zone may be
| derived from the mandatory direction
given him In the original Spooner act,
| by which he was commanded to build
the canal; but certainly, now that the
canal is about to be completed and to
be put under a permanent manage
/ hf 10 ~ a.
tory authority for its regulation and
control and for the government of the
zone, which we hold for the chief and
| main purpose of operating the canal
| l fully concur with the secretary of
| war that the problem is simply the
management Of great public work,
and not the government of local re-
public; that every provision must be
| directed toward the successful main
tenance of the canal as an avenue Of
commerce, and that all provisions for
the government Of those who live with
| In the zone should be subordinate to
the main purpose.
| The zone Is 40 miles long and 10
miles wide. Now, 1t has a population
| OF 100000 or $4,000, but as soon as
| the work OF construction is completed,
| the towns which make UP this popula-
ton will be deserted, and onlv COM
| paratively few natives will continue
their residence there. The control Of
/ them ought to approximate a military
| government. One judge and two ius-
| tees or the peace will be sufficient to
ATTEND to all the judicial and litigated
business there is. With a few f,lnda-
mental laws Of congress. the zone
should be governed by the orders of
the president, issued through the war
department, as 1t is today. Provis-
ions can be made for the guarantees
OF Ire, liberty, and property, but be-
yond those, the government should be
that OF military reservation. man
aged In connection with this great
highway of trade.
renew my recommendation with re-
spect to the tolls of the canal that
within limits, which shall seem wise to
congress, the power fixing tolls to be
given TO the president In order to ar
rive at proper conclusion, there must
be some experimenting, and this can
not be done IL congress does not dele
gate the power to one who can act
expeditiously.
To Relieve American shippinu.
1 am very confident that the United
states has the power to relieve from
tne payment of tolls any part of our
shipping that congress deems wise. We
own the canal. 1t was our money
tnat built 1t. We have the right to
charge tolls for it's use. Those tolls
must be the same to everyone; but
when We are dealing with our own
SHIPS, the practice of many govern
ments of subsidizing their own mer-
chant vessels is so well established in
general that subsidy equal to the
tolIs, an equivalent remission of tolls,
cannot be held to be discrimination
In the use of the canal.
I The Philippine Islands.
In respect to the Philippines. l urg-
emily join in the recommendation of
the secretary of war that the act of
rep. ., 1905, limiting the Indebtedness
tnat may be incurred byi the Phflin-
pine government for the construction
OF public works, be increased from
$5,OOO,000 to $4,000, 900. The finances
OF that government are in excellent
condition. The maximum sum rnen-
toned is quite low as compared with
the amount of Indebtedness of other
governments with similar resources.
ana the success which has attended
the expenditure of the $4,000, 900 in the
userul improvements Of the harbors
and other places in the islands iusti- :
nes and requires additional expendi-
lures for like purposes.
Naturalization.
/ also join in the recommendation
that the Legislature of the Philinnine
islands be authorized to provide for
tne naturalization OF Filipinos and
others who by the present law are
treated as aliens, so as to enable them
TO become citizens of the Philippine
islands.
Friars' Lands.
Pending an investigation by congress-
at its last session. through one of its
committees, into the disposition of tho
friars' lands, Secretary Dickinson d.
rected that the friars' lands should
not be sold in excess of the limits fixed
for the public lands until CONGRESS
should pass upon the subject or should
have concluded its investigation. This
order has been an obstruction to the
disposition of the lands, and 1 expect
70 direct the secretary OF war to re-
turn to the practice under the opinion
OF the attorney general which will en-
able us to dispose of the lands much
more promptly, and to prepare a sink
ing fund With which to meet the ST.
O0O, 1000 of bonds issued for the purchase
! or the lands. have no doubt whatever
tnat the attorney generals construction
i was proper one, and that it is in the
! interest or everyone that the land shall
be promptly disposed Of The danger of
creating a monopoly of ownership in
lands under the statutes as construed
Is nothing. There are only two tracts
OF $4,000 acres each unimproved and
In remote provinces that are likely to
be disposed OF in bulk. and the rest of
the lands are subject TO the limitation
that they shall be first offered to the
| present tenants and lessons xs,ha hold