The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1912-12-14

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| encourage political power. 1t takes Long
! time and much experience to ingram po-
| Iittcal habits Of steadiness and efficiency.
| Popular self- government ultimately must
| rest upon common habits Of thought and
upon a reasonably developed public opin-
! ion No such foundations for self gov
| eminent let alone independence, are now
| present in the Philippine Islands. Disre-
/ garding even their racial heterogeneity
/ and the lack OF ability to think IS a ma
| ton It is sufficient to point out that un-
/ der liberal franchise privileges only about
| per cent. OF the Filipinos vote and only
| per cent of the people are said to read
| the public press. To confer independence
| upon the F1lipinos now Is. therefore. to
subject the great mass OF their people to
| the dominance Of oligarchica1 and.
| probabl exploiting minority. Such a
| course will be cruel TO those people as
| It would be shameful to US.
Our true course Is TO pursue steadily
| and courageously the path We have thus
| far followed: to guide the F1lipinos into
| self-sustaining pursuits; to continue the
| cultivation Of sound political habits
through education and political practice:
| to encourage the diversfication of indus
| tries and to realize the advantages of
| their Industrial education by conserva-
lively approved cooperative methods. at
| once checking the dangers of concentrat-
| ed wealth and building up sturdy. inde
pendent citizenship.
REGULATION of Water Power.
| There are pending before congress
| large number OF bills proposing to grant
| privileges OF erecting dams for the pur
| pose of creating water power in our navf-
| gable rivers The tendency Of these bills
| has brought out sn important defect In
| the existing general unE.-A act That act
| does not in my opinion. grant sufficient
| power to the federal government In deal
| ing with the construction of such dams TO
| exact protective conditions in the interest
Of navigation. 1t does not permit the
federal government, condition of its
permit to require that a part OF the
value thus created shall be applied to the
further general improvement and protec-
ton Of the stream. I believe this to be
one Of the most important matters of
internal improvement now confronting
the government. Most OF the navigable
rivers of this country are comparatively
long and shallow. In order that they
may be made fully useful for navigation
there has come into vogue method OF
Improvement known as canalfzation. or
the slack-water method, which consists
in building a series OF dams and locks.
each OF which viii create a long pool OF
deep navigable water. At each of these
dams there Is usually created a long pool
OF deep navigable water. At each Of these
dams there is usually created also water
power of commercial value. II the water
power thus created can be made available
for the further Improvement of naviga-
ton In the stream. 1t Is manifest that the
Improvement will be much more quickly
effected on the one hand. and the
other. that the burden on the general tax
payers of the country will be very much
reduced. Private interests seeking per
nits to building waterpower dams in
navigable streams usually urge that they
thus improve navigation and that II they
do not impair navigation they should be
allowed to take for themselves the en-
tire profits OF the water power develop
nent. Whatever they may do by way OF
relieving the government of the expense of
| improving navigation should be given due
| consideration, but II must be apparent
| that there may be profit beyond a rea-
soma bly, liberal return upon the private
| Investment which is potential asset of
| the government in carrying out a com
prehenstve policy Of waterway develop
ment II is no objection to the retention
| and of such asset by the govern
| ment that comprehensive waterway
| policy win include the protection and de-
| velopment OF the other public uses OF
water. which cannot and should net be
| ignored in making and executing plans
| FOR the protection and DEVELOPMENT Of
| navigation. 1t Is also equally clear that
| inasmuch as the water power thus ere
| ated is or may be incldent OF gem
| eral scheme OF waterway Improvement
| within the constitutional jurisdiction of
| the federal government. the regulation of
| such water power lies also within that
| Jurisdiction In my opinion constructive
| statesmanship requires that alton
| should be enacted which will permit the
| development OF navigation In these great
| rivers to go hand In hand with the utll-
| ization OF this byproduct Of water pow
er. created In the course OF the same i'm
provement. and that the general dam act
should be so amended as to make this pos
.ible deem 1t highly important that
the na ton should adopt a consistent and
harmonou. treatment of these water
power projects. which wifi preserve for
this purpose their value to the govern
ment whose right it is to grant the per-
init. Any other policy is equivalent to
| throwing away most valuable national
| asset.
The Panama Canal.
| During the past year the work Of con-
struction upon the canal has progressed
most satisfactorily. About 81 per cent. of
ths excavation work has been completed.
and more than % per cent. OF the con-
crete for all the locks Is In place In
view of the great interest which has been
manifested as to some slides IN tie Guile
bra Cut. am glad to say that the report
of Col Goethals should allay any ap-
prehension on this point It is gratifying
to note that none OF the slide. which oc-
| Cured during this year would have In
terfered with the passage OF the ships
had the canal. in fact. been IN operation.
and when the slope pressures viii have
been finally adjusted and the growth of
vegetation Will minimize erosion In the
banks OF the cut. the slide problem will
be practically solved and ample sta
bility assured for the Culebra Cut
Although the official date II the OPEN
ing has been set for January ! lal5 the
canal will. In fact. from present lndica-
tiops be opened for shipping 1uring the
latter half OF 1918, No fixed date can as
yet be set. but shipping interest. will be
advised assurances can be
given that vessels can pass through with
| out unnecessary delay
Recognizing the Administrative problem
! in the management OF the canal con-
| gress In the act OF August "a 1912 has
made admirable provision for executive
: / responsibility in the control OF the canal
and the government OF the Canal Zone
The problem Of most efficient organIza-
t sion Is receiving careful consideration. SO
r that scheme of organization and con-
hos udn tod +at h