The Colorado statesman., 1912-12-14


tary purposes. The officers and men are
ambitious and eager to make themselves
thus available and to become an efficient
national reserve of citizen soldiery. They
are the only force of trained men. other
than the regular army, upon which we
can rely. The so-called military pay bill.
In the form agreed on between the au-
thorities of the war department and the
representatives of the national guard. IN
my opinion adequately meets these con-
ditions and offers a proper return for the
pay which 1t is proposed to give to the
national guard. 1 believe that its enact
ment into law would be a very long step
toward providing this nation with a first
line of citizen soldiery, upon which its
main reliance must depend in case OF any
national emergency. Plans for the or
ganization OF the national guard into tao
teal divisions. on the same lines as those
adopted for the regular army. are being
formulated by the war college division
OF the general stan.
Porto Rico. Mr.. Taft says. continues
to show notable progress and he urges
the senate to pass the bill granting the
Porto Ricans American citizenship.
Philippines.
A bill is pending in congress. con-
| tinues the message, which revolution
| lies the carefully worked out scheme
OF government under which the Philip
pine islands are now governed and
which proposes to render them virtu-
I Independent in eight years Such
proposal can only be founded on the
assumption that we have now dis
| charged our trusteeship to the Filipino
people and our responsibility for them
| to the world and that they are now
prepared for self government as well
| as national sovereignty. thorough
| and unbiased knowledge of the facts
! clearly shows that these assumptions
! are absolutely with justification. AS
T he1iaVa there
stantial difference of opinion among
| any of those who have had the respon-
| sibility of facing Philippine problems
in the administration of the islands.
and I believe that no one to whom the
future of this people is responsible
concern can countenance a policy
| fraught with the direst consequences
to those on whose behalf 1t is osten-
| sibly urged.
Our true course Is to pursue steadily
| and courageously the path we have thus
far followed to guide the Fflipinos into
| self-sustaining pursuits; to continue the
cultivation OF sound political habits
| through education and political practice;
to encourage the diversiacation 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 a sturdy, indie
| 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 navi-
/ gable rivers. The tendency Of these bills
| has brought out an important defect in
the existing general dam 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. as a condition of its
| permit. to require that 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 a method of
Improvement known canalization. or
| the slackwater method. which consists
in building a series of dams and locks.
| each of which will 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. If the water
power thus created can be made available
| for the further Improvement of naviga-
| tion in the stream, it rs manifest that the
| Improvement will be much more quickly
| effected on the one hand, and on the
| other. that the burden on the general tax
payers of the country will be very much
| reduced. Private interests seeking per-
mits 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
ment. 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 a profit beyond rea-
| sonably liberal return upon the private
| Investment which is a potential asset of
the government in carrying out a COM
prehepsive policy OF waterway develop
ment. 1t is no objection to the retention
| and use of such an asset by the govern
| ment that a comprehensive waterway
policy will include the protection and de-
| velopment of the other public uses of
water. which cannot and should not 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 Gre
ated is or may be an incident of a gen.
! eral scheme of waterway Improvement
| within the constitutional Jurisdiction of
| the federal government. the regulation OF
Euch water power lies also within that
| Jurisdiction. In my opinion constructive
| craftsmanship requires that legislation
should be enacted which will permit the
| development of navigation in these great
rivers to go hand in hand with the util-
ization of this by-product of water pow
err 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
| sible. l deem 1t highly important that
> the nation should adopt consistent and
| harmonious treatment of these water
| power projects. which will preserve for
| this purpose their value to the govern
! ment, whose right It is to grant the per-
NIT. 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