Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-08-03

ploye. Indeed, a more radical bill
which fully approve, has passed the
senate and Is now pending In the
house, which requires interstate rail.
ways in effect to insure the lives of
their employees and to make provision
for prompt settlement of the amount
due under the law after death or in.
jury has occurred.
BY the railroad legislation of this ad-
ministration, shippers have been
placed much nearer an equality with
the railroads whose lines they use,
than ever before. Rates can not be in
creased except after the interstate
commerce commission shall hold the
increase reasonable. Orders against
railways which under previous acts
might be stayed by judicial injunction
that involved delay Of two years can
now be examined and finally passed
on by the commerce court In about six
months. Patrons of express, telegraph
and telephone companies may now Sc
cure reasonable rates by complaint to
the commission.
Government Aid For Farmer.
Many millions are spent annually by
the agricultural department to investi-
gate the best methods of treating the
soil and carrying on agriculture and OF
publishing the result. We are now
looking into the question of the best
system for securing such credit for the
farmer at reasonable rates as will en-
able him better to equip his farm and
to follow the rules Of good farming,
which we must encourage. Our plat
$~y 4 rJ~@ IN q
as reform to which the party is
pledged. The necessity for stimulating
greater production of foodstuffs per
acre becomes imperative as the va
cant lands available for the extension
of acreage are filling up and the
supply Of foodstuffs as compared with
the demand Is growing less each year.
Congress has sought to encourage
the movement t05ard eight hours
day for all manual labor by the recent
enactment Of new law on the sub
ject more stringent in It's provisions
works on government con-
tracts.
One of the great defects In our
present system OF government Is the
delay and expense Of litigation. which
of course works against the poor It'll
CANT. The supreme court is now en-
gagged in revision Of the equity rules
to accomplish this purpose as to half
our federal litigation. The workmen's
compensation act will relieve our
courts of law OF very heavy part Of
the present dockets on the law side Of
the court and give the court more OPP
portunity to speed the remaining
causes. The last congress codified the
federal court provisions. and We may
look for, and should insist upon. a re-
form in the law procedure 80 as to
promote dispatch of business and re-
duction in costs.
Postal Savings and Parcels Post.
We have adopted in this administra-
ton, after very considerable opposf-
ton, the postal savings banks, which
work directly In the promotion OF
thrift among the people. BY payment
Of only per cent interest on deposits
they do not compete with the savings
banks. But they do attract those who
fear banks and are unwilling to trust
their funds except to a governmental
agency. Experience, however. leads de-
positors to knowledge Of the import
ance OF interest, and then seeking a
higher rate they transfer their ac-
counts to the savings banks. In this
way the savings bank deposits, instead
of being reduced. are increased. and
there is thus available much larger
fund for general investment.
For some years the administration
has been recommending the parcels
post, and now am glad to say meas
nre will probably be adopted by con-
gress authorizing the government to
avail itself Of the existing machinery
of the post office department to carry
parcels at reasonably low rate, so
that the communication between the
city and the country in ordinary mer-
chandise will be proportionately as
cheap and as prompt as the newspaper
and letter delivery through the post
offices now. This must contribute
greatly to a reduction in the cost and
comfort of living.
Changes In Land Laws.
We are considering the changing
needs of the people in the disposition
of our public lands and their con-
servation. AS those lands owned by
the government and useful for agri-
cultural purposes which remain are as
a whole less desirable as homesteads
than those which have been already
settled, it has been properly thought
wise to reduce the time for perfecting
a homestead claim from five years to
three. and this whether on land within
the rain area or in those arid tracts
within the reclamation system.
Again bill has passed the senate
and is likely to pass the house which
will not compel the settlers on the
reclamation lands to wait ten years
and until full payment of what they
owe the government before they re-
ceive a title. but which gives title
after three years with first govern
ment lien.
On the other hand. the withdrawal
of coal lands, phosphate lands. and OIL
lands and water-power sites is still
maintained until congress shall pro-
vide on the principles Of proper con-
servation system of disposition
which will attract capital on the one
hand and retain sufficient control by
the government on the other TO pre-
vent the evil Of concentrating absolute
ownership in few persons OF those