Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1912-08-05

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
form. l am glad to say, specifies this
as reform to which the party is
pledged.
Delay and Expense Of Litigation.
One Of the great defects in our pres
ent system Of government is the delay
and expense Of litigation, which, Of
course. works against the poor litigant.
The supreme court Is now engaged in
Il revision of the equity rules to accom-
plish this purpose as to half our fed
eral litigation. The workmen's COM
pensation 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 opportunity to
speed the remaining causes. The last
congress cOdifed the federal court pro-
visions. and we may look for and
should insist upon reform in the law
procedure so as to promote dispatch Of
business and reduction in costs.
We have adopted in this admins
tratiOn. after very considerable oppo-
sition. 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
agency. Experience. however, leads
depositors to a knowledge of the i'm
| pOrtance Of interest, and then seeking
a higher rate they transfer their ac-
counts to the savings banks In this
way the savings bank deposits in
stead 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 l am glad to say
measure will probably be adopted by
congress authorizing the government
to avail itself Of the existing machin-
cry of the pOstoftice 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.
Disposition Of Public Lands.
We are considering the changing
needs Of the people in the disposition
Of our public lands and their conserva
ton. AS those lands owned by the
government and useful for agricultural
purposes which remain are as whole
less desirable as homesteads than
those which have been already settled,
it has been properly thought wise to
reduce the time for perfecting home
stead 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 a bill has passed the senate
and is likely to pass the house which
will not compel the settlers on reclama-
ton lands to wait ten years and until
full payment Of what they owe the
government before they receive title,
but which gives a title after three
years with first government lien.
On the other hand, the withdrawal
Of coal lands, phosphate lands and oil
lands and waterpower sites is still
maintained until congress shall provide
on the principles Of proper conserva-
ton system Of disposition which will
attract capital on the one hand and re-
tain sufficient control by the govern
ment on the other to prevent the evil
of concentrating absolute ownership in
q few persons Of those sources for the
production Of necessities.
Popular Unrest.
In the work Of rousing the people to
the danger that threatened our civili-
cation from the abuses of cOncentrat-
ed wealth and the power 1t was likely
to exercise. the public imagination was
wrought upon and a reign of sensa
tional journalism and unjust and un-
principled undertaking has followed. in
which much injustice has been done
to honest men. Demagogues have
seized the opportunity further to in
fame the public mind and have sought
to turn the peculiar conditions to their
advantage.
In so far as inequality of condition
can be lessened and equality of oppor
tunity can be promoted by improve
| ment Of our educational system. the
betterment of the laws to insnre the
quick administration OF lustl =. and hv
| the prevention of the ac,jul iti"n OF
privilege without inst COMPENSATION.
in so far rs the adoption ot the irgis
lation above re- tied and laws of a
| similar charn. ter max and the less for
tunate in their STRUGGLE with the hard
| ships of life all are III sympathy with
a continued effort to remedy injustice
| and to Hl The weak. and | venture to
say that there is no national admins
trntion IN which more real steps Of
ouch progress have been taken than In
+ the present one. But in so far as the
propaganda for the satisfaction of un-
rest involves the promise Of a millen-
mum, a condition in which the rich
are to be made reasonably poor and
the poor reasonably rich by law. we
are chasing y phantom; we are holding
out to those whose unrest we fear q
prospect and a dream, vision of the
impossible.
| III Gotten Wealth.
In the ultimate analysis. I fear, the
equal opportunity which those seek
who proclaim the coming Of so called
social justice involves forced division
Of property. and that means socialism.