Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1912-12-12
RESIOENT SENDS ANOTHER MESSAGE
us Congress About the FISCAL Military, InsuIar
and judicial Affairs Of the Nation, Including
Panama Canal and Tolls Established.

psrt OF the national suari IN. orx,n,,-s
ae touay cannot be ordered outside Of
~ "this or the United States and thus
annot iawfuiiy be used for general milf
.ary purposes The officers ard men are
amoitious and eager to make ,hrrussive.
nus available and TO become an efficient
national reserve OF citizen soldiery. They
- me only force Of trained men. other
,nan the regular army. upon which we
can rely The so-calied military paw hill
" me form agreed on bctwsrn IN. au-
tnorit'e- OF the var department and ths
representatives, OF the natl guard. IN
ny opinion adequately M S<ss con-
aiions and offers a proper fors the
pay which II Is proposed y to the
national guard J believe tI.k {ts suact-
nsn. osa,a ,n,o ls- woe,s = ygyx long .ssp
me ot ritiyen soidiery. upon which its
main reliance mus, depend IN case Of any
national emergency. Plans FOR the or
eanixation Of the national guard into tao
ucal divisions. on the same lines as those
ADOPTED for the regular army. are being
formulated by the war college division
OF the general star
Porto Rico Mr.. Taft says. continues
TO show notable progress and he urges
the senate to pass the bill granting the
Philippines.
A bill II pending in congress- con-
unues the message which revolution
Ives the carefully worked out scheme
or government under which the Philip
pine islands are now governed and
which proposes to render them virtu-
ally autonomous At once and absolutely
Independent In eight years Such n
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. A thorough
and unbiased knowledge OF the facts
clearly shows that these assumptions
are absolutely with Justification. As
TO this, | believe that there Is no sub
stantial difference OF opinion among
any Of those who have had the respon-
sioillty OF facing Philippine problems
In the administration OF the islands
and l believe that no one TO whom the
future Of this people Is responsible
concern can countenauce policy
fraught with the direst consequences
TO those on whose behalf Il Is osten-
sibly urged
Our true course Is TO pursue steadily
and eouraseousiy the path we have thus
far followed. to guide the Filipino. into
sef-susiaining pursuits: to continue the
cultivation OF sound political habits
through education and political practice;
10 encourage the diversfncafion OF indus.
tries. and TO realize the Advantages OF
their Industrial education by conserva-
lively approved cooperative methods. at
once checking the dangers Of coneentrat-
ed wealth and building up q sturdy. inde-
pendent citizenship.
Regulation Of Wster Power.
There are pending before congress q
large number Of bills proposing 20 grant
privileges Of erecting d.rrs for the pur-
pose Of creating water power IN our ravi-
gable rivers The tendency Of thes. bills
has brought out an important defect In
the existing general dam act That ac,
foe. not IN my opinion. grant sufficient
power 90 tho federal government 10 deal
ing with the construction OF such dams 20
exact protective conditions In the interes;
% navigation. II does not permit the
federal government. - condition OF It's
permit. 20 require that q part OF the
value thu. created shall b applied TO the
further general Improvement AMI protec-
ton Of the stream I believe this 70 b
one os the most important matters OF
Internal Improvement now confronting
the government Most Of tho navirable
rivers OF this country are comparatively
long and shallow. In order that they
may be made fury useful for navigation
there has come into vogue a rnethcf OF
Improvement known as canaii.ation. or
the slack-water method. which consists
In building a series Of dams and lock-.
each Of which will create a long pool OF
deep nsvfgsbie water. At each Of these
dam. there is usually created long pool
OF deep navigable water. At each OF these
dams there Is usually created also water
power OF commercial value. ~ the water
power thus created can be made available
for the further Improvement OF navisa-
tion IN the stream. Il is manifest thar 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 win Be very much
reduced Private interests seeking per-
mit- 20 building wsterpover dams in
navigabie streams usually urge that they
thus improve navigation. and that n they
do not impair navigation they should be
allowed 20 take for themselves the en-
tire profits Of the water power develop
relieving the government OF the expense OF
improving navigation should Be given due
consideration. but IL must be spparen,
that there may Be a profit beyond rea-
sonahiy liberal return upon the private
Investment which Is a potential asset Of
the government In carrying out q com
prehensive policy cs waterway develop
men, II 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 NAN.
for the protection and development OF
navigation. II Is also equally clear that
inssruch as the water power thus ere
ated l. or may be an incident OF a gen
eral scheme of waterway Improvement
within the constitutional Jurisdiction OF
the federal government. the regulation OF
ruch water power lies also within that
Jurisdiction. In my opinion constructive
craftsmanship requires that legislation
should be enacted which win permit the
Of navigation in these great
rivers to go hand In hand with the utii-
ixation Of this hy-product 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
sibie deem II highly important tha.
the nation should adopt a consistent nnd
treatment OF these water
power projects. which viii preserve for
this purpose their value 20 the govern
ment. whose right II Is to grant the per-
init Any other policy Is equivalent TO
throwing away a 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
the excavation work has been completed.
and more than 20 per sent. OF the con
crete for all the locks Is in place In
view os the great interest which has been
as 20 some slides In the Guile
bra Cut. am glad to saw that the report
of Col Goethals should allay any ap.
prehen nsion on this point. II Is gratifying
to note that none Of the slides which oc-
CURED during this year would have in
terfered with the passage OF the ships
had the canal. In fact. been in operation
ard when the siops p-sssursa vtn have