Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1912-12-12

militia today cannot be ordered outside OF
the limits of the United States. and thug
cannot lawfully be uned for general mill
| tary purposes The officers and men are
ambitious and eager 10 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-cajied 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 q proper return for the
pay which II is proposed to give to the
national guard. believe that It's enact
ment into law would be a very long step
toward providing this nation with 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.. Tar 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
ICES the carefully worked out scheme
OF government under which the Philip
pine islands are now governed and
which proposes to render them virtu-
ally autonomous at once and absolutely
I Independent in eight years. Such a
proposal can only be founded on the
assumption that we have now dis
charged our trustseship 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
to this. / believe that there is no sub
stantfal difference of opinion among
any of those who have had the respon-
sfbility of facing Philippine problems
In the administration of the islands.
and l believe that no one to whom the
future of this people 10 responsible
concern can countsnance a policy
fraught with the dircat consequences
to those on whose behalf II is osten-
sibly urged.
Our true course is to pursue steadily
and courageously the path we have thus
far followed; to guide the Fiiipinos into
seif-sustaIning pursuits: to continue the
cultivation of sound political habits
through education and political practice:
to encourage the diversification of indus
tries. and to realize the advantages OF
their industrial education by conserva-
lively approved cooperative methods. at
once checking the dangers of ccncentrat-
ed wealth and building up sturdy. indie
pendent citizenship.
+ Regulation of Water Power.
There are pending before congress a
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. It does not permit the
federal government. as a 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 navigabe
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 canalization. or
the slack-water method. which consists
in building series of dams and locks
| each of which will create long pool Of
deep navigable water At each of these
dams there is usually created long pool
| of deep navigabfe water. At each of these
dams there is usually created also water
| power of commercial value. II the water
| powell thus created can be made available
| for the further Improvement of navfga-
| ton In the stream, 1t is manifest that the
| improvement will be much more quickly
| effected on the one hand. and on the
49, 81
payers, of the country will be very much
reduced. Private interests seeking per-
mits to building waterpower dams In
navigabie streams usually urge that they
| thus improve navigation, and that If 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 1T must be apparent
| that there may be profit beyond rea-
| sonably liberal return upon the private
| investment which is potential asset Of
| the government in carrying out COM
| prehensve 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 ana 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 gen.
| 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
! 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
siDle. I deem it highly important that
|, the nation should adopt a consistent and
| harmonious treatment of these water
power projects, which will preserve for
| this purpose their value to the govern
ment, whose right 1t is to grant the per-
nit Any other policy is equivalent to
| throwing away a most valuable national
asset.
The Panama Canal.
During the past year the work of con-