Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1912-12-11
PRESIDENT SENDS ANOTHER MESSAGE
Tells Congress About the Fiscal Military Insuar
and Judicial Affairs of the Nation, Including
Panama Canal and Tolls Established


militia today cannot be ordered outside of
the limits Of the United States, and thus
cannot lawfully be used for general mill
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 it is proposed to give to the
national guard. / believe that its enact
ment into law would be 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
gantxation 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 staff
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.
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 governed and
which proposes to render them virtu-
ally autonomous at once and absolutely
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 hey are now
prepared for self-govern ment as well
as national ignty. thorough
and unbiased knowledge of the facts
clearly shows that these assumptions
are absolutely with justification. AS
to this. l believe that there is no sub
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 believe that no one to whom the
future of this people is a responsible
concern can countenance policy
fraught with the direst consequences
to those on whose behalf it is osten-
sibly urged
Our true course is to pursue steadily
and courageously the path we have thus
far followed; to guide the Filpinos into
self-Sustaining pursuits; to continue the
cultivation of sound political habits
through education and political practice;
to encourage the diversflcation 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 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. 1t does not permit the
federal government, as condition Of its
permit, to require that q part of the
value thus created shall be applied to the
further general Improvement and protec-
ton of the stream. 1 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 method of
improvement known as canalization, or
the slack-water method which consists
in building a series of dams and locks
each of which will create a long pool of
deep naVigabIe water. At each of these
dams 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. If the water
power thus created can be made available
for the further improvement of naviga-
ton in the stream, it is 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 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 it must be apparent
that there may be a profit beyond rea-
scnably liberal return upon the private
investment which is a potential asset of
the government in carrying out com
prehensive 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 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
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
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
sible. 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 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
S+r,1c+iora 11rou the canal baS