The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-08-06

ov6rmefStEte com hefce has Sf6Y5fmed
the contract to be implied and has
made Il more favorable to the EN-
ployee. Indeed, more radical bill, |
which fully approve. has passed the
senate and In now pcnling 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 injury
has occurred.
Many millions are spent annually by
the agricultural department to investi.
gate the best methods Of treating the
sol! 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 rs will en-.
able him better to equip his farm and
to follow the rules Of good farming.
which we must encourage. Our plat
form, am glad to say. specifies this
as a 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 IL now engaged In
revision Of the equity rules to accom-
plish this purpose as to half our fed
eral litigation. The workmen's CON-
pensation act will relieve our courts Of
law Of u 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 cOdified 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 2 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 governmental
agency. Experience. however. leads
depOsitors to 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 il thus available a much
larger fund for general investment.
| For some years the administration
has been recommending the parcels
post. and now ] am glad to say a
measure will probably he adopted by
congress authorizing the government
to avail itself Of the existing machin
cry of the postotiice department to
carry parcels at reasonably low rate,
SO that the communication bet ween the
city and the country In ordinary mer-
chandise will be proportionutely AZ
cheap and as'prompt as the newspaper
and letter delivery through the post
offices now. This must contribute
greatly to n reduction In the cost and
comfort Of living.
4 Disposition Of Public Lands.
We are considering the changing
needs of the people In the disposition
Of our public lands and their cOilserva.
ton. AS those lands owned by the
purposes which remain are as II 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 urea or In those arid tracts within
the reclamation system.
Again n bill has passed the senate
and is likely to pass the house which
will not compel the settlers ON reclama
tion lands to wait ten years and unit
full payment Of what they owe the
government before they receive title
but which gives title after three
years with first government lien.
On the other hand, the Withdrawal
Of coal lands. phosphate lands and ci
lands and waterpower sites is still
maintained until congress shall prOvid,
on the principles Of proper cOnserva
tion u system Of disposition which vii
attract capital on the one hand and re
tain sufficient control by the govern
ment on the other to prevent the evi
Of concentrating absolute ownership II
few persons Of those sources for thu
production Of necessities.
Popular Unrest.
In the work OF rOusing the people Il
the danger that threatened our civil
zation from the abuses of concentrat
ed wealth and the power It was ltkel!
to exercise. the public imagination wal
wrought upon and reign Of sensa
Jonai journalism and unjust and un
principlcd undertaking has followed. II
which much injustice has been dom
to honest men. Demag0gues hav,
seized the opportunity further to in
name the public mind and have s0ugh
to turn the peculiar conditions to thei
advantage.
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