The Colorado statesman., 1913-01-18

zeal, to lay the foundation of a great
state His laws and customs were
| built on experience and justice. 'Jpon
| the foundation so wen laid by him, our
hardship and genius and industry have
measured every dollars worth of value
| in our natural resources by dollars
worth of human toll. We have a right
to these resources with which to build
our state.
sensible solution of the public do
main question is to turn the public
| lands and resources over to the states
in which they lie. The citizens of
these states have a better understand
| ing of their needs than outside people
| possibly could have. They have a
| greater interest than anyone else in a
proper administration of these lands.
The excuse for foisting the reserva.
ton policy upon the West is the
feigned purpose OF preventing mo-
| nopoly. The real reason is to place
our lands and resources upon reye.
me basis to the federal treasury. If
public ownership of lands and re-
| sources is the only means of prevent
ing monopoly what is to become OF
that portion of our great country lying
east of the Mississippi river. and con.
tanning vastly more than half and
therefore the dominating portion OF
cur entire population. and if those
people cannot control the property
they own there, how are they to con
| troll it here?
The General Assembly should me.
morialize President Wilson and Con-
Sress, setting forth in detail sugges'
tions of changes in administration OF
the public domain to comply with the
best requirements for settlement, de-
velopment and local taxation.
Employees Compensation Commission
The Employees Compensation Com
mission appointed by the Eighteenth
| General Assembly, | am told, has not
completed its Investigations, and
should be continued either to report
at the next session of the General AS
! sembly or to initiate Il law covering
the subject.
Fairs and Expositions.
If we are to make a creditable show.
! ing at the Panama Exposition in 1915
| the present General Assembly must
! provide for it. | am advised that all
the western states are making unusual
efforts to advertise their products and
! opportunities at this great fair The
| people of Colorado will not want to
| be left behind. Our financial condition
/
would like to do, and the situation ia
| complicated from the fact that the
| exposition will in reality be divided
| into two parts-one portion located al
| San Francisco and the other at San
! Diego. In addition TO this, Colorado
| intends to provide an attractive pa
/ geant to induce visitors to the big
I shows on the coast to stop in this
! state, view our mountain scenery, en-.
| joy our unequaled climate, and inves
| tigate our splendid opportunities
/ Whatever funds the state can spare
| for this great exposition should be
| placed in the hands OF a most compe,
/ tent board, that they may be used tc
the best possible advantage. To pro
mote this work the several counties OF
the state might be authorized to as.
sist the general exhibits by financial
aid
Grand Jury.
When the present law relating to
| criminal prosecutions was passed il
was not intended that district attor.
neys should be given so much power
/ am of the opinion that it should be
mandatory upon the District Courts
| to call grand jury at least once each
year in every county, and that district
| attorneys should not be permitted to
dismiss prosecutions without the con.
sent of the courts.
Fee Offices.
| l have always been opposed to pub.
lie offices being supported by fees.
realize there are many offices, under
| present conditions at least, that can
| have no support otherwise, but | see
no reason why such officials should
not be required to collect fees with.
out favor, turn them promptly into
the public treasury and draw such
salaries as may be allowed by law
in the same manner in which salaries
are usually paid.
Sixty-day Session.
| have never known a session of the
| General Assembly at which the work
could not have been completed within
sixty days, and | see no reason why
the present assembly cannot finish its
| business within that time. So long
as the Legislature is in session
changes in law constantly occur and
business conditions are more or less
disturbed. / therefore hope this as.
sembly will hasten its work to the ut.
most. | can conceive of nothing that
would bring more credit to the mem.
bers than the accomplishment of
needed legislation and an adjournment
within sixty days. In this connection
within sixty days
Economy.
With S126,000 of interest on the
state bonds in settlement of old debts,
with $115,000 to pay for advertising
the initiated and referred bills at the
last election, with demand for $780,
600 for the big expositions of 1915,
with added expense to keep pace with
growth
other institutions, and with the neces-
sity of keeping taxes within reasonable
bounds, there isS every obligation to
hold appropriations and expenditures
| of all departments of the state at the
lowest possible point consistent with
efficiency. The estimated state reve-
nues for the present period are no