The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-09

eration. of power have already passed
the House of Representatives and are
ready for immediate consideration and.
action BY the Senate. With the deopesI
earnestness l urge their prompt pass.
age. In them both We turn our backs
upon hesitation and makeshift and
formulate a genuine policy of use and
conservation in the best sense of those
words. We owe the one measure not
only to the people of that great west
ern country for whose free and sys-
tematic development, as it seems to me.
our legislation has done so little but
also to the people of the nation as u
whole and We as clearly owe the other
in fulfillment of our repeated promises
that the water power of the country
should in fact as we'll as in name be
put at the disposal of grtat industries
which can make economical and profit
able use of it. the rights of the public
being adequately guarded the while
and monopoly in the use prevented. To
have begun such measures and not
completed them would indeed mar the
record of this great Congress very seri-
ously. l hope and confidently believe
that they will be completed.
And there is another great piece OF
Legislation which awaits and should re-
ceive the sanction of the Senate: | mean
the bill which gives a larger measure
of self government to the people of the
Philippines. How better, in this time
of anxious questioning and perplexed
policy. could we show our confidence
in the principles of liberty. as the
source as well as the expression of life.
how better could we demonstrate our
own elf-possession and steadfastness
| in the courses of justice and disinter
estedness than by thus going calmly
forward to fulfll our promises to a de-
pendent people. who will now look more
faa4e n wi.
have indeed the liberality. the unseif-
| ishness, the courage, the faith we have
boosted and protested ! cannot be-
/, lieye that the Senate will let this great
measure OF constructive justice await
the action of another Congress Its
passage would nobly crown the record
| of these two years of memorable labor.
But l think that you will agree with
me that this does not complete the toll
| of our duty. How are we to carry our
goods to the empty markets of which
| I have spoken IL we have not the ships?
How are we to build up great trade
| If we have not the certain and constant
means of transportation upon which all
profitable and useful commerce de-
ponds? And how are we to get the ships
| If we wait for the trade to develop
without them? To correct the many may
takes by which we have discouraged
and all but destroyed the merchant ma
rine of the country. to retraee the steps
| by which we have, 1t seems almost de-
| liberately, withdrawn our flag from the
seas, except where, here and there, a
ship of war is hidden carry it or some
| wandering yacht displays 1t, would take
a long time and involve many detailed
items of legislation, and the trade which
we ought Immediately to handle would
disappear or find other channels while
we debated the items.
Similar Case
The case is not unlike that which con-
fronted us when our own continent
was to be opened up to settlement and
industry, and we needed long lines of
railway, extended means of transporta-
ton prepared beforehand, If develop
ment was not. to lag intolerably and
wait Unfortunately. We lavishly sub
sidized the building of transcontinental
railroads. We look back upon that with
regret now, because the subsidies led
| to many scandals of which we are
ashamed; but we know that the rail-
roads had to be built, and If we had it
to do over again we should of course