Norwich bulletin., 1914-12-09

confronted uS when our own continent was to be opened up to settlement and industry. and we needed long lines of railway. extended means of trapspor- tatfon prepared beforehand, if develop
 uent was not to lag tnfolerably and walt Inter1ninably. We iaviahIy sub- siaiEed the building of trAnsconti- neptal railroads. We look back upon ! that with regret now. because the sub sides led to many scandals Of which we are ashamed; but we know that | the railroads had to be built, and if we had 1t to do over again We should of course build them, but In another
 way. Therefore propose another way tion, which must precede, not tar6ily | follow, the development of Our trade with our neiglbor states of America. l It may seem Q reversal of the natural
 order of things, but 1t Is true, that the opened by many ships and regular saiiings and moderate cfarges-before streams of raerchardise will flow freely and prohtably through them.
 Hence tae pending shipping bill. dis I euEsed at the last session but as yet 1 passed by neither House Tn my judg- raent such 4egisiatf0n is imperatively ! needed and can not wisely be post poned. The Government must open
 these gates of trade, and open them wide; open them before 1t is altogether
 profitable to open them, or altogether reasonable to ask private capital to open then at a venture. It is not q question of the Government monopr oli2ing the field. It should take action
 to make it certain that transportation l at reasonable rates will be promptly provided, even where the carriage is not at first profitable: and then, when l the carriage 7las become sufficiently profitable to attract and engage private l capital, and engage 1t in abundance, i the Government ought to withdraw. I I very earnestly hope that the Congress | will be of this opinion, and that both Houses will adopt this exceedingly l important bill.
 Rural Credits and Safety at Sea. l The great subject of rural credits stiil remains to be dealt with, and 1t is | a matter of deep regret that the diff
 faculties of the subject have seemed | to render 1t impossible to complete a 1 bill for passage at this session. But
 it can not be perfected yet, and there- | fore there are no other constructive
 measures the necessity for which l will at this time call your attention to:
 but would be negligent of a very man. | ifest duty were I not to call the att
 tention of the Senate to the fact that l the proposed convention for safety at | sea awaits it's confirmation and that I the limit fixed in the convention itself | for it's acceptance is the last day of in which this convention originated was called by the United States; the repre- of the United States 1 played very influential part indeed
 in framing the provisions of the pro- posed convention: end those provisions
 arc in themselves for tho most part
 admirable. It would hardly be con-
 sistent with the part we have played ! in the whole matter to let 1t drop and
 go by the board as if forgotten and
 neglected. It was ratified in May last by the German Government and in
 August by the Parliament of Great Britain. It marks 9 most hopeful and
 decided advance in international civ | ilization. We should show our earnest good faith in great matter by adding our own acceptance of 1t.
 | Alaskan Coast Line.
 | There is another matter of which I must make special mention, if am to
 discharge my conscience lest it should escape your attention. It may seem a livery small thing It effects a single
 item of appropriation. But many 1 human lives and many great enter | prises hang upon it. It Is the matter ! of making adequate provision for the
 survey and charting of our coasts. It I Is immediately pressing and exigent in connection with the immense coast line l of Alaska, a coast line greater than l that Of the United States themselves. l though 1t is also very important in deed with regard to the older coast
 of the continent. We can not use our | great Alaskan domain, ships will not | ply thither, if those coasts and their many hidden dangers are not thorough ly surveyed and charted. The work is incomplete at almost every point Ships and lives have been lost in threading what were supposed to be I well-known main channels. We have not provided adequate vessels or ade- I duate machinery for the survey and 1 lcl1arting. We have used old vessels enough and which were so nearly un- I seawortfly that our inspectors would not have allowed private owners to | send them to sea. This is a matter
 which. as I have said. seems small,
 but IS in reality very great. Its inn portance has only to be looked into to be appreciated.
 Economy in Government Expenditures. | Before close may I say few I words upon two topics. much dis cussed out of doors, upon which it is | highly important that our Judgments l should be clear, definite, and steadfast I One of these is economy in govern ment expenditures. The duty of econ- 4 ony is not debatable. It is manifest and imperative. In the appropriations 'te pass we are spending the money of inc great people whose servants we are-not our own-we are trustees and responsible stewards in the spend ing. The only thing debatable and upon which we should be careful to make our thought and purpose clear is the kind of economy demanded ot us, l assert with the greatest conf
 dence that the people of the United States are not jealous of the amount their Government costs if they are sure } that they get what they need and desire for the outlay. that the money is being
 spent for objects of which they ap- prove, and that it is being applied with T good business sense and management Governments grow, piecemeaI, botf in their tasks and in the means bs 1 which those tasks are to be performed
 and very few Governments are organ, ized, ] venture to say, as wise and ex, pelienced business men would organizt
 them if they had a clean sheet o
 A ar to write upon. Certainly tn,
 'rnment of the United States |
 not. 1 think that it is generally agreed that there should be a systematic re
 organization and reassernbling of it!
 parts so as to secure greater efflcienc,
 and effect considerable savings fin ex
 pense. But the amount of mone-
 saved in that way would, believe
 though no doubt considerable in itself