The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-12-10


of transportation upon which all profit
able and useful commerce depends7 And
! how are we to get the ships IL we walt
for the trade to develop without them !
To correct the many mistakes by which
! we have discouraged and all but destroyed
the merchant marine OF the country, to
retraoe the steps by which We have, IL
seems almost deliberately. Withdrawn our
/ flag from the seas, except where, here
and there, ship of war Is hidden TO carry
II or some wandering yacht displays II,
would take 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.
The case is not unlike that which con- con-
\ to be opened up to settlement and indus
try, and we needed long lines of railway,
| extended means OF transportation pre-
to lag intolerably and wait Unfortunately.
We lavishly subsidized the building OF
/ transcontinental railroads. We look back
sp PS s LED Tt To sns Of Which,
we are ashamed; but we know that the
railroads had to be built. and II we had
I il to 40 over again we should Of course
| build them, but In another way. There
| fore propose another way of providing
/ the means of transportation, which must
precede, not tardily follow. the develop
i
OF America. 1t may seem reversal Of
i the natural order of things, but II is true,
/ that the routes of trade must be actually
opened-by many ships and regular sail
ings and moderate charges-before
streams OF merchandise will flow freely
| and profitably through them.
Hence tho pending shipping bill, dis
cussed at the last session but as yet passed
by neither House. In my Judgment such
legislation Is imperatively needed and can
not wisely be postponed. The government
must open these gates of trade, and open
them. wide; open them before It is al
together profitable to open them, or all
| together reasonable to ask private capital
to open them at venture. II is not a
question OF the government monopolizing
| the field. 1t should take action to make
| ii certain that transportation at reason
abe rates will be promptly provided even
where the carriage Is not at first profit
come sufficiently profitable to attract and
engage private capital, and engage IL in
abundance, the government ought to with
draw. very earnestly hope that the
congress will be of this opinion. and that
both Houses will adopt this exceedingly
important bill. -.
Wants Rural Credits.
The great subject OF rural credits still
remains to be dealt with. and II Is a mat
ter of, deep regret that the difficulties of
the subject have seemed to render IL i'm
possible to complete bill for passage at
this session. But II can not be perfected
yet. and therefore there are no other con-
structive measures the necessity for which
will at this time call your attention to;
but would be negligent of a very mani
fest duty were j not to call the attention
Of the Senate to the fact that the pro-
posed convention for safety at sea awaits
Its cOnfirma ton and that the limit fixed
In the convention itself for its acceptance
Is the last day of the present month. The
conference in which this convention origi-
mated was called by the United States; the
representatives of the United States
played very influential part indeed in
framing the provisions Of the proposed
convention; and those provisions are in
themselves for the most part admirable.
II would hardly be. consistent with the
part we have played in the whole matter
to let 1t drop and go by the board as II
forgotten and neglected. 1t was ratified
May last by the German government and
In August by the parliament of Great
cided advance In International civilization.
We should show our earnest good faith
In a great matter by adding our own ac-
ceptance of It,
make special meutlon, If I am TO discharge
my conscience, lest 1t should escape your
attention. II may seem a very small
thing. II affects only single item of
appropriation. But many human lives and
many great enterprises hang upon IT, II is
the matter of making adequate provision
for the survey and charting of our coasts.
1t Is Immediately pressing and exigent
In connection with the immense coast lire
of Alaska, a coast line greater than that
OF the United States themselves, though
II Is also very important indeed with re-
gar1 TO the oder coasts of the continent.
We eun not use our great Alaskan do
main ship3 will not ply thither, If those
coasts and their many hidden dangers are
rot thoroughly surveyed and charted The
work Is incomplete at almost every point.
Ships and lives have been lost in thread
ing what We're supposed to be well known
main channels We have not provided
| gnpuIIafn NGSSplg a1Cnn "A
for the survey and char ting. We have
used old vessels that were not big enough
or strong enough and which were so near
ly unseaworthy that our inspectors would
not have allowed private owners to send
them to sea. This is matter which, as
have said. seems small. but is in reality
very great. Its Importance has only to
be looked Into to be appreciated,
Economy In Government.
Before close may I say a few words
upon two topics. much discussed out of
doors, upon which 1t is highly important
that our judgments should be clear, def
mite, and steadfast?
One of these is economy in government
expenditures The duty of economy Is
not dehatable. It is manifest and impera-
tive. In the appropriations we pass we
are spending the money of the great peo-
nIe whose servants we are--not our own.
We are trustees ard responsible stewards
in the spending. The only thing debatable
and upon which we should he careful to
make our thought and purpose clear is the
kind OF economy demanded of us. I as
sert with the greatest confidence that the
people of the United States are not jeal-
olIs OF the amount their gover~~"~nt costs
II they arc sure that they ~et ut they
need ard desire for the OUTLAY that the
money is being snert for objects of which
they approve. and that II is being applied
with good business sense and manage
mrnt.
! Governments grow. piecemeal both in
| their tasks and In the means by which
those tasks are to be performed, and very
! few governments are organized. / venture
to say. as wise and eXparienced business
men would organize them IL they had
clean sheet of paper to write upon. Ger
taiply the government OF the United
States is not thirk that II Is generally
agreed that there should he systematic
reorganization ard reassemhling of it's
parts 80 as to secure greater efficiency
and effa~t considerable savings In ex-
Densa Rut the amount Of money saved
| in that way would believe, thor1h 10
doubt considerable in ITSELF running, II
may be. int the millions, be relatively
| small-small / mean. In proportion to the
| total nocessarv outiays of the govern
nIent. It would be tHoroughlv worth eff
| fectinS, MS every saving would. great or
small. Our duty is not altered by. the
| scale Of SAVING. Rl't my point Is that the
peo~la OF the United States do not wish to
| cuftail the actiyities of this government
| thev wish. rather. TO enlarge them: and
with every enhancement. with the mere
| growth. indeed. of the country itself. there