The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-07-08

in every respect, with q full corps OF
the best teachers, and the very best
course of studies, would be the pivot
around which the plan would be con
structed.
There are approximately forty thous-
and people at work for Uncle San in
the National Capital who Will tax
thirty days leave to which they are
entitled under the rules governing
their employment. As the greater part
of these people take some OF their
folks with them on their vacations, it
will readily be seen that the govern
ment departments will be running
~short-handed during the summer
President Wilson has been n of the
most constant men on the job since
his election, and the record of the past
two might indicate that there
were times when nobody worked but
father" since from the cabinet officers
down, the hot weather drove every
body away from the Capital, who had
the price OF railroad transportation.
Mexico, Germany, shipping bills and
the tariff, will all be kept in cold stor-
ing the next few weeks, and everyone
connected with official life, who can
possibly do so, will take their journeys
to playland. Former Secretary Bryan
ran be dispensed with as a poll
teal factor, since he filled most of the
political positions that were coming to
northern democrats. The mantle of
his authority as a patronage broker
has dropped across the shoulders of
several of the Cabinet officers of whom
Postmaster General Burleson and Sec
rotary Garrison are perhaps most to be
considered.
Future generations may get this
North Pole of ours correctly located,
but that its mysteries are not all clear
is evidenced by the latest positive in
formation that "Crocker Land" dis
covered and charted by Admiral Peary,
does not exist. Explorations made dur
ing the year have located the farthest
point north obtained by Doltor Cook,
and left the latter's yarn more full of
holes than before. Admiral Peary adj
mits that he might have been mistaken
about "Crocker Land" and while the
denial Of its existence does not reflect
any upon the Peary discovery of the
Pole, yet it does rather confuse the ac-
Ceptcd story of the expedition. Doctor
Cook is still abroad in the land, max
ing an occasional speech and living in
luxury. He promises to go to Wash
ington this winter and push his claims
before congress. The latter institu-
ton lent a listening ear last spring, but
that ear is more likely to be given to
political matters and ~exigencies at the
next session.
The "old Indian" whom President
Wilson froze out Of Mexico, has again
been in the lime light. The other day
he made some comment on the Mexi-
can situation that is of interest. His
statement, which appeared in a Wash
ington dispatch, is as follows:
"Out of some 16, 900, 900 people in
Mexico today there are Il 5000, 900 who
ask nothing better than to be let alone.
They want peace. Whe remaining 100,-
900 are bandits who are lighting for
the spoils of one of the richest coun-
tries on earth; they are men who live
by plumber and who would rather fight
than work. One of the great troubles
is that the real conditions in Mexico
are not known outside of the country
because not a letter nor a cable leaves
the country without being censored.
There is one very simple reform
hat can be carried out and ought to
be insisted upon. 1t is this: Under
existing laws the proprietor of land
that is uncultiyated pays no taxes on
it, and there are many men of great
wealth who keep enormous landed es-
tates uncultivated purposely, so as to
avoid paying taxes. The government
ought to tax uncultivated land high
enough to force the owners either to
cultivate or to SELL"