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TUORSDAY, DEC. 86, 1911, THE WIAGARA SUN, LOCKFPORT, N. Y. CP DEPARTMENTS AND FINANCES Amescrsanmsomenn. President Taft Recommends Cur- rency Reform, National Ra- sorvo Assostation and Rural Pargal Posi. Shown Haanamy Im Trongury, Postofflce anc Othac National , Gradit Mighost In tho Would-Favors Remitting: Panama Ganal Tolla on Amerisan Shing-Advocatea Continu« Ing: Two BHattloships Fer Year and : Adding: Two Golllare. Wo the Sounto and House of Reprosant« - atives: Tho financlat condition of the gov» as shown at tho close of the Yast @scul year, June 80, 1911, was vory satisfactory. 'The ordinary to- cglpty Into the gonoral fund, oxcluding postal revenues, amounted to $7101,878,- 41400, «nd the disbursomonts from the gonevat fund for current expenses and capital outlays, excluding postal «nd Paniiin canal dishursomonts, in« efuding the tntorest om the public dobt, amounted to $604,1857,007.90, leaving & qurplus of $41.804877.10. \Theo postal revenue receipts amount- ad to $207,870,820,00, whito the pay- monts muidy for tho postal gorvice from tho postal rovenucs mmounted to $287,« €60,7085.48, which loft in surplus ,of postit receipty over disburgoments of §210,1181%, the Grst time in twonty> savor: yers Im which a surplus oc- curred; | Who Intorosgt bearing dobt of tho (United Stites June 80, 1911, amounted ito $018,450,100. - Tho dobt on which In- karma had consod amounted to $1,870,« ind the dobt bearing no inter- est, -- ducluding greonbacks, natlonal bankmotos to boe redeemed and (rac: currency, amounted to $386, limits“??? “(tonal L?! Intevost and [A ovost bearing dobt amounting t {$1,808,084,097.60, & ting to +_ Whe actual digbutsomonts, exctusive iof thore for the Panama eanat and for iflle postal sorvico for the yoar onding duno 80, 1011. were $644.187,007.80. lithe netual disburgoments for tho year ending Tune 80, 1010, oxclustvo of tho ernal and the postal sorvice »ffshursomante, | wore $059,708.901.08, making a decroaso o€ $5,507,80840 in «yourly axpondltiras in tho your 1011 muder that of 1010. For the your ond- lug Juno 80, 101%, tha ostlmated ro- celpts, exclusive of tho postul rove» Aucs, aro $000,000,000, while the total gatimatos, oxclusive of thoso for the Panarin canal and tho postal expendi- tures payable from tho postrl reve. attes, amotit to $045,842,700.84. - \This 4g % docronso in the 1012 estimatoy from that of tho 1011 estimates of $1,« $34,007.24. Kow the yoar onding June $0, 1018, the catiguted rocaipts, oxclusive of the postal revenues are $007,000,000, while tho total estIitanted appropyuin- ous, exclusalve of the Panaina cunni nd postal dishusgemonts payable from | postal revontios, wilt amount to $637, 820,808.00M. 'This ds u decrease in the 1018 estimates from that of the 1012 eatimates of $7,021,008.90, Ax: to tho postal revenues, the ox- pandlon of the business in that do- partment, the normal incrogso in tho postofilce and tho extension of the garviug will increase the outiny to tho sunt of $229,089,408, fut as tho depart» mont was solf sustaining this your tho postmastor gesoval is assured that next year the receipts will at lonsat equal thoe oxpooditures and probably excood them by moro than the surplus of this year. The Gradit of the United Statos. ' Tho crodit of this governmont was shown to bo bottor tham that of nny othor government by tho anle of the Phnntin canal $ per cont bonds. These bonds did not givo theis owners tho privilege of using thom as a basts for banknoto clreulation, nor wis there ny other privilogo oxtonded to theta which would affact their gonoral market val« uce Thelin simile, thorefore, mansurod the credit of the government. Khe pro- mium which was reallzed upon tho bonds mado the actual Interest rate of the transaction 2.0090 por cout. In tho treasury departmont the of ficloncey and cconomy works hag beon kopt steadily up. Trovigion is made soe the elfimlastion of 184 positions guring tho conning year. Two hundred And ftxty-seven Statutory positions store olfminated during the lust your ty the offlco of the trousury in Wash- ingtom and 14% positions in the year 1010, making an elimination of 542 statutory posttHons «ince March 4, 1900, «nd this ling been done without the discharge of anzody, bocause the narmal reslgnations nud doaths have Boon aqual to tho e{imination of the places, a system: of transfers having taulkan care of the parsons whose posi- tions wore dropped out, In the feld gorvice of tho dopartment, too. 1.250 posltions have boon edratnaated down to the makiag a total not yoduction of all troasury posltions to the number of 18401, Moantime the aeMclaney of the work of tho dopart« nong has tneceased, Monatary Refarm, & matter of frst Importance that will come bofors congross for action at #this goesion is monatary roform. (Tha rongross has itself arranged an early introduction of this great question through the report of its monetary commission. 'This commission was ap- pointed to recommend a solution of the banking and currency problems so long confronting the nation and to furnish the facts and data necessary to enable tho congress to take action. In order to do its work with thor- oughness and precision this commis- glon has taken some time to make its report,. 'The country is undoubtedly hoplug for as prompt action on the re- port as the of the congress can portrait, 'The recognition of the gross Iinperfections ard marked inad- equacy of our banking and currency system even in our most quiet financial periods is of long standing, and later thore has matured a recognition of the fact that our system is responsible for the extraordinary devastation, waste and business paralysis of our recurving periods of panic. Though the members of the monetary commis- ion have for a considerable time been working in the open and while large numbers of the people have been open- ly working with them and while the pross has largely noted and discussed this work ag it has proceeded so that the report of the commission promises to represont a mational movement, the details of the report are still being considered. 1 can not. therefore do much more at this time than commend the fmmense importance of monetary reform, urge prompt consideration and action when the commission's report is received and express my satisfaction that the plan to be proposed promises to embrace main features that, having met the approval of a great prepon- derance of the practical and profes- stonal opinion of the country, are like- ly to meet equal approval in congress. It is cxceodingly fortunate that the wise and undisputed policy of main- tafuing unchduged the main features of our bunkiug system rendered it at once dmpossible to introduge a central bank. for a central bank would cer tainly have been resisted, and a plan into which it could hive been intro- duced would probably have been de- featedk. But as a central bank could not be a part of the only plan discuss» ed or considered that troublesome question is eliminated. And, ingerious and novel as the proposed national re- sorve association appears, it simply is n loglcat outgrowth of what is best in our present system and is, in fact, the fulfillment of that system. Exactly how the management of that assoclation should be organized is a question still open, It seems to be de- sirrble that the banks which would own the association should in the main minage it. It will be an agency of the bauks to act for them, aud they can be trusted better than anybody else chicly to conduct it, It is mainly bankers' work. But, there must be some form of government supervision and ultimate control, and I favor a rousonible representation of the gov- etument in the management. I enter tain no fear of the introduction of politics ov of any undesirable influ- euces from a properly measured gow- ernmont representation. I trust that all banks of the country possessing the requisite standards will be placed upon a footing of perfect equailty of opportunity. Both the no- tlonat system and the state system should be fairly recognized, leaving thom eventually to coslesce if that shall prove to be thelr tendency. But such evolution cannot develop impar- tiilly if the baniss of one system are gitvon or permitted any advantages of opportunity over those of the other system. Aud I trust also that the new legislation wiil carefully and com- pletely protect and assure the individ- udlity snd the independence of each bank to the end thit any tendency there may ever be toward a consollda- tlon of the money or banking power of the uation shull be defeated. It will always be possible, of course, to correct any fortures of the now law which may in practice prove to be unwise, so that, while this Inw is sure to ho enacted undor conditions of un- vaurt knowledge and authority, Italso will include, it is woll to remember,. the possibility of future amendment. With the presont prospects of this long nwaited reform encouraging us, it would be singularly unfortunate if this monetary question should by any chance become n party issue. And I sincerely hope it will not.: Tho ox- ceeding amount of consideration it has received from the people of the nation hns been wholly nonpartisan, und the congress set its nonpartisan seal upon it when the monaotary com- mission was appointed. In commend- ing the question to the favorable con- sideration of congress I speuk for and in the spirit of the great number of my fellow citizens who without any thought of party or partisanship feel with remarkable earnestness that this reform is necessary to the interests af all the people. ' ' The War Department. Thore Is now boforo congress a bill the purpose of which is to increase the effciency and decrease the ex- penso of the arimy, It contains four principal foatures-frst, a consolida- tlon of the goncral staff with the ad- Jutant general's and the inspector gen- eral's departments; second, a consoli- dation of the quartermaster's depart- ment with the subsistence and the pay dopartiments; third, the creation of an army service corps, and, fourth, an oxtonsion of the enlistment perlod from threo to five years, With the establishment of an army nevvico corps, as proposed in the bill, I im thoroughly {is accord and mm con- tht tho establishment &F suck t corms fi a material econ- omy and a very great incrense of effi- clency In the armp, It has repsatedixy been, rocommonded by me and my prodecessiors, I also belteve that a con- solldation of tho stuff can he | detached from their commands. made with resulting increase in effi- clency and economy, but not along the lines provided in the bill under con- sideration. I am opposed to any plan the result of which wowld be to break up or in- terfere with the principles of the detail system in the staff corps es- tablished by the act of Feb. 2, 1901, and I am opposed to any plan the re- sult of which would be to give to the officer selected as chief of staff or to any other member of the general staif corps greater permanency of office than he now has. In making the consolidations no re- duction should be made in the total number of officers of the army, of whom there are now too few to per- form the duties imposed by law. 1 have in the past recommended an in- crease in the number of officers by 600 in order to provide sufficient officers to perform all classes of staff duty and to reduce the number of linc officers Con- gross at the last sessfon increased the total number of officers by 200, but this is not enough. Promotion in the line of the army is too slow. Officers do not attain command rank at an age early srough properly to exercise it. Another feature of the bill which I beltere to be a mistake is the proposed increase fu the term of enlistment from three to five years. I believe it would be better to enlist men for six years, relenge them at the ond of three years from active service and put them in re- serve for the remaining three years. Xe-enlistments should be largely con- fined to the noncommissioned officers and other enlisted men in the skilled grades. « The army of the Cnited States is in good condition. It showed itself able to meet an emergency in the success- ful mobilization of an army division of from 15.000 to 20,000 men, which took place along the border of Mexico dur- ing the recent disturbances in that country. The marvelous freedom from the ordinary camp diseases of typhoid fever and measles is referred to in the report of the secretary of war and shows such an effectiveness in the snnitary regulations and treatment of the medical corps and in the discipline of the army itself as to invoke the highest commendation. I beg to renew my recommendation of last year that the congress appro- priate for a memorial amphitheater at Arlington, Va., the funds required to construct it upon the plans already ap- proved. i The Panama Canal. The very satisfactory progress made on the Panama canal last year has continued, and there is every reason to believa that the canal will be com- pleted as early as the 1st of July 1913, unless something unforeseen occurs. This is about eighteen months before the time promised by the engineers. We are now near enough the com- pletion of the canal to make it im- peratively necessary that legislation should be epacted to fix the method by which the canal shall be maintained and controlled and the zone governed. The fict is that today there is no stitutory law by authority of which the president is maintaining the gov- ernment of the zone. Such authority was given in an amendment by the Spooner act, which expired by the terms of its own limitation some years ago. * * * I fully concur with the secretary of war that the problem is simply the management of a great public work and not the goverament of a local re- public; that every provision must be directed toward the successful main- tenance of the canal as an avenue of commerce and that all provisions for the government of those who live within the zone should be subordinate to the main purpose. The zone is forty miles long and ten miles wide. Now it has a population of 50,000 or 60,000, but as soon as the work of construction is completed the towns which make up this population will be deserted and only comparative, ly few natives will continue their resi- dence there. The control of them | ought to approximate a military gov- ernment. One judge and two justices of the peace will be sufficient to attend to all the judicial and litigated busi- noss there is. Furnishing Supplies and Repairs. In my last annual message I discuss- ed at leugth the reasons for the gov- ernimont's assuming the task of fur- nishing to all ships that use the canal, whether our own naval vessels or oth ers. the supplies of coal and oil and other noeessities with which they must be replenished either before or after passing through the canal, together with the dock facilities and repairs of every character. This it is thought wise to do through the government, be- cause the government must establish for itself for its own naval vessels large depots and dry docks and ware- Rouses, stud these may easily be en- larged so as to secure to the world public using the canal be no discrimination between those who wish to avail themselves of such facilitles. Tolls. I renew my recommendation with respect to the tolls of the cdnal that within limits which shall seem wise to congress the power of fixing toils be given to the president,. In order to artive at a proper conclusion there must be some experimenting, and this caunot be done if congress does not delegate the power to one who can act expeditiously. . I am very confident that the United Btates has the power to relieve from the payment of tolls any part of our shipplug that congress deems wise. We own tha canal, It was our money that built it, We have the right to charge tolls for it» use. Those tolls must be the same to every one, but when we are dealing With aur own reasonable , prices and a certainty that there will ' whips the practice of many govern- ments of subsidizing their own mer- chant vessels is so well established in general that a subsidy equal to the tolls, an equivalent remission of tolls, cannot be held to be a discrimination in the use of the canal The practice in the Suez canal makes this clear. The experiment in tolls to be made by the president would doubtless disclose how great a burden of tolls the coast- wise trade between the Atlantic and the Pacific coast could bear without preventing its usefulness in competi- tion with the transcontinental rail- roads. One of the chief reasons for building the canal was to set up this competition and to bring the two shores closer together as a practical trade problem. The Philippine Islands. In respect to the Philippines, I urgently join in the recommendation of the secretary of war that the act of Feb. 6, 1905, limiting the indebted- ness that may be incurred by the Philippine government for the con- struction of public works, be increased from $5,000,000 to $15,000,000. The finances of that government are in ex- cellent condition. 'The maximum sum mentioned is quite low as compared with the amount of indebtedness of other governments with similar re- sources, and the success which has at- tended the expenditure of the $5,000,- 000 in the useful improvements of the harbors and other places in the islands justifies and requires additional ex- penditures for like purposes. I also join in the recommendation that the legislature of the Philippine Islands be authorized to provide for the naturalization of Filipinos and oth- ers who by the present law are treated as aliens, so as to enable them to be- come citizens of the Philippine Islands. Pending an investigation by congress at its last session through one of its committees into the disposition of the friars' lands Secretary Dickinson di- rected that the friars lands should not be sold in excess of the limits fix- ed for the public lands until congress should pass upon the subject or should have concluded its investigation. 'This order has been an obstruction to the disposition of the lands, and I expect to direct the secretary of war to re- turn to the practice under the opinion of the attorney general which will en- able us to dispose of the lands much more promptly and to prepare a sink- ing fund with which to meet the $7,- 000,000 of bonds issued for the pur- chase of the lands. Rivers and Harbors. The estimates for the river and har- bor improvements reach $32,000,000 for the coming year. I wish to urge that whenever a project has been adopted by congress as one to be comn'sted the more money which can be © ~mical- ly expended in its construct. ui each year the greater the ultimate economy. This has especial application to the im- provement of the Mississippi river and its large branches. It seems to me that an increase in the amount of money now being annually expended in the improvement of the Ohio river which has been formally adopted by congress would be in the interest of the public. A similar change ought to be made during the present congress in the amount to be appropriated for the Mis- souri river. The engineers say that the cost of the improvement of the Mis- souri river from Kansas City to St. Louis in order to secure six feet as a permanent channel will reach $20,000,- 000. There have been at least three recommendations from the chief of en- gingers that if the improvement be adopted $2,000,000 should be expended upon it annually. I urgently recom- mend that the appropriation for this improvement be increased from $600,- 000, as recommended now in the com- pletion of a contract, to $2,000,000 an- nually so that the work may be done in ten years. Waterway From the Lakes to the Gulf. The project for a navigable water- way from Lake Michigan to the mouth of the Illinois river and thence via the Mississippi to the gulf of Mexico is one of national importance. In view of the work already accomplished by the sanitary district of Chicago, an agency of the state of Illinois, which has constructed the most difficult and costly stretch of this waterway and made it an asset of the nation, and in view of the fact that the people of Llli- nois have authorized the expenditure of $20,000.000 to carry this waterway sixty-two miles farther to Utica, I feel that it is fitting that this work should be supplemented by the government and that the expenditures recommend- ed by the special board of engineers on the waterway from Utica to the mouth of the Illinois river be made upon lines which, while providing a waterway for the pation, shank] other- wiso benefit that state to the fullest extent. I recommend that the term of service of said special board of en- gineers be continued and that it be empowered to reopen the question of the treatment of the lower Iliinois riv- er. The Department of Justice. The report of the attorney general shows that he has subjected to close examination the accounts of the clerks of the federal courts, that he has found a good many which disclose irregulari- ties or dishonesty, but that he has had considerable difficulty in securing an effective prosecution or removal of the clerks thus derelict. I am certain- ly not unduly prejudiced against the fedéral courts, but the fact is that the long and confidential relations which grow out of the tenure for life on the part of the judge and the practical tenure for life on the part of the clerk are not calculated to secure the strict ness of dealing by the judge with the clerk in respect to his fees and ac- counts which assures in the clerk's conduct a freedom from overcharges Gud earelcgspesa Roe this reason I recommend an amendment to the law prhereby the president shall be given paewer to remove the clerks for cause. This provision need not interfere with the right of the judge to appoint his clerks or fo remove him. . In my last message I recommended to congress that it authorize the pay- ment of'the findings or judgments of the court of claims in the matter of the French spoliation cases. There has been no appropriation to pay these judgments since 1905. Employers' Liability, The limitation of the liability of the master to his servant for personal in- juries to such as are occasioned by his fault has been abandoned in most civilized countries and provision made whereby the employee injured in the course of his employment is compen- sated for his loss of working ability irrespective of negligence. The prin- ciple upon which such provision pro- ceeds is that accidental injuries to workmen in modern industry, with its vast complexity and inherent dangers arising from complicated machinery 'and the use of the great forces of steam and electricity, should be re- garded as risks of the industry and the loss borne in some equitable pro- portion by those who for their own , profit engage therein. In recognition of this the last congress authorized the appointment of a commission to investigate the subject of employers' lability and workmen's compensation and to report the result of its in- vestigations through the president to congress. This commission was ap- pointed and has been at work holding hearings, gathering data and consider- ing the subject and it is expected will be able to report by the first of the year in accordance with the provisions of the law. In promotion of the movement for the prevention of delay and unneces- sary cost in litigation I am glad to say that the supreme court has taken steps to reform the present equity rules of the federal courts 'and that we may in the near future expect a re- vision of them which will be a long step in the right direction. Postoffics. At the beginning of the present ad- ministration in 1909 the postal service was in arrears to the extent of $17, 479,T710.47. It was very much the largest deficit on record, In the brief space of two years this has been turn- ed into a surplus of $220,000, which has been accomplished without cur- tailment of the postal facilities, as may be seen by the fact that there have been established 3,744 new post- offices, felivery by carrier has been added to the service in 186 cities, 2,516 new rural routes have been establish- ed, covering 60,000 miles; the force of postal employees has been increased in these two years by more than 8,000, and their average annual salary has had a substantial increase. On Jan. 3. 1911. postal savings de- positories were established experimen- tally in forty-eight states and territo- ries. .After three months' successful operation the system was extended as rapidly as feasible to the 7,500 postof- fices of the first, second and third class- es constituting the presidential grade. By the end of the year practically all of these will have been designated, and then the system will be extended to all fourth class postoflices doing a money order business. In selecting postoffices for deposi- tories consideration was given to the efficiency of the postmasters, and only those offices where the ratings were satisfactory' to the department have been designated. Withholding desig- nation from postmasters with unsatis- factory ratings has had a salutary ef- fect on the service. 'The deposits have kept pace with the extension of the system. Amount- ing to only $60,652 at the end of the first month's operation in the experi- mental offices, they increased to $679,- 310 by July and now after eleven months of operation have reached a to- tal of $11,000,000. This sum is dis- tributed among 2,710 banks and pro- tected under the law by bonds depos- ited 'with the treasurer of the United States. 'The depositors thus far number ap- proximately 150,000. \ They include for- ty nationalities, native Americans largely predominating and English and Italigns coming next. 6008 a The first conversion of deposits int United States bonds -bearing interest at the rate of 25% per cent occurred on July 1, 4011. the amount of deposits exchanged being $41,000, or a little more than G per cent of the total out- standing certificates of deposit on June 30. Of this issue bonds to the value of $6,120 wore in coupon form and $35,180 in registered form. Parcel Post. Steps should be taken immediately for the establishment of a rural parcel post. In the estimates of appropria- tions needed for the maintenance of the postal service for the ensuing fis- cal year an item of $150.000 has been inserted to cover the preliminary ex- pense of establishing a parcel post on rural mail routes as well 'as'to cover an investigation having for its object the final establishment of a general parcel post on all railway and steam- boat transportation routes. 'The de- partment believes that after the initial expenses of establishing the system are defrayed and the parcel post is in full operation on the rural routes it will' not only bring in sufficient rev- enue to meet its cost, but also a sur- plus that can be utilized in paying the expenses of a parcel post in the city Helivery service, It is hoped that congress will au- thorize the immediate establishment of a limited parcel post on such rural routes as may be selected providing for the delivery nlong the routes of parcels not exceeding eleven potinds. The suggestion that we bave a gen- eral parcel post has awakened great opposition on the part of some who think that it will bave the effect to destroy. the business of the country storekeeper. - Instead of doing this, I think the change will greatly increase business for the benefit of all. The reduction in the cost of living it will bring about ought to make its coming certain. The Navy Department. On the 24 of November last I re- viewed the fighting fleet of battleships and other vessels assembled in New ¥ork harbor, consisting of twenty-four battleships, two armored cruisers, two cruisers, twenty-two destroyers, twelve torpedo boats, eight submarines and other attendant vessels, making nine- ty-eight vessels of all classes of a ton- nage of 576,634 tons, 'Those who saw the fleet were struck with its prepared- ness and with its high military effi- clercy. All Americans should be proud of its personnel. c The fleet was deficient in the num- ber of torpedo destroyers, in cruisers and in colliers as well as in large bat- tleship cruisers. 'The building plan for this year con- templates two battleships and two col- 'This is because the other and smaller vessels can be built much more rapidly in case of emergency than the battleships, and we certainly ought to continue the policy of two battleships a year until after the Panama canal is finished and until in our first line and in our reserve line we can number forty available vessels of proper armament and size. The reorganization of the navy and the appointment of four aids to the secretary have continued to demon- strate their usefulness. It is certain that the navy with its present size should have admirals in active command higher than rear ad- 'mirals. Our great battleship fleet is commanéed by a rear admiral, with four other rear admirals under his or- 'ders. This is not as it should be, and when questions of precedence arise be- tween our naval officers and those of European navies the American rear admiral, though in command of ten times the force of a foreign vice ad- miral, must yield precedence to the latter. - Such an absurdity ought not to prevail, and it can be avoided by the creation of two or three positions of flag rank above that of rear admiral. I attended the opening of the new training school at North Chicago, Ill., and am glad to note the opportunity which this gives for drawing upon young men of the country from the, in- terior, from farms, stores, shops and offices, which insures a high average of intelligence and character among them and which they showed in the very wonderful improvement in disci- pline and drill which only a few short weeks' presence at the maval station had made. I urge upon congress the necessity for an immediate increase of 2,000 men in the enlisted strength of the navy, provided for in the estimates. Four thousand more are now needed to man all the available vessels. There are in the service today about 47,750 enlisted men of all ratings. Careful computation shows that in April, 1912, 49,166 men, will be requir- ed for vessels in commission, 8,000 apprentice seamen should be kept under training at all times. The secretary of the navy has rec- ommended the. abolition of certain of the smaller and unnecessary navy yards and in order to furnish a com- plete and comprehensive report has referred the question of all navy yards to the joint board of the army and navy. 'This board will shortly make its report, and the secretary of the navy advises me that his recommenda- tions on the subject will be presented! early in the coming yew. * * * For the consideration of matters which are pending or have been dig- posed of in the agricultural department and in the department of commerce and labor I refer to the very excellent reports of the secretaries of those de- partments. [The president promises later mes- sages on conservation in Alaska, see- ond class mail rates and economy and efficiency in the departments. He also approves pensions for retired govern- ment employees, but thinks the em- ployees themselves should contribute to the pension fund.] Eliminate Local Offices From Politics. } wish to renew again my recom- mendation that all the local offices throughout the country, including col- lectors of internal revenue, collectors of customs, classes, immigration commissioners and marshals, should be by law cov- ered into the classified service. the ne- cessity for confirmation by the senate be removed and the president and the- others whose time is now taken up in distributing this patronage under the custom that bas prevailed since the be- ginningcof the government, in accord- ance with the recommendation of the senators and congressmen of the ma- jority party, should be relieved from this burden. I am confident that such a change would greatly reduce the cost of administering the government and that it would add greatly to its ef- ficiency, It would take away the pow- er to use the patronage of thy gov- ernment for political purposes. \Fhen officers are recommended by senators and congressmen from political mo- tives and for political services render- ed it is impossible to expect that while in office the appointees will not regard their tenure as more or less dependent upon continued political service for their patrons, and no regulations. how- ever stiff or rigid. will prevent this, because such regulations, in view of the method and motive for selection. are plainly inconsistent and deemed hardly worthy of respect. WM, H. TAPE, The White House,. Dec, 21, 10% and |. postmasters of all four l. z Farm Notes and Queries Notwithstanding repeated efforts to sidestep it, dairying continues to be the mainstay of most farmers in this country. 'The cow keeps up the fer fertility of the soil, and her product brings in ready money. Since we can not get away from the dairy, let us strive to make it of such high ef- ficiency that we shall not want to an so. Does your horse stumble? Look to the shoeing. _ Much of the success with hogs de- pends upon keeping them free from lice. Always carry some dainty in the pocket for the colts, and older horses, too. It pays to brush the rows with a good stiff brush. Try it ana see how they enjoy it. 'When you buy a horse do you look at his knees? If they are all marked up, make careful inquiry as to the, cause of stumbling on the road. . Authorities state that fully on«- half of the stallions now in service are unfit to stand in the stud. Be- ware of the $8 and $10 kind of sires. -January Farm Journal. TITERARY NOTES. Don't Overdress the Baby. In an article on \The Healthy Baby,\ in the January Woman's Home Companion, Dr. Roger H. Dennett, a New York specialist on the diseases of children, makes the following com- ments on the dressing of children | \The one thing above all others that I have to talk to my patients the most about is overdressing. During the hot weather baby should be kept cool. On hot days the flannel skirt 'and socks and even the shirt should come off, provided the baby is strong and doing well. - Any baby who per- spires is dressed too warmly. ®t is perfectly easy to slip on a flannel 'skirt when a cool day comes, far it does no harm to change the thickress of the clothing from day to day a8 the weather changes. Nor is it advis- able to use too warm clothing in the house in the winter. Remember that the average house or steam-hoatcd apartment is 70 degres or even $3 de- grees in temperature, which would be 'considered a warm day in summer.\ A CHRISTMAS SONG, In every babe that gains the light Through rack. of human pain,. In each new-breathing soul tonight The Christ-child lives again. In every drop of anguish, pressed From pallid: woman's brow. In every virgin mother-breast His mother whispers now. And wise men through the darkness hie, Lo! In the star! O little Christ who is to die Was your soul's journey far? Strangs meteor wounds of death and birth Lighting an endless sea; A little child has come to earth And He must die for me! -Mary McNeil Fenollosa, Craftsman. in the DCCroRrs REFUSE TO TREAT POC ° PEOPLE, [United rress Association.] LONDON, Dec. 20.-Liberals today are roundly scoring the action of . 2,000 physicians who held a mass meeting here last night and passed a, resolution refusing to treat poor peo- ple under provisions of the health in-, surance measure recently enacted, Only six of the doctors opposed the; resolutions. A BANK INVESTIGAFION, [United Press Association.1l ALBANY, Dec, 20.-State fupt. of Banks Van Tuy] today announced that an investigation into the former man- agement of the Borough Bank | of Brooklyn will be started by hi. Jeremiah T. Mahoney the atzorney \for the department in the limuida~ tion of the bank, will assist in the investigation. THEATRE SEATS ARE CHEAPER. [United Press Association.] NEW YORK, Dec. 21.-Because men of moderate means are patron» izing moving picture shows insteag of balcony seats, a New York theatre has reduced the price of the cheaper seats, QF RECEIVERSMIR. [United Press Association.] NEW YORK, Dec. 21.-Foliowing a break of five points in the preferrei and two points in the common stock cf the Denver & Rio Grande today: there were rumors of an impending receivership. These rumors wore Of« ficially denied. ' - BISHOP TALBOT BETTER, [United Press Association.] NEW YORK, Dec. 21.-The con- dition of Bishop Ethelbert Talbot of. Bethlehem, Pa., of the Protestant Episcopal church diocese, who under- went an operation here - Saturday, was reported as favorable today,. During the past wear the New South Wales - Government Savings Bank made a profit of $135,000, as against 440,000 in the previous year - - ‘\‘
