The Speaker Blocks the Bill. It is necessary to have rigid House rules in order to prevent filibustering and in order to pass appropriation bills and do necessary business. But the evolution of the present system has made the power of the Speaker far too great, while the development of Mr. Cannon's character in the exercise of so vast a power has made him altogether too arbitrary. It seems now to be understood that there will rot be very serious opposition to Mr. Cannon's re-election as Speaker of the next House. His attitude toward measures like these for the creation of forest reserves is undoubtedly based upon his view of the need of limiting national expenditures. But Mr. Cannon should economize at some other point. The protection of forests is vital to our future comfort and prosperity. There are many other things that can wait. How Not to Tax Forest Land. One of the greatest needs, meanwhile, is the devising of State systems which will not only tend to preserve forest tracts owned by private individuals, but will also encourage the replanting of trees on waste land and denuded hillsides. The greatest difficulty is in the local tax systems. Everywhere throughout the country merchantable standing timber has become valuable, and timber lands are accordingly assessed and taxed upon their selling value. This would be a sound principle if the timber was to be sold and cut away in the year for which taxes are paid. But if the timber is left standing, the same high tax must be paid the next year and again the next. On a few moments' reflection it becomes obvious that this system compels the owners of timber land to cut off the timber much faster than would otherwise be necessary. The farmer who owns a tract of woodland must work his cleared fields the harder in order to earn the money which he must pay year after year unceasingly for the luxury of leaving his trees standing. not when standing. Waste tracts of land reafforested should not be subject to taxation during the period of years required for the maturity of the trees. A law of this nature was passed in the State of New York last year, but was vetoed by Governor Hughes on the ground that it did not provide carefully enough against the danger of exempting from taxes suburban lands which would be held, not for the timber, but for a speculative rise in land values. Of course laws intended to protect and encourage the maintenance of forests should be drawn in such a way that land values could be assessed apart from the value of the timber, with exemption applying only to a certain maximum of the land valuation. It is to be hoped that Governor Hughes will encourage the re-enactment of the New York bill with necessary modifications. A model act of this kind in the State of New York would have great influence in other States, and we should soon witness the adoption of a sound policy of forest taxation everywhere. Woodlands. acquisition by the State itself of as much mountainous and waste land as possible, with a view to the perpetual maintenance of State forests, for the better protection of water supplies and the guarding of various related interests. Those States having large lumber interests have been guilty of a colossal blunder in not resuming ownership of the cut-over lands, which they might have done in most instances at no cost whatever, since the lumber companies as a rule declined to pay taxes after the pine and spruce had been harvested. To some extent a number of the States are now adopting the policy of following up the lumber companies and acquiring the denuded lands for permanent State use. The State of New York constantly increases its holdings in the Adirondacks and the Catskills, but it pays an average of $5 or $6 an acre for lands which it might a few years ago have obtained for little or nothing. THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE SOUTHERN COMMERCIAL CONGRESS. Sitting, left to right: 1, Jas. E. Smith, president Business Men's League, St. Louis, Mo.; 2, E. S. Shannon, sccretary Board of Trade, Nashville, Tenn.; 3, G. Grosvener Dawe, chairman, Montgomery, Ala.; 4, John A. Patten, treasurer, Chattanooga, Tenn. Standing, left to right: 1, Geo. H. Cox, Owensboro, Ky.; 2, Edwin L. Quarles, secretary Chamber of Commerce, Petersburg, Va.; 3, John A. Betjeman, secretary Albany, Ga.; 4, W. B. Royster, Chattanooga, Tenn. the Forestry Bureau of the Agricultural De- a hopeful sign that so many able and successpartment from a very small beginning to a ful men throughout the country are willing great and well-established branch of the now to work together for public ends in a public service. A sketch of Mr. Pinchot's spirit of patriotism. President Roosevelt and career will be found on page 88 of the pres- Mr. Taft both spoke at the opening session ent number of this REVIEW. Other great of the Conservation Conference, while the Nanatural resources that the conservation move- tional Rivers and Harbors Congress brought ment is concerned about besides the forests together all those who believe in inland naviand the rivers are the supplies of coal, pe- gation as a broad policy. The special organitroleum, and natural gas. We are also pub- zations working for deep water from the lishing in this number an especially timely." Lakes to the Gulf" were jubilant because article upon the oil industry of the United States from the pen of Dr. David T. Day, of Washington. Dr. Day is our highest scientific authority upon petroleum, and as one of the experts for many years of the United States Geological Survey he has made himself known throughout the world. of the action of the people of Illinois in the November election, who voted by a decisive majority to issue bonds to the value of $20,000,000 for the construction of a deep canal from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River. It is the general opinion that the willingness of Illinois to pay for this really national project out of her own resources will greatly stimulate the improvement of the Mississippi River from St. Louis to the Gulf. The Southern Commercial Congress, representing various local boards of trade and chambers of commerce from Southern cities and States, was so successful that it was decided to make Washington its permanent headquarters and to provide there a costly building, with a large auditorium. Washington as Thus private enterprise and una National official public organizations are Center. One of the President's recomGoverning the District of mendations made in a special message to Congress is for a reorganization of the government of the District of Columbia. The plan of a single governor with a series of department heads is recommended, in place of the present system, which provides for three commissioners. In view of the rapid development of Washington and its vicinity, one of the measures most urgently desirable is the restoration to the District of Columbia of that portion of the original tenmile-square tract which lies on the Virginia side of the Potomac. This resumption of federal control over the full area of the original district ought to take place in connection with the reorganization of the District government. It would seem reasonable also to allow the citizens of the District to have the franchise under a plan that would not clash with the necessary authority of Congress over what must always remain a national and federal rather than a merely local city. The District people are not aliens. Columbia. tending to co-operate with the Government in making Washington a truly national center, as well as a city of great beauty and distinction. One of the most prominent of the December visitors in Washington was Mr. Carnegie, whose great scientific institution for research in many fields has its headquarters at the national capital, and was described in its operations in this magazine for the month of July, last. The nation will approve of the development of Washington as a center for education, science, and art. Mr. Roosevelt's years in the White House have witnessed an amazing progress at Washington in all these matters. There are those who think of Mr. Roosevelt as engaged in controversies about the regulation of trusts and in efforts to persuade Congress to do its full duty, and they have only a little inkling of the President's wonderful success in the promotion of improved scientific work in all the departments and bureaus of the Government. Improving It is not alone in the public servthe Public ice throughout the country that Service. his advocacy of civil service reform has shown its results, but also notably in Washington the personnel of administration has been enriched by the addition of great numbers of accomplished and highly trained men whose value to the Government and the country cannot easily be overstated. One of Mr. Roosevelt's earnest recent efforts has been to have the next census made more efficient by the elimination of the spoils system from the selection of census employees. It is estimated that at least $2,000,000 would have been saved on the cost of the census of 1900 if civil-service rules had prevailed in the selection of employees. Unfortunately, Congressmen are not willing to forego their expected shares in this petty census spoils distribution, and the Senate is sustaining the House in refusing to authorize a reform that is demanded by every principle of efficiency. The President has been able, however, of his own accord, to put all the fourth-class postmasters of the most populous section of the country,—namely, that east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio,-on the basis of appointment under civil-service rules, and thus to remove them from the traditional domain of Congressional patronage. It is, of course, intended in due time to extend this order to fourth-class postmasters elsewhere. The President's Annual Message. The President's annual message to Congress was transmitted with a set of striking illustrations, accompanying the printed copies, to show the effects in China of the destruction of forests. The message opens with a review of the Government's income and expenditure, and shows that, in spite of the appropriations for the Panama Canal and other increased outgoes, there has been a net surplus of nearly $100,000,000 during Mr. Roosevelt's Presidency, with about $90,000,000 reduction of the national debt, and a marked decrease of the annual interest burden. In discussing corporations, the President denounces the Sherman Anti-Trust law, and advocates a substitute for it which will expressly permit combinations, while giving the national Government full power of control and supervision. He advocates the placing of the railways completely under the Interstate Com merce Commission, and would not deal with them under a law intended to regulate industrial trusts and combinations. He has never stated these views more clearly or strongly than in this year's message. It was supposed that these also, in general, were the views of Mr. Taft. At the Ohio Society's dinner in New York, however, on December 16, Mr. Taft, in referring to the Sherman Anti-Trust law, seemed to take a somewhat different line. Mr. Roosevelt believes that large combinations of business are nevitable and valuable, but that commerce & so predominantly an interstate matter that commerce ought to be regulated by the naSunal Government, and that large corporatons ought to have federal rather than State harters. He does not believe that industrial Corporations and railroads should be dealt :th under the same statute. Probably Mr. Taft will express himself more definitely and tly on these points at a later time. The Sherman Anti-Trust law as it stands is not beneficial to American business, and under various court decisions this law might be turned vexatiously against almost every large Corporate undertaking in the country. Ол the Courts. HON. WILLIAM H. TAFT. The President proceeds in his message to show that the Government should provide further protection for wage-workers by increasing the liability of employers, and he discusses at great length the relation of the courts to the establishment and enforcement of the principles of justice. His discussion of the courts is very pertinent, and entirely fair. The idea sometimes expressed that judges on the bench Copright 1908 by Pach Bros., N. Y. are above criticism in a democracy like ours is not tenable. Our courts require the most constant scrutiny and the sharpest solicitude on the part of citizens to keep them above suspicion. When considerable numbers of important judges owe their places and emoluments to a Tammany boss like Mr. Croker or Mr. Murphy, it does not follow that they will be corrupt or partial in the performance of their judicial work. But it would be ridiculous, on the other hand, to go to the opposite extreme and assume that political lawyers who have thus been elevated are suddeniy transformed into human paragons. As a matter of fact, the men we have put on the bench in this country have as a rule behaved themselves uncommonly well. The American bench, however, will be respected purely upon its merits, and not through the preaching of the doctrine of exaggerated respect for the courts regardless of the character and conduct of the judges. the day of his important address before the Ohio Society.) (As photographed in New York on December 16, men of police or detective experience, attached directly to the Treasury Department, but utilized by the President where necessary in carrying out his duty of enforcing the laws and preventing crime. Thus, for many years past, Secret Service officers have assisted in protecting the mails and enforcing the laws against lotteries. They have helped to unearth the gigantic frauds against the public land laws, which have caused so great a loss to our Government and so many scandals involving public officials. The Secret Service men have helped discover and punish great frauds practiced on the Government in the matter of importations and the internal revenue laws. The conviction of a Congressman and a Senator in connection with land frauds was brought about in part by the work of the Secret Service. In the multiplicity of details covered by the great appropriation bills the restriction made by Congress last year upon the use of the Secret Service escaped general attention, and was probably overlooked by the President himself when he signed the bill in question, while probably not a dozen members of Congress were aware that such a limiting clause had been inserted. |