Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-12-04


stead law on the other hand, should rccog
ni,e the fact that in the grazing region the mai
who corresponds to the homostesder may be I'm
able to settle permanently II only allowed to u.s.
the same amount OF pasture land that his brother
the homest-ader, is allowed to use OF arabic land
One hundred and sixty acres of fairly rich an'
well watored soil or much smaller amount %
irrigated land may kcepa family In plenty, where
az no one could get living from 100 acres o
dry pasture land capable Of SUI ,or'ing at tn
outside only one head Of cattle 10 every ten acres
In the past great tracts Of the public domain
have been fenced in by persons having no it'll
thereto, in direct defiance Of the law nrbiddn
the maintenance or construction Of any such un
lawful inclcsure OF public land. For variou
reasons there has been little interference will
such Enclosures in the past, but ample notice ha
now been given the tresrassers and all the re
sources at the command OF the government vii
hereafter be used to put stop to such trespassing
In view o. the capital importance Of these mat
tiers commend them to the earnest considerat OF
OF the congress, and II the congress finds din
Guilty in dealing with them from lack Of thorough
knowledge OF the subject ] recommend that pro
vision he made for a commission OF experts epr
cially to investigate and report upon the com
plcnted questions involved.
! special, urge upon the congress the need o
wise legislation for Alaska 1t is not to on
credit as nation that Alaska, which has beer
ours for thirty Ave years, should still have as poo
a system Of laws az is the case. No country ha
a more valuable possession in mineral wealth, il
fisheries, fuIs forests and also in land avasbl'
for certain kinds Of farming and stock growing
IL IN territory OF great size ana varied re-
sources, well fitted TO support large permanent
population Alaska needs a good land law ant
such provisions for honesesds and pre.empion
as Will encourage permanent settlement. W,
should shape legislation with view not to tn,
exploiting and abandoning OF the territory hui
to the building UP of homes therein The lanc
laws should be liberal in type, as to hold on,
Inducements 70 the actual settler whom We most
desire to see take possession Of the country. Tn,
forests OF Alaska should be protected, and, az q
secondary but stll important matter, tho gam.
also ana ut the same time it is imperative that
the settlers should bc allowed TO cut timber, un
der proper regulations, for their own use. Law.
should be enacted to protect the Alaskan salmon
fisheries against the greed which would destroy
them They should be preserved as rermancn,
industry and food supply. Their managemen,
and control should be turned over to the commits
son OF FISH and fisheries. Alaska should have
delegate in the congress 1t would BE- well ii a
congressional committee could visit Alaska and
investigate its needs on the ground.
In dealing with the Indians our aim should be
their ultimate absorption into the body Of our
people, but in many cases this absorption must
and should be very slow. In portions Of the In
dian Territory the mixture Of blood has gone on
at the same time with progress in wealth and
education, so that there are plenty Of men with
varying degrees Of purity Of Indian blood who
are absolutely indistinguishable in point OF social
political and economic ability from their white
associates. There are other tribes which have as
yet made no perceptibe advance toward such
equality. To try to force such tribes too fast is
to prevent their going forward at all. Moreover,
the tribes live under widely different conditions
Where a tribe has made considerable advance and
lives on fertile farming soil it is possible 10 allot
the members lands in scvcralty much as is the
case with white settlers There are other tribes
where such course is not desirable. On the
and prairie lands the effort should be to induce
the Indians to lead pastoral rather than agricul.
tural lives and 70 permit them TO settle in vii.
lagos rather than to force them into collation.
The large Indian schools situated remote from
any Indian reservation co a special ard peculiar
work OF great importance; but, excellent though
these are, nm immense amount Of additional wcrk
must be done on the reservations Themselves
among the old. and. above all, among the young
Indians
The first and most important step tovard the
absorption Of the Indian is to teach him to earn
his living. yet 1t IL not necessarily to be assumed
that in each community sill Indians must become
either tillers Of the soil stock raiscrs Their
industries may properly be diversified, and those
who show special desire adaptabiity for indus
tral or even Commercial pursuits should be en-
eoufaged 20 far as practicable to follow out each
his own bent.
Every effort should be made 10 develop tire In.
dian along the lines OF natural aptitude and 70
encourage the existing native industries peculiar
basket weaving, canoe building. smith work and
blanket work Above all. the INDIAN boys and
girls should he given confident command Of col
loquial English and should ordinarily be prepared
Tor vigorous struggle with the conditions under
which their people live rather than for immedi.
ate absorption into some more highly developed
community.
The ofscials who represent the government in
az aIlng with the Indians work under hard condi-
tons and also under conditions which render it
easy to do wrong and very dihcult to detect
wrong. Consequently they should be amply p1ii
on the one hand. ard on the other hand a par
ticularly high standard Of conduct s.ould be DE-
manttd from them, and where misconduct can be
proved the punishment should be exemplary.
In no department Of governmental work in To.
cent years has there been greater success than
in that OF giving scientific aid to the farming
population. thereby showing them how most ohi
ciontly TO help thems-ivts There is TO need of
insisting upon lis importance, for the welfar, q
the i2rnisr is fundamentally necessary to the
welfare OF the republic as i whole. In addition
10 such work as quarantine against animal and
vegetable plaques. and warning against them when
here introduces, much efficient hsIp has been rem.
atred 10 the farmer by the introduction OF new
plants specially hted FOR cultivation IN Ter tire
peculiar conditions existing IN different portions
Of The country: New cereals have been established
in the scmisrid west. For instance tho prac,i.
cability Of producing the best types Of nnoaroni
wheats in regions Of an annual rainfall Of only
ten inches or thereahout has been conclusivcly
demonstrated. Through the Introduction Of new
riccs in louisiana ana Texas the production a
rico in this country has been made TO about equal
the home demand. In the southwest the possibil-
ny al requesting oyerstocked range LANDS has been
demonstrated in the north many new forage
crops have been introduced. while in the east IL
has been shown that some Of our choicest fruits
can be stored and shipped in such a way as to
ind profitable market abroad.
| again recommend TO the favorable considera-
ION of the consress the p ans Of the Smithsonian
for making the museum under its
II the national capital not only records of tho
vanishing races Of men but Of the animals Of this
continent. which, like the buffalo, will soon be-
rome extinct unless specimens from which their
representative may be renewed are sought in
-htir native regions and maintained there in
,atcty.
The District OF Columbia IA tho only part Of
'ur territory IN which the national government
exercises local or municipal functions and where
n Consequence the government has free hand
n reference to certain types Of social and eco
1OmlC LEGISLATION he "
Or municipal In their character. The government
'hould see to 1t, Tor instance, that the hygienic
no s snb legislation affecting "h;n.iGn is
whether in the shape Of crowded and congestcd
enement house districts or Of the back alley
yPs should never be permitted to grow up in
aspect for all the cities OF the country The
charitable and correctional systems OF the Dis
riot should receive consideration at the bands Of
he congress to tho end that they may embody
he results 81 the most advanced thought In these
islds Moreover, while Washington is not great
city, there is some industral.m here,
important In itself. might b. made a model for
he rest Of the nation. We should pae Tor in.
lance wise tmpioyeI's liability act for the Dis
ur nsyv yards. Railroad companies in the Dis
riot ought to be required by law TO block their
ecton OF the lives and limbs Of railway EN-.
oyees which was passed in 1893, went into full
aeet on Aug l, 1901 i has resulted in avert
oweye, the necessity o, additional! legislation
o perfect this law. bill to provide for this
ssssd The senate al the last session. 1t is 10 be
ored that some such measure may now be en-.
ctsd into law.
There 10 a growing tendency 20 provide for the
uhieation OF masses Of documents for which
here IL no public demand and Tor the printing Of
ihich there is no real necessity. Large numbers
volumes turned out BY the government
rnting presses for which there is Just ia alton
ohing should be printed by any Of the depart
tents unless It contains sonnet hing Of permanent
aue' and the congress could with advantage cut