The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1902-12-04

reasons there has been little interference with
such Enclosures in the past, but ample notice has
now been given the trespassers and all the re-
sources at the command Of the government will
hereafter be USED to put stop to such trespassing
In view OF the capital importance of these mat
tiers commend them to the earnest consideration
OF the congress, and if the congress finds diff
Guilty in dealing with them from lack of thorough
knowledge OF the subject recommend that pre-"
vision be made for commission of experts spe
cially to investigate and report upon the COM
plicated questions involved.
wise legislation for Alaska 1t is not to our
credit a nation that Alaska, which has been
ours for thirty years, should still have poor
. system of laws as is the case. No country has
Q more valuable possession in mineral wealth; in
fisheries, furs, forests and also in land available
for certain kinds Of farming and stock growing.
sources, well fitted to support a large permanent
population. Alaska needs a good land law and
such provisions for homesteads and prescriptions
as will encourage permanent settlement. We
should shape legislation with a view not to the
exploiting and abandoning Of the territory, but
tot the building Up Of homes therein. The land
Inducements to the actual settler whom we most
desire to see take possession of the country. The
forests of Alaska should be protected, and, as a
secondary but still important matter, the game
also, and at the same time it is imperative that
the settlers should be allowed to cut timber, un-
der proper regulations, for their own use. Laws
should be enacted to protect the Alaskan salmon
fisheries against the greed which would destroy
them. They should be preserved as a permanent
industry and food supply. Their management
sion of fish and fisheries. Alaska should have
delegate in the congress. 1t would be we'll II .
congressional committee could visit Alaska and
investigate its needs on the ground ,. s, -
In dealing with the Indians 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, 50 that there are plenty Of men with
are absolutely indistinguishabe in point Of social
political and economic ability from their white
associates. There are other tribes which have
yet made no perceptible 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.
lives on fertile farming soil it is possible to allot
the members lands in severalty much as is the
case with white settlers. There are other tribes
where such course is not desirable. On the
arid prairie lands the effort should be to induce
the Indians to lead pastoral rather than agricul-
tural lives and to permit them to settle in vii
lagos rather than to force them into isolation.
The large Indian schools situated remote from.
any Indian reservation do a special and peculiar
work OF great importance; but, excellent though
these are, an immense amount OF additional work
must be done the reservations themselves
among the old, and, above all. among the young
Indians.
absorption Of the Indian is to teach him to earn
his living, yet it is not necessarily to be assumed
that in each community all Indians must become
either tillers of the soil stock raisers. Their
industries may properly be diversified, and tboss
who show special desire or adaptabiity for indus
trial or even commercial pursuits should be en-.
eouraged SO far as practicable to follow out each
his own bent.
Every effort should be made to develop the In.
dian along the lines Of natural aptitude and tC
encourage the existing native industries peculiar
to certain tribes, such the various kinds OF
basket weaving, canoe building, smith work and
blanket work. Above all, the Indian boys and
girls should be given confident command of col.
loquial English and should ordinarily be prepared
for a vigorous struggle with the conditions under
which their people live rather than for immedi
ate absorption into some more highly developed
community.
The officials who represent the government in
dealing with the Indians work under hard condi'
easy to do wrong and very difficult to detect
wrong. Consequently they should be amply paid
on the one hand, and on the other hand par
..-u4lrIy nigh s.a..-...4 uI conduct should be de
manded from them, and where misconduct can be
proved the punishment should be exemplary:
In no department of governmental work in
in that of giving scientific aid to the farming
population thereby showing them how most eff
GENTLY to help themselves. There is need OF
insisting upon its Importance, for the welfare Of
the farmer is fundamentally necessary to the
welfare Of the republic as a whole. In addition
to such work quarantine against animal and
vegetable plaques and warning against them wher
here introduced much efficient help has been rem.
dered to the farmer by the introduction of new
plants specially fitted for cultivation under the
peculiar conditions existing in different portions
of the country. New cereals have been established
in the semiarid west. For instance, the practi.
cability of producing the best types of macaroni
wheats in regions of an annual rainfall of only
ten inches or thereabout has been conclusivey
demonstrated Through the introduction of new
rices in Louisiana and Texas the production Of
rice in this country has been made to about equal
the home demand. In the southwest the possibil.
iy of regrassing overstocked range lands has been
demonstrated; in the north many forage
crops have been introduced, while in the east it
has been shown that some of our choicest fruits
can be stored and shipped in such way as tC
find profitable market abroad.
l again recommend to the favorable consideras
ton OF the congress the plans of the Smithsonian
Institution for making the museum under it:
charge worthy of the nation and for preserving
at the national capital not only records of the
vanishing races of men, but of the animals of this
continent which, like the buffalo, will soon be.
come extinct unless specimens from which their
representatives may be renewed are sought in
their native regions and maintained there in
safety.
The District OF Columbia is the only part OF
our territory in which the national government
exercises local or municipal functions and where
in consequence the government has free HAND
in reference to certain types of social and eco:
nomic legislation which must be essentially local
municipal in their character. The government
should see to it,, for instance, that the hygienic
and sanitary legislation affecting Washington Is
of high character. The evils of slum dwellings.
whether in the shape of crowded and congested
tenement house districts or of the back alley
type, should never be permitted to grow up IN
Washington. The city should be model in every
respect for all the cities of the country. The
charitable and correctional systems Of the Dis
trict should receive consideration at the hands OF
the congress to the end that they may embody
the results of the most advanced thought in these
fields. Moreover, while Washington is not great
industrial city, there is some industrialism here
and our labor legislation, while it would not be
important in itself, might be made model for
the rest of the nation. We should pass, fog in
stance, wise employers liability act for the Dis
trict of Columbia, and We need such an act in
our navy yards; Railroad companies in the Dis
trict ought to be required by law to block their
frogs.
The safety appliance law, for the better pro-
lection of the lives and limbs of railway en-
effect on Aug. 1, 1901. 1t has resulted in avert
ing thousands of casualties. Experience shows,
however, the necessity Of additional legislation
to perfect this law. A bill to provide for this
passed the senate at the last session. 1t is to be
hoped that some such measure may now be en-
acted into law.
There is growing tendency to provide for the
publication Of masses of documents for which
there is no public demand and for the printing of
which there is no real necessity. Large numbers
of volumes turned out by the government
printing presses for which there is no justification
Nothing should be printed by any of the depart
ments unless it contains something of permanent
value, and the congress could with advantage cut
down very materially on all the printing which
it has now become customary to provide. The
excessive cost of government printing is strong
inclined on abstract grounds to advocate the gov
ernment's doing any work which can with pro-
priety be left in private hands.
Gratifying progress has been made during the
year in the extensio on of the merit system of max
ing appointments in the government service. 1t
should be extended by law to the District of Co
lumbia. 1t is much to be desired that our con-
sular system be established by law on a basis
intr and