Waterbury Democrat., 1902-12-02


such Enclosures in the past but ample notice has
now been given the trespassers. and all the re-
hereafter be used to put stop to SUCH trespassng
In view Of the capital Importance Of these mat
tiers commend them to the earnest consideration
Guilty in dealing with them from lack of thorough
knowledge Of the subject ! recommend that pro-
vision be made for a commission of experts spe-
cially to investigate and report upon the COM
plicated questions involved.
especially urge upon the congress the need Of
wise legislation for Alaska 1t is not to our
credit as nation that Alaska, which has been
ours for thirty-five years should still have poor
a system of laws as is the case. No country has
more valuable possession in mineral wealth, in
fisheries furs, forests and also in land available
| for certain kinds of farming and stock growing.
| 1t is territory Of great size and varied re-
sources well fitted to support large permanent
! population. Alaska needs good land law and
such provisions for homeseads and prescriptions
! as wall encourage permanent settlement. We
| exploiting and abandoning of the territory, but
| to the building up of homes therein. The land
laws should De liberal IN type, SO as to hold out
desire to see take possession of the country. The
| forests of Alaska should be protected, and, as
! 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,
| 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 permanent
and control should be turned over to the commits
sion OF fish and fisheries. Alaska should have a
! congressional committee could visit Alaska and
| Investigate its needs on the ground.
In dealing with the Indians aim shouI be
| their ultimate absorption into the bod N our
| people, but in many cases this absorption must
| 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 indistinguishableai point of social
! political and economic ability from their white
associates. There are other tribes which have as
yet made no perceptible advance toward such
| equality To try to force such tribes too fast is
the tribes live under widely different conditions
| Where tribe has made considerable advance and
lives on fertile farming soil it is possible to alot
| the members lands in severalty much as is the
casea with white settlers. There other tribes
! where such a 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
| The large Indian schools situated remote from
any Indian reservation do special and peculiar
| work of great Importance; but. excellent though
these are, an immense amount Of additional work
| must be done on the reservations themselves
among the old, and, above all, among the young
Indians
The first and most important step toward the
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 or stock raisers Their
| industries may properly be diversified. and those
| who show special desire adaptabty for indus.
| trial even commercial pursuits should be en-
/ couraged SO far practicable to follow out each
Every effort should be made to develop the In
| dian along the lines of natural aptitude and TO
encourage the existing native industries peculiar
| to certain tribes, such the various kinds OF
1 basket weaving, canoe building, Smith work and
| blanket work. Above. al. ti" , boys and
| girls should be given nd OF coll
| loquial English and shop. prepared
| for vigorous strugEi rluils under
i which their people lis i1umedi-
| ate absorption into lveioped
1 community.
| The officials who p nfnent in
| dealing with the Inc; I'D condi.
tions and also ur4t. u render it
easy to do wronc az. ....t to detect
wrong. Consequently tney s..u..... amply paid
on the one hane, alG on the 2tneT hand par
| manded from them, and where misconduct can be
| proved the punishment should be exemplary
| In 10 department Of governmental work in re-.
| cent years has there been greater success than
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
welfare of the republic as a whole. In addition
| to such work as quarantine against animal and
| vegetable plaques, and warning against them when
here introduced. much efficient help has been rem
| dered to the farmer by the introduction of new
plants specially fitted for cultivation under the
of the country. New cereals have been established
in the semiarid west For instance, the praeti.
| cability of producing the best types OF macaroni
/ wheats in regions Of annual rainfall of only
/ ten inches or thereabout has been conclusively
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-
ity of regrassng 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 to
| find a pro6tahle market abroad. 49,. 49,. :
/ again recommend to the favorable considera-
ton of the congress the plans OF the Smithsonian
| institution for making the museum under its
| charge worthy OF the nation and for preserving
| at the national capital not only records of the
vanishing of men, but OF the animals of this
continent which, like the buffalo, will soon be.
i.,Tf1 Their
| representatives ray be renewed are sought in
| their native regions and maintained there in
| safety. .s -
/ = The District of Columbia is the only part Of
| territory in which the national government
| exercises local or municipal functions and where
| in consequence the government mas a free hand
| in reference to certain types of social and eco
nomic legislation which must be essentially local
| or municipal in their character. The government
should see to it, for instance, that the hygienic
| and sanitary legislation affecting Washington is
%hsRa in Shape q crowded and eongesed
tenement house dis icts OF. of the back alley
Washington si The city should be model in every
| respect for all the cities of the country. The
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 industrialsm here,
and our labor legislation, while it would not be
important in itself, might be made model for
i the rest of the nation. We should pass for in
stance wise employers liability act for the Dis
4
our navy yards Railroad companies in the Dis
| trict ought to be required by law to block their
frogs. W. b. ,#5 +.s
/ The safety appliance law for the better pro-
4 lection Of the lives and limbs of railway em-
| ployees, which passed in 1898, went into full
| effect on Aug /, 1901. 1t has resulted in avert
4 ing thousands OF casualties. Experience shows,
| however the necessity OF additional legislation
4 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
i There is a growing tendency to provide for the
| publication OF masses of documents. for which
Il there is public demand and for the printing Of
| which there is no rsal necessity. Large numbers
of volumes turned out by The government
printing presses for which there is Justification
| Nothing should be printed by any of the depart
mems unless it contains something Of permanent
! value and the congress could with advantage cut
| down very materially on all the printing which
\ it has row become customary to provide. The
excessive cost of government printing is strong
| argument against the position Of those who are
inclined abstract grounds to advocate the gov
II ernnent's doing any work which can with pro-
| priety be left in private hands.
Il Gratifying progress has been made during the
year in the extension of the merit system Of MAX
4 ing appointments in the government service. It
should lie extended by law to the District Of CO.
lulnbia. 1t is much to be desired that our con-
sular system be established by law basis
4 providing for appointment and promotion only in
consequences Of proved fitness.
last session the White House. which had become
disfiglred by homogeneous additions and changes,
has been restored TO what it was planned to
be by Washington In making the reservations
the utmost care has been exercised to come as
near as possible TO the early plans and to supple