Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1902-12-05


amount OF irrigated land. may keep y
get a Ewing from 100 acres OF dry pasture
land capable Of supporting at the. the out,
public domain have been fenced u by
persons having no title thereto, In direct
. tenance or construction OF any such I'M
lawful Enclosure OF public land. For va
rious reasons there has been little inter-
ference with such Enclosures In the past.
the trespassersl and all the resources at
the command OF the government Will
hereafter be used to put a stop to such
trespassing.
Alaska Liquidation Asked For.
especially urge upon the congress the
neeh .Gf Wise legislation Tor Alaska. It
Is not to our credit as a nation that
Alaska. which has -seen ours for IS years.
iavs as is ths;sEsa:5lNo country has a
more valuable ipossessiOn--in mineral
wealth, in fisheries, furs. forests. and
Territory Of great sc and varied re-
sources. we'll fitted ia support large
permanent population. Alaska needs
homesteads and preemptions as will en-
should shape legislation with q view not
tic sn SuSns up Sf H Som sss
therein. The land laws should be liberal
in@type. so as to hold out Inducements
sire to see take possession Of the coun-
try. The forests Of Alaska should be
protected, and. as a secondary but still
important matter. the game also. and at
the same time II is imperative that the
settlers. should be allowed to cut tim
be. under 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 industry and food supply
turned over TO-. the commission of fish
and fisheries. Alaska should have dele
gate In the congress. 1t would be well
II a congressional committee rould visit
ground.
The Indians.
In dealing with the Indians our aim
should be their ultimate absorption into
cases as 'V this "a absorption must and should
be very slow. In portions of the Indian
territory the mixture of blood has gone
on at the. same time with progress in
plenty of men with varying degrees OF
purity of Indian blood who are absc-
iutely misunderstanding In point of social.
political and economical ability from
their white associates There are other
tribes. which have as yet made no per-
ceptible advance toward such equality.
Try 10 IOTCe SuCu tTlDcS tOO last Is 10
prevent their going forward at all. More
over, the tribes live under widely differ
ent conditions. Where a tribe has made
considerable. advance and lives on fertile
members lands In severalty much as IL
the case with the 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 agricultural
lives. and to permit them to settle In
villages rather than to force them into
The large InGian schools situated remote
from any Indian reservation do a special
and peculiar peculiar; work Of great great importance.
mense amount of a6ditional work must be
lone on the reservations themselves among
the old and above all among the young,I
The first and most important step toward
he absorption Of the Indian is to teach
lin to earn his living; yet 1t is not neces-
ty all Indians must become either tillersl
II the soil or stock raisers. Their industries
nay properly be diversified, and hose who
how special desire or adaptability for in
iustrial or even commercial pursuits
should be encouraged so far as practicable
% follow out each his own bent
Scientific Aid to Farmers.
In no department of governmental work
.ess than in that of giving, scientific aid to
he farming population. thereby showing
hem how most efficiently TO help them
elves There is no need Of nsistng upon
armer IL Fundamentally necessary to the
welfare of the republic as a whole. In ad-
'ition to such work as quarantine against
lnimal and vegetable plaques, and war
ing against them when here introduced,
much efficient help has been rendered to the
armer. by the introduction of rev plants
pecially fitted for cultivation unCer the
eculiar conditions existing in different
portions of the country, New cereals have
,een established in the semi-arid west,
FOR instance, the practicability of ,produc-
ng the best types of macaroni wteats In,
egiOns- Oft an annual rain fslf of only ten
inches or th1 rea bouts has bee !. conclusive
ion Of new riees IN Louisiana and Texas
he production of rice in ,this country has
een made TO about equal the home ce-
nand. In theisouthwest the possibility OF
egrassng overstocked range lanes has
een demonstrated: In the north many new
orage crops. have been Introduced. while
ur choicest fruits cap be stored and
hipped In such way astofnd profitable
market abroad.
The District of Columbia is the only part
our territory in which the national gov
rnment exercises local or municipal func-
Tors, anC where in consequence the gov
rnment has free hand In reference to
alton which must be essentially local or
lunicipal In their character. The govern
nent should see to It, for instance, that the
wis Of Stun dwellings wRetheE In the
hape of crowded and congested tenement
ouse districts or of the back-alley type,
houid never be permitted to grow up in
The city should be "A model
every respect for all the cities of the
ountry, = The charitable and correctional
ystems Of the district should receive cor
Iteration at the hanCs of the congress to-
he end that they may embody the results
f the most advanced thought in these
elds. Moreover while Washington is not
great Industrial city. there is some indus
rialism here. and our labor legislation.
lille it would not be important In. itself,
light be made model for the rest of the
alton. We should pass. for instance,
Use employer STABILITY act for the Dis
rict of Columbia. and we neec such an act
our navy-y yards. Railroad companies in
he district ought to be required by law to
lock their frogs 80
for Railway Employees.
The safety-appliance law, for the better
rejection of the lives and limbs Of rail-
'ay employees, which was passed In 1893
ent into full effect on August l. 1901. 1t
as resulted In avertlng thousands OF
asualties. Experience shows, however. the
ecessity of additional legislation to per-
,ct this law. A bill to provide for this
assed the senate at the last session. 1t IL
be hoped that some such measure may
ow be enacted into law.
Gratifying progress has been made dur
IL the year in the extension Of the
lerit system of making appointments
the government service. It should be
by law to the District of CO.