Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1902-12-11

DScu upward OF ten per cent
On Nov. 1, 1902, IL $50 rural free de-
livery routes had been established and
were IN operation. covering about one
third OF the territory of the United States
availabl for rural free delivery service.
There are now awaiting the action Of the
department petitions and applications for
the establishment of OTIS additional
routes. This shows conciusfveIy the want
which the establishment of the service has
met and the need Of further extending it
as rapidly as possible. 1t Is justified both
by the financial results and by the prac-
teal benefits to our rural population: 1t
brings the men who live on the soil Snto
close relations with the active business
world; it keeps the farmer in daily touch
with the markets; 1t is potential educa-
tional force; 1t enhances the value Of
farm property, makes farm life far pleas
anter and less isolated, and win do much
to check the undesirable current from
country to city.
It is to be hoped that the congress will
make liberal appropriations for the con-
tinuance OF the service already establish
ed and for its further extension.
Irrigation Of the West.
Few subjects of more Importance have
been taken up by the congress in recent
years than the Inauguration of the system
Of nationally aided irrigation for the arid
regions Of the far West. A good begin
ming therein has been MADE. Now that
this policy Of national irrigation has been
adopted the need of thorough and scienti-
fc forest protection will grow more rapid
ly than ever throughout the public-land
states.
Legislation should be provided for the
protection of the game, and the wild crea-
lures generally, on forest reserves. The
SenSeleSs slaughter of game, which
! by judicous protection be permanently
| preserved on our national reserves for the
people a whole, should be stopped at
| once. 1t is, for instance, serious count
| against our national good sense to permit
| the present practice of butchering off such
| a stately and beautiful creature the elk
| for its antlerS or tuskS.
So far as they are available for agricul-
ture, and to whatever extent they may be
reclaimed under the national irrigation
law the remaining public lands should be
held rigidly for the home builder, the
settler who lives on his land, and for no
one else In their actual use the desert
! land law, the timber and stone law, and
the Communication clause of the homestead
! law have been so perverted from the in
tention with which they were enacted as
to permit the acquisition of large areas
| of the public domain for other than actual
settlers and the consequent prevention of
settlement. Moreover, the approaching
exhaustion of the public ranges has of
late led to much discussion as to the best
4 manner of using these public lands in the
| West which are suitable chiefly or only
for grazing. The sound and steady de-
| velopment of the West depends upon the
building up of homes therein. Much of
|
to the operation of the homestead law.
On the other hand, we should recognize
the fact that in the grazing region the
man who corresponds to the homsteader
may be unable to settle permanently if
only allowed to use the same amount of
pasture land that his brother, the home
steader, is allowed to use of arabic land.
One hundred and sixty acres of fairly rich
and well-watered soil, or a much smaller
amount of irrigated land, may keep a
family in plenty, whereas no one could
get living from one hundred and sixty
acres of dry pasture land capable of sup
porting at the outside only one head Of
cattle to every ten acres. In the past
Nreat tracts of the public domain have
been fenced in by persons having no title
thereto, in direct defiance of the law for
bidding the maintenance or construction
of any such unlawful Enclosures of public
land. For various 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 govern
ment will hereafter be used to put a
stop to such trespassing.
In view of the capital Importance Of
these matters, I commend them to the
! earnest consideration of the congress, and
if the congress finds difficulty in dealing
with them from lack of thorough knowl-
edge of the subject, recommend that
provision be made for a commission of
experts specially to investigate and re-
volved.
Legislation for Alaska.
7 especially urge upon the congress the
need of wise legislation for Alaska. 1t is
not to our credit a nation that Alaska,
which has been ours for 50 years, should
still have as poor 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 It is a territory of great size
and varied resources. well fitted to sup
port a large permanent population. Alaska
needs a good land law and such proV1-
SionS for homeSteaderS and prescriptions
as will encourage permanent settlement.
We should shape legislation with view
not to the exploiting and abandoning OF
the territory, but to the building up Of
homes therein. The land laws should be
liberal in type so as to hold out induce
ments to the actual settler whom we most
desire 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 it is imperative that
the settlers should be allowed to cut tim
Der, under proper regulations. for their
own use. Laws should be enacted to pro-
'ect the Alaskan salmon fisheries against
he greed which would destroy them. They
should be preserved a permanent in
dustry and food supply. Their manage
ment and control should be turned over
to the commission of fish and fisheries.
Alaska should have delegate in the con-
~ress. 1t would be well If a congressional
committee could visit Alaska and investi-
gate its needs on the ground.
The Indian Question.
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 Indian ter
ritory the mixture of blood has gone on al
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 indis-
tinguishable in point of social. political.
and economic ability from their white as
sociates. There are other tribes which
have yet made no perceptible advance
toward such equality. To try to force