The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-12-05

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
In view Of the capital Importance s Of these mat.
ters commend them to the earnest consideration
of the congress. and II the congress finds diff
Guilty In dealing with them from lack OF thorough
knowledge OF the subject l recommend that pro-
vision be made for commission Of experts spe-
eialy to investigate and report upon the COM
plicated questions involved.
l especially urge upon the congress the need Of
wise legislation for Alaska. 1t Is not to our
credit nation that Alaska which has been
ours for thrty-fve years, should still have poor
a system Of laws as is the case. No country has
a more valuable possession in mineral wealth, in
fsheries furs forests and also In land available
for certain kinds Of farming and stock growing.
1t is a territory of great size and varied re-
population Alaska needs good land law and
such provisions for homesteads and prescriptions
as will encourage permanent settlement; :. we
should shape legislation with q 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, 80 as to hold out
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
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 permanent
industry and food supply. Their management
and control should be turned over to the commits
sion of Ash and fisheries. Alaska should have o
CONGRESSIONAL eommittee could visit Alaska and
investigate its needs on the ground.
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 Glow. 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 indistinguishabe 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 Ia
to prevent their going forward at all Moreover,
the tribes live under widely different conditions:
Where tribe has made considerable advance and
lives fertile farming soil it is possible to allot
the members lands in severalty much is the
case with white settlers. Their, are other tribes
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 viii
lagos rather than to force them into isolation.
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 the reservations themselves
among the old. and. above all, among the young
Indians
The first and most important step. toward tho
absorption OF the Indian Is to teach him to earn
his living, yet 1t Is not necessarily to be assumed
that In each community all Indians must become
either tillers Of the soil or stock raisers. Their
who show special desire or adaptability for indus
trial or even commercial pursuits should be en-.
couraged SO far as 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 as 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 vigorous struggle with the conditions under
which their people live rather than for immedi.
n
community
The officials who represent the government in
dealing with the Indians work under hard condi.
tio:s and also under conditions which render II
easy to do wrong and very difficult to detect
on the one hand, and on the other hand par par.
ticularly high standard Of conduct should be de.
manded from them. and where misconduct can Be
proved the punishment should be exemplary.
In department Of governmental work in re-
cent years has there been greater success than
a hons them how %
| GENTLY to help themselves. There Is no need Of
insisting upon its Importance, for the welfare Of
| welfare OF the republic as whole. In addition
| to such work as quarantine against animal and
has BEEN
| 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 practi
in sne n Of oO
ten inches or thereabout has been conclusively
demonstrated. Through the introduction OF nev
rice in this country has been made to about equal
| the home demand In the southwest the possible
ity Of regrassng overstoeked range lands has beer
demonstrates in the north many new forage
| crops have been introduced, while in the east II
has been shown that some Of our choicest fruits
be stored and shipped in such q way as "a
find a profitable market abroad.
| / again recommend to the favorable consideras
tion Of the congress the plans OF the Smithsonian
|
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 THEN
representatives may be renewed are sought N
safety.
The District of Columbia is the only part Of
our territory in which the national government ,s
in consequence the government has free hand
in reference to certain types OF social and eco.
o. municipal in their character. The government
should see to it, for instance, that the hygienie
ana sanitary SAM ss fs
| whether in the shape Of crowded and congested
tenement house districts of the back alley
Washington. The city should be a model in every
respect for all the cities of the country. The
charitable and correctional systems of the Dis.
the congress to the end that they may embody
the results of the most advanced thought in these
Industrial city, there Is some industralism here.
and labor legislation, while it would not be
important in itself, might be made model for
the rest OF the nation. We should pass. for in
stance, wise employers liability act for the Dis
| trct 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 em-
| ployees which was passed in 1893, went into full
| effect on Aug. /, 1901 1t has resulted in avert
ing thousands of casualties. Experience shows.
however, the necessity of additional legislation
to perfect this law. 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 a growing tendency to provide for thu
| publication OF masses Of documents for which
there is no public demand and for the printing OF
| which there is real 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-
| ments unless IL 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
| argument against the position Of those who are
inclined on abstract grounds to advocate the gov
| ernment's doing any work which with pro-
| priety he left i'm private hands,
| Gratifying progress has been made during the
year in the extension Of the merit system Of max
Ing appointments in the government service. 1t
should be extended by law TO the District of Co
lumba. II is much TO be desired that our con-
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