Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-12-03

met. Moreover. the approaching exhaustion q
the public ranges has o. late led to much Dis
yissica a. To the hest manner Of using thcsF pub
be lands In the west which suitable chiefly
only -for grazing. The sound and steady Develop
Of homes therein Much Of our prosperity as a
nation has been due to the operation Of the home
stead Law. On the other hand. we should Feeoe.
nine the sact that Ia the grazing region the man
who corresponds 10 the homcstcader may be
able 10 settle permanently II only allowed 10 use
the same amount o. pasture land that his brother,
the homestcader. Ia allowed to d arabic land.
One hundred and sixty acres Of fairly rich and
well catered soil much smaller smount Of
as no one could get living from ' leo acres q
dry pasture land capable of supporting al the
outside only one bead o. cattle 70 every ten acres
In the past great tracts o. the public domain
have been fenced In BY persons having no title
thereto, IN direct defiance OF the law forpiuuinx
me maintenancc of eonst raetion ~ any sueh un-
reasons there has been little interference with
snch Enclosures In the past, but ample notice has
sources at the command o. the government will
hereafter be used 10 put stop 20 such rsspassing
In view Of the capital importance Of these mat.
ters commend them 10 the earnest consideration
u the congress- ard II the congress Ards difa-
Guilty IN dealing with them from lack Of thorough
sison hs made Cor commission Of experts sps
eiaIly to investigate and report upon the com
plicated questions involved
especially urge upon tho congress the need Of
wise legislation Tor Alaska II IL not to our
credit az nation that AlAska, which has been
for thir.ynve years, should still have as poor
. system of laws il 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.
IL 10 territory OF great ksse and varied
sources, well fitted to support large permanent
population. Alaska needs good land law and
as WIN encourage permanent settlement. We
should shape legislation with q view not to tho
exploiting and abandoning q che territory. lut
laws should be liberal In type. 10 hold cut
inducements to the actual settler whom most
forests Of Alaska should be protected, and. as q
secondary but still important matter, the game
also. and ut the same time u Is imperative that
the settiers 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
industry and food supply. Their management
and control should be taraed to the commits
SION OF fish and fisheries Alaska should have
delegate in the congress. 1t would be well II a
congressional COMMITTEES could visit Alaska and
investigate its needs on the ground.
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
dian territory he mixture Q, blood has gone on
At the same time with progress In wealth and
education; . that there are plenty Of men with
absolutely indistngnishable In point Of social
political and economic ability from their white
associates There other tribes which have
yet made pereeptibie advance toward such
equality To try to force such tribes too fsst Is
70 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 1t is possible to aot
the members lands in seyerslty much as Is the
case with white settlers There 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 agricu-
turai lives and to permit them to settle in vii.
lagos rather than to force them into isolation
The large Indian schools situated remote from
Ir.4l. a .K.I
work OF great importance; but, excellent though
these are. immense amount OF additional work
must be done on the reservations themselves
among the old. and. above all, among the young
Indiana
The hrst and most important step toward the
absorption Of the Indian is to teach him TO earn
his living, yet IL Is necessarily to be assumed
that in each community all Indians must become
either tinsrs OF the soil or stock raisers Their
industries may properly be diversified. and those
who show special desire adaptabilty for indus
trial or even commercial pursuits should be
eouraged so far as practicable to follow out each
his bent
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
| basket weaving. canoe building, smith work and
| blanket work. Above all, the Indian boys and
girls should be given confident command Of col
ioquial English and should ordinarily be prepared
Tor 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-
| tions and also under conditions which render 1t
easy to do wrong and very difficult to detect
wrong. Consequently they should be amply paid
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
cent years has there been greater success than
m st o' .san them a1s e how se % s
GENTLY to help themselves There is no need OF
insisting upon its importance, for the welfare OF
| the farmer is fundamentally necessary TO the
welfare OF the republic a whole. In addition
to such work quarantine against animal and
vegetable plaques, and warning against them when
here introduced, much efficient help has been
dcred 20 the farmer by the introduction OF new
| plants specially htted for cultivation under the
OF the country. New cereals have been established
| In the semdarid west. For instance, the praeti.
/ eability OF producing the best types Of macaroni
! wheats in regions OF an annual rainfall OF only
ten inches thereabout has been conelusively
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 POSSIBLE
ity OF regrasing oserstocked range lands has been
crops have been introduced, while in tho east 1t
has been shown q Some q our choicest irn.
/ ind prostabie market abroad.
again recommend to tie favorable eonsidera-
ton Of the congress the plans Of the Smithsonian
institution for making the mus~um under its
| charge worthy Of the nation and lor preserving
| at the national capital not only records Of the
vanishing races OF men, but OF the animals OF this
/ continent which. ike the buffalo. Will soon be-
| extinct unless specimens from which their
| representatives may be renewed Ae 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 municipal functions and where
In consequence the government has tree hand
In reference to certain types OF social and eco
nomie legislation which must be essentially local
| o. municipal In their character. The government
should to 1t. for instance. that the hygienic
and sanitary legislation affecting Washington IL
| Of high character. The evils OF Aum dwellings,
| whether In the shape Of crowded and congesssd
| tenement house districts or Of the back alley
| ISps. should never be Permitted to grow up IN
Washington. TIE city should be model in every
| respect tor all the cities Of the country. The
charitable and correctional systems OF the Dis
trtct 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 indastrisiism here,
| and our labor legislation, while II would not be
/ irportaut in itself might be made a model for