Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-12-05


homes therein. Much of our prosperity
as a nation has been due 10 n. ops;s-
hand. we should recognize the fact that
II, ra.n the grazing s, region the man who cor
able to settle permanently If only allowed
to use the same ar'o-nt Of oor.''-e lard
that his brother. the homesteader 10 al.
lowed to use of arabic land o,e h'a-
aIed and sixty acres of fa'rlv. rich md
we'll .watered soil. or much smaller
amount of irrigated land, nav '-e
family In plenty, whereas no one could
land capable of supporting at the out
side only one head of cattle to every ten
acres; In the past great tracts Of the
defiance of the law forbidding the main
tenance or construction OF any such un-
rous there Ras eo ints1
| ference with such Enclosures in the past.
| but ample notice has. now been given
the command of the government will
hereafter be used to put stop to such
trespassing.
these matters. ! commend them to the
earnest consideration o. the son~re ..
and, If the CONGRESS finds dif7cultv IN
dealing with them from lack of thorough
knowledge OF the subject. recommend
that provision be made for a com mission
Of experts specially to. investigate and
involved.
Alaska Legislation Asked For.
I especially urge upon the congress the
need of wise legislation for Alaska. It
Is not to. our credit as a nation that
Alaska. which has been ours for 3 -.ea :.
laws as IS the case. No coun sSy'f has ..
more valuable possession-in mineral
wealth. in fisheries, furs. 'o--s -
Of farming and stock growing. /, is a
territory of great size and var'e7 re-
sources. well fitted to support large
good iand aW and Such ' provisi nssas foa
homesteads and preemp.iors will or
courage permanent settlement. We
% the espfoitins and abandonin s. Of n sSe
territory, hut to the building up Of homes
therein. The land laws should be liberal
to the actual settler whom we most de-
sire to see take possession o. M ou.l-
try, The forests of Alaska should be
important matter. the game also. and al
the same time 1t is imperative that the
settlers. should be allowed to cut i'm
aseud Se ios hee
protect the Alaskan salmon fisheries
against the greed which would destroy
permanent industry and food supply
Their management md control should be
turned over to the commiss on of Isl
gate in the congress. It would be wei
II a congressional committee could visi,
Alaska and investigate its needs on the
ground.
The Indians.
In dealing with the Indians our ain
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 Indiar
territory the mixture of blood has gone
on at the. same time with progress ii
H weai.h az and so that there arr
purity Of Indian blood who are abso
iutely indistinguishsb BILE IN point of social
Political tI l,,, and economical l., ability from
tribes which have ss yet made no per
ceptible advance toward such equality
TO try to force such tribes too fast Is K
prevent their going forward at all. More
ent conditions Where a tribe has mad,
considerable. advance and lives on fertile
farming soil 1t Is possible to allot tn,
the case with the white settlers. There
are other tribes where such course is moi
desirable. On the arid prairie lands thu
lead pastoral rather than agricultural
lives, and to permit them to settle II
villages rather than to force them int
The large Indian schools situated remot,
from any Indian reservation do a specia
and nm, pee easan work Of great Importance
mense amount Of additional work must b,
done on the reservations themselves amons
the old, and above all among the young
The first and most important step toward
the absorption Of the Indian is to teaci
sars to pe m myng YET It Is
tty all Indians must become either tiller,
of the soil or stock raisers. Their industrie,
speea desire or adaptabiIy Tor vim in
should be encouraged so far as practicabl,
to follow out each his own bent
Every effort should be made to develop
the Indian along the lines of natural apti
tude. and to encourage the existing native
as the various kinds of basket weaving
canoe building, smith work. and blanke,
work. Above all. the indian boys and girls
loquial English, and should ordinarily 81
prepared for vigorous struggle with the
conditions under which their people live
some more highly developed community.
me ofticials who represent the govern
der hard na so un goca
yer, very eificult TO detect wrong. Consequent.
hand, and on the other hand a .particulariS
high. standard of conduct should be de.
manded from them. and where misconduct
exemplary.
Scientific Aid to Farmers,
In no department of governmental work
IN recent years has there been greater sue
cess than On that OF giving scientific aid to
the farming population, thereby showing
them how most efficiently to help them.
selves. There is no need Of Insisting upon
Us Importance. for the welfare Of the
farmer Is fundamentally necessary to the
welfare of the republic as whole. In adj
dition to such work as quarantine against
animal and vegetable plaques, and war.
ring against them when here introduced.
much efficient help has been rend ed to the
farmer. by the Introduction of new plants
specially fitted for cultivation unGer the
peculiar conditions existing in different
portions of the country. New cereals have
1een established in the semi-arid west.
t'or instance. the practicability of produce
Ing, the best types of macaroni wheats in
regions OF an annual rainfall of only ter
inches or thereabouts has been, conclusive
" demonstrated. Through the introduc-
t thI OF new rices IN Louisiana and Texas
oeen made to about equal the home de-
mand. In the southwest the possibility NJ
Tegrasslng overstocked range lanes has
peen demonstrated: in the north many new
forage crops have been introduced. while
IN the. east 1t has been shown that some 81
our choicest fruits can be- stored and
smp L IN such way as to find profitable
again recommend to the favorable con-
slderation Of the congress the plans az tho
..nif1Sanian- II StitE.!or for-ncskin lie
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