Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-12-02
PEACE WITH THE WORLD.
Not "A War Cloud on the Horizon at the
Present Time

y OF "A war CLOUD on the HORIZON the
Present Time
ere - not a Cloud ON the horizon at present
There seems not the slightest chance OF trouble
with a foreign power. We most earnestly hope
way TO insure its continuance Is TO provide for
thoroughly efficient navy The refusal 10 main
tain such a navy would invite trouble, and il
trouble came would insure disaster. Fatuous sell
compacepUy vanity or shOTtsiEhtedness in IT,
frsing TO prepare Tor danger is both foolish and
wicked IN such 4 nation as ours, and past expert
cnce has shown that such faulty in refusing L
recognize or prepare for any crisis in advance i,
usually succeeded by i mad panic OF hysterical
fear once the crisis has actually arrived.
The striking increase in the revenues of the
postohce dep2ri ment shows clearly the prosperity
Of our people and the increasing activity OF the
business OF the country
The receipts Of the postofice department for
the fiscal year ending June 30 last amounted to
Sl2l e4s, O4T.26, increase of SlO,2l6S53S7 over
the preceding year the largest increase known in
the history of the postal service. The magnitude
OF this increase viii best appear from the tact
that the entire postal receipts for the year lsOl
amounted to but SS,5lS,O61
Rural free delivery service is no longer in the
experimental stage. II has become a fixed policy.
The results following its introduction have fully
justified the congress in the large appropriations
made for its establishment and extension. The
the rural districts Of the country is about per
cent. We now able, by actual results TO
show that where rural free delivery service has
been established 70 such an extent as to enable
MS TO make comparisons the yearly increase has
been upward Of 10 per cent.
On Nov. l, 1902, ll,G5O rural free delivery
routes had been established and were in operation
covering about onc-third Of the territory Of the
United States available for rural free delivery
service. There now awaiting the action of
the department. petitions and applications for the
establishment Of l0,7+S additional routes. This
shows conclusiyely the want which the establish
ment of the service has met and the need Of fur
Their extending it rapidly possible. 1t is
justified both by the financial results and by the
practical benefits TO our rural population; il
brings the men who live on the soil into close
relations with the active business world il kecps
the farmer in daily touch with the markets; 1t
a potential educational force; it enhances The
n of 10
peasanter and less isolated, and viii do much TO
check the undesirable current from country TO
city.
1t is to be hoped that the congress will make
liberal appropriations for the continuance o. the
service already established and for its further
tension.
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 Tor the arid regions of the far west
a good beginning therein has been made. Now
that this policy of national irrigation has been
adopted the need Of thorough and scientific forest
tsToSsho@t the Mr pubic land d state p' -
Legislation should be provided for the protcc-
ally on the forest reserves The serseIess siaugh-
ter of game. which can by judicious protection be
permanently preserved on our national reserves
for the people as 4 whole, should be stopped At
once. II is, for instance, serious count against
cur national good sense TO permit the present
practice of butcherinG of such stately and
beautiful creature the elk for its antlers
tuSks-
Pub ic Lands for the HomebuiIder.
SO far as they are available for agriculture and
the national irrigation law. the remaining public
lands should be held rigidly for the homebuildsT,
The settler who lives on Ills land and for no one
else. IN their actual the desert land law.
the timber and stone law and the commutation
clause of the homestead law have been per
verted from the intention with which they were
enacted to permit the acquisition Of large
of the public domain for other than actual
settlers and the consequent prevention of settle
ment. Moreover. the pproaching exhaustion Of
the public ranges has of late led to much dis
lie lands in the west which are suitable cniefy or
only for grazing. The sound and steady develop
ment of the west depends upon the building up
Of homes therein Much OF oGr prosperity as
nation has been due to the operation OF the home
stead law: On the other hand. we should recos-
nize ttS tact that IN the grazing region the man
who corresponds to the homeStCadcT may be
able 20 settle permanently il Only allowed 10 use
the same amount Of pasture land that his brother.
the homcstea6er. is allowed to Of arabic land
One hundred and sixty acres Of fairly rich and
well watered soil or much smaller amount OF
irrigated land ray keep family in plenty where
as no could get living from lG0 acres O!
dry pasture land capable OF supporting at the
outside only one head of cattle to every ten
In the past great tracts of the public domain
have been fenced in by persons having title
the maintenance or construction of any such I'M
lawful Enclosure of public land. For various
reasons there has been little interference with
sucn 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
hereafter be used TO put stop TO such trCspassing
in view of the capital Importance Of these mat
tiers commend them TO the earnest consideration
Of the congress- sud IL the congress finds diff
Guilty in dealing with them from lack of thorough
knowledge of the subject ! recommend that pro-
vision be made for commission of experts spe-
cially to investigate and report upon the COM
nlicat-d G--=ions involved.
Legislation for Alaska.
I especially urge upon the congress the need Of
wise legislation for Alaska. Ii is not to our
credit rs a ration that Alaska, which has been
ours toT ve years scul s,so S o, as p 5o
a valuable possession in mineral wealth, IN
fisheries icTs. forests ana also IN lana aNallaole
for certain kinds OF farming and stock growing
1t IS q territory of great size ard varied re
sources, well fitted to support large permanent
population. Alaska needs good land law and
such provisions for homestcsds and prescriptions
as viii encourage permsnent 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, to hold out
Inducements TO the actual settler whom most
desire to take possession OF the country. The
forests OF Alaska should be protected and, as a
secondary but still important matter, the game
az scttlerS should he 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
Industry and food supply. Their management
and control should be turned to the commits
delegate in the congress. 1t would be well IL q
congressional committee could visit Alaska and
Investigate its needs on the ground
Dealing With the Indian.
In G6aiing with the InGiahs 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 In /
dian Territory the mixture of blood has gene on |
at the same tire with progress in wealth ana |
cducation so that there plenty of men with |
VARYING degrees of purity of Indian blood who /
are absolutely indistinguishable in point Of social
POLITICAL and economic ability from their white
associates There are other tribes which have as 1
vet made no perceptible advance toward such /
EQUALITY To try to force such tribes too fast is |
to prevent their going forward at all AereQye5 |