The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1902-12-02

rtasons there tas been hite ihtcflcTcnft WIN
sulh lucio.uIss .n the past hui ample % icc hls
NOW h..n given fhe Or fat.rrs. and al tlr o..
sources 90 tl. t.urauI u. iar Ecf fumlHi 500
hereafter tc uai io rut si 40 o. sl.n % .ls sln
H. Nov of f.. eaaitll iurorauHe Uf tlfr. u4..
ter I commend them to ih. earnest conf .eraiirI
g the congres.. lnd ii ih. congress hnds uih.-
cuiv in dealing With them from lack q taor- lh
knrulndgr g tle subject ] reComs.,snd TIA, f..-
vision lc made for commission OF experts sp.-
caliy % investigate and report upon The com
1speci.1g ur:e upon the congress the need q
wise laEi8.atlon Tor Al4ftn. IL y not 10 our
credit as a nation that Alaska, which has been
ours for thirty five years should still have poor
. stem oi laws a. g. the case. No country hss
a more valuable possession ~ mineral wealth IN
fisheries furs forests and also In land aysilabic
for certain kinds u farming and stock growing
Il Is Territory Of great size and varied ~
sources well fitted 20 support large permanent
popuiatiou. Alaska needs good and laW And
such provisions for homesteads ans pre-einptgns
as Will encourage permanent settlement. We
should shape legislation Nth view not 70 the
exploiting and abandoning Of the territory, but
20 the building up q homes therein. The land
laws should be liberal in type, 50 as 20 hold out
inducements 10 the actual settler whom we most
desire TO zee take possession Of the country. The
forests o. Alaska should be protected, and, as
secondary but still important matter, the game
also. and At the same time IL is imperative that
the settlers should be allowed 20 cut timber, IN
der proper regulations, Tor their own use. ,ANs
should Be enacted 20 protect the Alaskan salmon
fisheries against the greed which would oesToy
them They should be preserved a. permanent
industry and food supply. Their management
and control should be turned over to the commits
Son al Al md dsheries Asska should have a
delegate IN the congress. It would be well n
congressional committee could visit Alaska and
investigate its needs on the ground
IN dealing with the Indians our aim she uld 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 gone on
a. the same time with progress in wealth and
education, 50 that there are plenty Of men with
varying degrees Of purity Of indian blood who
absolutely indistinguishable In point Of social
political and economic ability from their white
associates. There other tribes which have a.
yet made no pcrceptible advance toward such
equahty. To try 10 force such tribes too fast is
70 prevent their going forward a. all. Moreover,
the tribes live under widely different conditions.
Where a tribe has made considerable advance and
lives on fertile farming soil u is possible 20 aloi
the members lands In sevcralty much as is the
case with white settlers There are other tribes
where such a courso Is not desirable. on the
arid prairie lands the effort should be 70 induce
the Indians 20 lead pastoral rather than agrcui-
tural lives aud 20 permit them TO settle IN Val
lages rather than 20 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, ON Immense amount OF additional work
must be done the reservations themselves
among the old, and, above all. among the young
Indians.
Tie first and most important step toward The
absorption Of the Indian b. 20 teach him 20 earn
his living yet IL Is not necessarily 20 be assumed
that in each community all Indians must become
either tillcr % the soil OF stock rascrs. Their
industries may properly be diversified and those
trial OF even commercial pursuits should be en-
Outraged 90 far as practicable to follow out each
his own bent.
Eyory effort should De made 10 develop thc IN
dian along the li1Ds 20 natural aptitude and 20
encourage fHc existing native industries peculiar
TO- certain tribes such as the various Kinds 81
basket weaving cie0e building, smith work and
blanket work. Above all The lnaian boys and
girls should De given confident command oi col.
loquill English and should ordinarily be prepared
for vigorous struggle with the conditions under
which their people live rather than for immcdi-
ate Absorption into some more highly developed
The officials who represent the government in
dealing with The Indians work under hard cunli
ti0ns and also under conditions which render it
easy TO do wrong md very difficult To detect
wrong, Consequently they should be amply paid
on the one hand and ON the other hand par
ticuary high standard Of conduct should be de-
manded from them, and where misconduct can be
proved the punishment should be exemplary.
In no department Of governmental work in re-
cent years has there been greater success than
in that oi giving scientific aid to the farming
population, ther"HN showing them how most ehi.
Ciently 70 help themselves There Is no need OF
insisting upon It's importance, for the welfare y,
the farmer is fundamentally necessary TO the
| welfare Of the republic as whole. In addition
| to such work as quarantine against animal and
vegetable plaques, and warring against them when
/ here introduced, much efficient help has been
/ dered TO the farmer by the introduction Of new
plants specially fitted for cultivation under the
| peculiar conditions existing IN different portions
! Of the country. New cereals have been established
! in the semiarid west For instance, the practi-
| cability Of producing the best types Of macaroni
/ wheats In regions ot an annual rainfall Of only
| ten inches OF thereabout has been concusiyely
! demonstrated Through the introduction Of new
rices In Louisiana and Texas the production Of
! rce In this country has been made to about equal
| the home demand. In the southwest the possibil-
iy OF regrassing oyerstockcd range lands has sen
demonstrated, in the north many new forage
| crops have been introduced while IN the east II
has been shown that some OF our choicest fruits
| can be stored and shipped in such way 10
find profitable market abroad.
again recommend 20 the favorable considera-
tion Of the congress the plans Of the Smithsonian
institution for making the museum under its
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 be-
representatives may be renewed are sought in
safety.
The District Of Columbia is the only part OF
our territory in which the national government
| exercises local or municipal functions and where
In consequence the government has free hand
In reference 10 certain types Of social and eco
| nomic legislation which must be essentially local
or municipal in their character. The government
! should see 10 II, for instance that the hygienic
and sanitary legislation affecting Washington Is
| OF high character. The evils OF sum dwellings
whether In the shape Of crowded and congcsted
tenement house districts or Of the back allev
type, should never be permitted 20 grow UP iu
Washington. The city should be a model in every
respect for an the cities Of the country The
charitable and correctional systems Of the Dis
tTict should receive consideration at the hands of
the congress TO the end that they may embody
fields. Moreover while Washington Is not a great
industrial city, there is some industrialism here
and our labor legislation, while Il would not be
Important in itself, might be made a model for
the rest of the nation. We should pass for in-
stance, wise employers liability act for the Dis-
trict Of Columbia and we need such an act in
our navy yards. Railroad compsni 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 en-
ployees which was passed in 1898, went into full
effect on Aug. !, 1901 II has resulted in avert.
ing thousands Of casualties, Experience shows
however the necessity o. additional legislation
10 perfect this law. A bill TO provide Tor This
passed the senate at the last session. II is 20 be
hoped that some such measure may now be en-
acted into law.
There is growing tendency to provide for the
publication OF masses Of documents for which
there Is no public demand and for the printing of
which there Is no real necessity. Large numbers
OF volumes are turned out by the government
printing presses for which there is no iustiacation
Nothing should be printed by any Of the depart
ments unless It contains something Of permanent
value, and the congress could with advantage cut
down very materially all the printing which
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