The Red Cloud chief., 1902-12-05

.Hh'I III TIE experimental stage; IL
has become n fixed policy. The results
following its Introduction have fully
justified the Congress In the large APP
llubriatIOns made for It's establish
In"nt and extension. The average
yearly Increase In postof1ce receipts In
the rural districts of the country H
about 2 per cent. We are now able.
hv actual results. to show that where
iutAI free delivery service has been
established to such an extent as 10
enable us tn make comparisons tho
Yearly Increase has been upward OF
10 per cent.
ON November I. 1909. 1850 rura,
free delivery routes had been estab-
lished ana were In %opcration, cover-
ing about one-third OF the territory
~ the United states available for rural
Tree delivery service. There are nov
awaiting the action OF the department
petitions and applications for the es-
Enlistment Of 0.74S additional routes.
This shows conclusively the want
which the establishment Of the service
has met and the need Of further ex-
tending II as rapidly as possible. II IL
justified both by the financial resultS
ana by the practical benefits to u
rural population: II brings the men
who live ~ the soil into close rela-
tons with the active business world:
~ Keeps the farmer I'm daily touch with
the markets; II In "A potential educa-
tionni force: II enhances the value OF
farm property. makes farm life far
pleasanter n less Isolated. and viii
Ito much To check the undesirable cur
rent from country to city.
II IL to he hoped that the Congress
VIII make liberal appropriations for tho
continuance Of the service already es-
tablishcd and for its further extension.
FOR IRRIGATION IN THE WEST.
Few subjects Of more Importance
have been taken up by the Congress
In recent years than the Inauguration
OF the system NJ nationally-aided irri-
cation for 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 md scientific for
est protection will grow more rapidly
than ever throughout the public land
. states.
80 far IA they are available for ag-
riCulturc. n tn whatever extent they
: may he reclaimed under the national
r irrigation law, the remaining public
| lands should be held rigidly for tho
+ home builder. the settler who lives
on his land. ana for no one else. In
| their actual use the desert-land law.
the timber and stone law, n tho
( communication clause OF the homestead
q. law have been IN perverted from the
0 intention with which they were enacted
I as To permit the acquisition OF largo
areas of the public domain for other
y than actual settlers and he consequent
h prevention OF settlement. Moreover,
o the approaching exhaustion Of the pub
= lie ranges has OF late led to much dis
e cussion az to the best OF using
these public lands In the west which
= are suitable chiefly or only for Eanz-
a. .,.. nh, g.,,tnl AHl StantN Iatynlnn.
q ment ~ the west depends upon the
Ie building up of homes therein. Much Of
v our prosperity M "a nation has beer
l. due to the operation Of the home
- stead law. On the other hand. We
nj should recognize the fact that In thu
7; grazing region the man who cores
f. ponds to the homesteader may be un
II able to settle permanently " only nj
n lowed to "" the came amount OF pas
liz ture land mat his brother. the home
steader. f. allowed to use Of arab
land. One hundred and sixty acres {
w fairly rich and well watered soil. OF
Its much smaller amount OF irrlgate
r land, ,nrly keep n family In plent
uAfeos no one could get a living fro
q one hundl red and sixty acres OF ii
pasture md capable OF supporting
= tho ontsid e only one head Of cattle
e every te,A acres. In the past gre
e tracts OF ME- public domain have be
e fenced I'm Nv persons having no u
= ,hnreto In 'Nirect defiance OF the ID
II forbidding M m~nintenance - con.
n struction OF a ny such.Mawful inclos
e ure OF public my For various rea
som there has been little interference
with such Enclosures In the past, bu
:, ample notice has now been given tn
trespassers. and all the resources n
r. the command of he government Wi
~ hereafter be used To put a stop to sue
n trespassing.