The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-12-05

For the first time in our history
maneuvers on lager scale are being
held under the immediate command OF
the admiral OF the navy. Constantly
increasing attention is being paid to the
gunnery of the navy, but it is yet far
from what it should be.
There should be no halt in the work
of building up the navy, providing
every year additional fighting craft.
We have deliberately made our own
certain foreign policies which demand
the possession of a first class navy.
The isthmian canal will greatly in
crease the efficiency of cur navy if the
navy is of sufficient size; but if we have
an inadequate navy, then the building
of the canal would be merely giving a
hostage to any other power OF superior
strength. The Monroe doctrine should
be treated as the cardinal feature of
American foreign policy; but it would
be worse than idle to assert it unless
we intended to back it up, and it can
be backed up only by thoroughly good
navy.
The striking increase in the revenues
of the postofice department shows
clearly the prosperity of our people and
the increasing activity of the business
of the country.
Rural free delivery service is no
longer in the experimental stage; it has
become fixed policy. The results fol-
lowing its introduction have fully justi-
fed the congress in the large appropria-
tions made for its establishment and
extension.
Few subjects of greater import
ance have been taken up by the con-
'gress in recent years than the jnaugu-
ration OF the system OF nationally aided
irrigation 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 and scientific for
est protection will grow more rapidly
than ever throughout the public land
states.
Legislation should be provided for
the protection of the game, and wild
creatures generally, on the forest re-
serves. The senseless slaughter of
game should be stopped at once. 1t is,
for instance, serious count against
o,T national good sense to permit the
present practice of butchering off such
stately and beautiful creature as the
elk for its antlers or tusks.
So far as they are available for agri-
Gil ture, and to whatever extent they
may be reclaimed under the national
irrigation law, the remaining public
lands should be held rigidly for the
homebuilder, the settler who lives on
his land, and for no one else, In their
actual use, the desert land law, the
timDer and stone law, and the COM
mutation clause OF the homestead law
have been so perverted from the inten-
tion with which they were enacted as
to permit the acquisition of large areas
of the public domain for other than
actual settlers and the consequent pre-
vention of settlement. Moreover, the
approaching exhaustion of the public
ranges has of late led to much discus
sion as to the best manner of using
these public lands in the west which
are suitable chiefly or only for grazing,
In view of the capital Importance OF
these matters, it might be we'll for a
commission of experts to investigate
and report upon the complicated ques-
tions involved.
especially urge upon the congress
the need of wise legislation for Alaska.
1t is not to our credit as a nation that
Alaska, which has been ours for 35
years, should still have as poor sys-
tenn of laws as is the case. 1t is ter
ritory of great size and varied re.
sources. well fitted to support large,
permanent population. Alaska needs
a good land law and such provisions for
homesteads and pre-emptions as will
encourage permanent settlement. We
should shape legislation with a view
not to the exploiting and abandoning Of
the territory, but to the building up Of
homes therein. The forests should be
protected, and, as a secondary, but still
important matter, the game also. Laws
should be enacted to protect the Alas.
kan salmon fisheries against the greed
which would destroy them 1t would
be we'll if a congressional committee
could visit Alaska and investigate its
needs on the ground.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
White House Dec, 2, 1902,