The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-03

aged so far as practicable to follow
out each his own bent.
! Every effort should be made TO devel-
op the Indian along the lines of nat
ural aptitude, and to encourage the
existing native industries peculiar to
: certain tribes. such as the various
kinds OF basket weaving, canoe build
ing, smith work. and blanket work.
Above all, the Indian boys and girls
should be given confident command OF
colioquial English. and should ordi-
narily be prepared for vigorous
struggle with the conditions under
which their people live, rather than for
immediate absorption into some more
highly developed community.
The officials who represent the gov
eminent in dealing with the Indians
work under hard conditions, and also
under conditions which render it easy
to do wrong and very difficult to de-
tect wrong. Consequently they should
be amply paid on the one hand, and
on the other hand a particularly high
standard of conduct should be de-
manded from them. and where mis-
conduct can be proved the punishment
should be exemplary.
Aid to AgricuIturists.
In no department of governmental
work in recent years has there been
greater success than in that of giving
scientific aid to the farming popula-
ton, thereby showing them how most
efficiently to help themselves. There
is no need of insisting upon its ims
portance, for the welfare of the far
mer is fundamentally necessary to the
welfare of the Republic as a whole. Ill
addition to such work as quarantine
against animal and vegetable plaques,
and warning against them when here
introduced much efficient help has
been rendered to the farmer by the
introduction of new plants specially fit
ted for cultivation under the peculiar
conditions existing in different por-
lions of the country. New cereals
have been established in the semi
arid West. For instance, the practi-
cability of producing the best types
of macaroni wheats in regions of an
annual rainfall of only ten inches or
thereabouts has been concIusively de-
monstrated. Through the introduction
of new riceS in Louisiana and Texas
| the production of rice in this country
has been made to about equal the home
demand. In the Southwest the pos
sibilityf of regrassing over-stocked
range lands has been demon
strated; in the North many new
forage crops have been introduced,
while in the East 1t has been shown
that some of our choicest fruits can
be stored and shipped in such a way
as to find a profitable market abroad.
l again recommend to the favorable
consideration of the Congress the plans
| of the Smithsonian Institution for
making the museum under it's charge
worthy of the nation, and for preserv-
| ing 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 soon be-
come extinct unless specimens from
which their representatives may be re-
| newed are sought in their native re-
gions and maintained there in safety.
Affairs of the District.
The District of Columbia is the only
part of our territory in which the ma
tional government exercises local or
municipal functions and where in con-
sequence the government has a free
hand in reference to certain types of
social and economic legislation which
must be essentially local or municipal
in their character. The government
should see to it, for instance, that u
hygienic and sanitary legislation afs
| fectipg Washington is of a high char
acter. The evils of slum dwellings,
| whether in the shape of crowded and
| eongested tenement-house districts or
| of the back-alley type, should never
| be permitted to grow up in Washing
| ton. The city should be a model in
| every respect for all the cities of the
| country. The charitable and correc-
| tional systems of the District should
| receive consideration at the hands of
| the Congress to the end that they may
| embody the results of the most adj
| Nanced thought in these fields. More
| over, while Washington is not a great
! industrial' city, there is some indus
| trialism here, and our labor legisla-
| ton, while it would not be important
| in itself, might be made a model for
| the rest of the nation. We should
| pass. for instance, wise employers
| liability act for the District of Column
| bia, and we need such an act in our
| navy yards. Railroad companies in
| the district ought to be required by
| law to block their frogs.
The safety appliance law, for the
| better protection of the lives and limbs
| of railway employees, which was passed
in 1893, went into full effect on Aug. l,
| 1901. 1t has resulted in averting thou
sands of casualties. Experience shows,
however, the necessity of additional
legislation to perfect this law. A bill
to provide for this passed the Senate
at the last session. 1t is to be hoped
that some such measure may now be
enacted into law.
There is a growing tendency to pro-
vide for the publication of masses of
documents for. which there is no pub
lie 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 justification. Moth
ing could be printed by any of the de-
partments unless 1t contains something
of permanent value, and the Congress
could with advantage cut down very
materially on all the printing which it
has now become customary to provide.
The excessive cost of government print
ing is a strong argument against the
position of those who are inclined on
abstract grounds to advocate the gov
ernment's doing any work which can
with propriety be left in private hands.
Gratifying progress has been made
during the year in the extension of
the merit system of making appoint
ments in the. government service. 1t
should be extended by law to the Dis
trict of Columbia. 1t is much to be de-
sired that our consular system be es-
tablished by law on a basis providing
for appointment and promotion only in
consequence of proved fitness.
Through a wise provision of the Con-
gress at it's last session the White