The Somerset reporter., 1902-12-04

the DlhlOf1 OF t1t posAAl stIhlff. ne WAEHIiUle
Of this increase will best appear from the faet
that the entire postal receipts for tn year ~
amounted 10 but > 5l5. Oh
Rural free delivery service Is nc longer IN the
experimental stag II has become a fxrd policy
The results following its Introduction have, fully
justified the congress in the large appropriations
made for its establishment and extension TIE
average yearly Increase In p8stofioe receipts in
the rural districts Of the country IS about 2 per
cent. We arc now able. By actual results to
show that where rural free delivery service has
been established to such extent as to enable
Us TO make comparisons the yesf1y increase has
been upward Of 10 per cent.
On Nov !, 1902, II ,65J rural free delivery
routes had been established and we're in operation,
covering about third Of the territory Of tie
United States available Tor rural free delivery
service There are now awaiting the action u
the department petitions ard applications for the
establishment oi l0,743 additional routes This
ment Of the service has met and the need Of fur
Their extending II az rapidly as possible Il IS
justified both BY the financial results and By the
practical benefits to our rGral population; II
brings the who live on the soil into close
relations with the active business world; It keeps
the farmer in daily touch with the markets. 1t Is
a potential educational force; it enhances the
value Of farm property, makes farm lie Tar
pleasanter and less isolated, and will do much 10
check the undesirable current from country 70
city.
1t is to be hoped that the congress will make
liberal appropriations for the continuance Oh 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 for the arid regions Of the far west.
COOL beginning therein has been made Vow
that this policy Of national irrigation has been
adopted the need Of thorough and scientific forest
protection Will grow more rapidly than ever
throughout the public land states
Legislation should be provided for the protec
ton Of the game and the wild creatures gener-
ally on the forest reserves. The senseless slaugh-
ter OF game. which can by judicious protection be
permanently preserved on our national receives
Tor the people as a whole, should be stopped at
once. II Is for instance, serious count against
our national good sense to permit the present
practice OK butchenng of such a stately and
beautiful creature as the elk for its antlers or
tusks
so far as they are available for agriculture and
to whatever extent they may be reclaimed under
lands should be held ngidly for the homebuilder
the settler who lives on his land, and for no one
else. In their actual the desert land law
the timber and stone law and the commutation
yerted from the intention 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 prevention Of settle
ment. Moreover the approaching exhaustion Of
the public ranges has Of late led to much dis
cussion as to the best manner Of using these pub
lie lands In the west which suitable chiefly or
only for grazing. The sound and steady develop
ment OF the west depends upon the building up
OF homes therein. Much of our prosperity as
nation has been due to the operation OF the home
stead law. On the other hand, we should recog-
nze the fact that in the grazing region the man
who corresponds to the homesteader may be I'M
able to settle permanently il only allowed to use
the same amount OF pasture land that his brother
the homeste ader is allowed to use Of arabic land
One hundred and sixty acres Of fairly rich and
we'll watered soil much smaller amount of
irrigated land may keep family in plenty, where
a. no one could get a living from 100 OF
dry pasture land capable Of supporting at the
outside only head OF cattle to every ten acres
In the past great tracts OF the public domain
have been fenced in by persons having no title
thereto, In direct defiance of the law forbidding
the maintenance or construction Of any such un-
lawful Enclosure OF public land For various
reasons there has been little interference with
such 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 trespaszng
In view OF the capital importance Of these mat
Of the congress, and II the congress ands difh-
Guilty In dealing with them from lack OF thorough
knowledge Of the subject | recommend that pro-
vision be made for commission Of experts ape-
cislly to investigate and report upon the COM
plicated questions 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
a system Of laws as Is the case. No country has
a more valuable possession in mineral wealth. in
fisheries, furs, forests and also in land available
for certain kinds Of farming and stock growing
1t is territory Of great size and varied re-
sources. well fitted to support a large permanent
population Alaska needs good land law and
such provisions for homesteads and prescriptions
as will encourage permanent 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. as to hold out
inducements to the actual settler whom we most
desire to take possession of the country. The
forests of Alaska should be protected, and Is
secondary but still important matter, the game
also, and at the same time it Is imperative that
the settlers should be 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
them. They should be preserved permanent
industry and food supply. Their management
and control should be turned over TO the commits
sion OF Ash and fisheries Alaska should have a
delegate in the congress. 1t would be well IL
congressional committee could visit Alaska and
investigate its needs on the ground.
In dealing with the Indians our aim should be
their ultimate absorption into the body OF our
people, but in many this absorption must
and should be very slow In portions Of the In
dian Territory the mixture of blood has gone on
at the same time with progress in wealth and
so that there plenty Of men with
varying degrees of purity OF Indian blood who
are absolutely ndistnguishable in point OF social
political and economic ability from their white
associates There are other tribes which have as
yet made no perceptible advance toward such
equality. To try to force such tribes too fast is
to prevent their going forward at all Moreover,
the tribes live under widely different conditions.
Where tribe has made considerable advance and
lives fertile farming soil 1t is possible to allot
the members lands in severalty much as is the
case with white settlers. There are other tribes
where such course is not desirable. On the
arid prairie lands the effort should be to induce
the Indians to lead pastoral rather than agricul.
tnal lives and to permit them TO settle in vii.
lagos rather than to force them into isolation.
Mo Iarrr India gaf BOD
any Indian reservation dc special and peculiar
work Of great importance; but. excellent though
these are, an immense amount Of additional work
must be done on the reservations themselves
among the old. and, above all. among the young
Indians
The first and most important step toward the
absorption OF he Indian is 10 teach him TO Earn
his living yet II is not necessarily 10 be assumed
that In each community all Indians must become
either tilers Of the soil stock raisers. Their
Industries may properly be diversified, and those
who show special desire adaptahility for indus
trial or even commercial pursuits should be en-.
couraged so far as practicable 10 follow out each
his own bent.
Every effort should be made to develop the In
dian along the lines Of natural aptitude and 10
encourage the existing native industries peculiar
to certain tribes, such the various kinds Of
basket weaving canoe building, smith work and
blanket work. Above ALL the Indian bows and
girls should be given confident command OF col
loquial English and should ordinarily be prepared
Tor vigorous struggle with the conditions under
which their people lyc rather than for immedi-
ate absorption into some more highly developed
The officials who represent the goGerument in
dealing with the Indians work under hard condi
tons and also under conditions which render it
EASY to do wrong and very difficult to detect
wrong. Consequently they should be amply paid
on the one hand, and on the other hand par
dcuarly high standard Of conduct should Ne de
manded from Them and where misconduct can be
proved the punishment should be exemplary
In no department OF governmental work IN re
cent year has there been greater success than
In that OF giving scientific aid to the farming
population thereby showing them how most Eff
GENTLY to help themselves There is no need u
insisting upon its Importance. for the welfare u
the farmer is fundamentally necessary e. Inc
welfare cf the republic as a whole. In addition
10 such work quarantine against animal and
vegetable plaques and warning against them whom
here introduced much efficient help has been ren