Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1902-12-02


THAR duties In these difficulties lncldent
upon the development OF our war meet the
conduct of all our officers mas Deen creu-
liable to the service, and the ueutenants
and Junior grades I'm particular nave dis
played an ability and a steaoiast cnesi
fulness which entitle them to the ungruas,, Ing
thanks OF all who realize the uishsaItenlns Ia, l
ana fatigues to which they are OF necessity I'D
jected. Ao-;zo, a. nrasrnt.
There seems not the slightest chance OF trouDie
with foreign power We mos. earnes' and The ne
way 10 insure its continuance is TO PROVIDE LOT
thoroughly efficient navy The refusal 10 mani u,
tain such a navy would invite trouDie, anu ~ ~
trouble came would insure disaster. fatuous sen
comnlacency or vanity or shortsightedness IN re-
fusing 10 prepare for danger Is bo,n ioohsn anu
wicked In such nation as ours, and past eAPe. y.
enca has shown that such faulty IN refusing ~
recognize or prepare for any crisis IN auvahce ~
usually succeeded by a mad panic OF hystercai
fear once the crisis has actually arrived
The striking increase in the revenues oil the
nostofhce department shows clearly the prosperity
OF our people and the increasing ACTIVITY VI '"'
The reccipts Of the postofhce department for
the fzcal year ending June 80 last amounted 70
1921 s4s0i726 an increase OF n, 0' in
the history OF the postal service. The magnitude
N this increase viii best appear from the TACT
that the entire postal receipts Tor the year io0'
amounted to but $, 5lS067.
PLURAL free delivery service Is no longer In the
,vnerrnentaI stage. Il has become fixed policy
The results following its introduction nave iuily
justified the congress IN the large appropIia'iThs
made for It's. establishment and extension Inc
average yearly increase in postoffice receipts IN
the rural districts Of the country Is ABOUT per
cent We are now able, by actual results, 70
show that where rural free delivery service mas
been established to such an extent as to enable
us to make comparisons the yearly increase mas
been upward Of 10 per cent. s.,,u-.,
On Now !. 1902, $50 rural iree oenvei!
1funr and Nrar
covering about onc-third Of the territory OF the
United States available for rural free delivery
service There are nav awaiting the action OF
the department petitions ana roos '0' Ths
shows conclusively the want which the establish
ment Of the service has met and the need Oh iui-
'ther extending it as rapidly as possible IL -
justified both by the financial results and by the
practical benefits to our rural population; IL
brings the men who live on the soil into close
relations with the active business world; 1t keeps
the farmer in daily touch with the markets; IL Is
a potential educational force; 1t enhances the
value OF farm property, makes farm HE iar
pleasanter and less Isolated, and will do much 10
check the undesirable current from country 10
city. -, -,
liberal appropriations for the continuance OF the
service already established and for its further ex-
tension. -
taken up by the congress in recent years than
the Inauguration Of the system OF nationally aided
irrigation for the arid regions OF the Tar west.
A good beginning therein has been made NOW
that this policy OF national irrigation has been
adopted the need OF thorough and scientific forest
projection 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 judcious prc:ection be
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 Of butchering of such a stately and
beautiful creature as the elk for its antlers or
tusks.
SO Ear as they are available for agriculture and
TO whatever extent they may be reclaimed under
the national irrigation law, the remaining pubic
LANDS should be held rigidly for the homebullder
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 Communication
clause Of the homestead law have been SO per-
verted from the intention with which they were
enacted az to permit the acquisition OF large
areas Of the public domain for other than actual
settlers and the consequent prevention OF SETTLE
mcnt. Moreover, the approaching exhaustion Oh
the public ranges has OF late Ted to much dis
cussion as to the best manner OF using these pun
lie lands In the west which are suitable ehiefy OF
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-
the fact that IN the EtdLlnk Ic-ioH tuc man
who corresponds to the homesteader may be IN
able to settle permanently II only allowed TO use
the same amount OF pasture land that MS protheI
the homesteadcr, is allowed TO use OF arabic land
One hundred and sixty acres OF fairly rich and
we'll watered soil or a much smaller amount OF
irrigated land may keep family In plenty, where.
as no one could get a living from 100 acres Oh
dry pasture land capable OF supporting at the
outside only one head OF cattle to every ten acres
In the past great tracts OF the public domain
have been fenced In by persons having no titis
thereto, in direct defiance Of the law forbidding
the maintenance or construction OF any such IN
lawful Enclosure OF public land For various
reasons there has been little interference VITA
such Enclosures in the past, but ample notice has
now been given the trcspassers and all the re
sources at the command Of the government viii
hereafter be used to put stop to such trespassing
In view OF the capital importance OF these mat
tiers | commend them to the earnest consideration
OF the congress, and IL the congress finds dill
Guilty in dealing with them from lack OF thorough
knowledge OF the subject | recommend that pro-
vision be made for commission OF experts spe'
cially to investigate and report upon the com
plicated questions involved.
especially urge upon the congress the need O.
wise legislation for Alaska. IL Ia not to OF
credit as a nation that Alaska, which has bee
ours for thirty-hye years, should still have MS poe
a system OF laws as Is the case. No country ha
a more valuable possession In mineral wealth,
fisheries, furs, forests and also in land ayaiiabl
for certain kinds Of farming and stock CROWNS
II is a territory OF great size and varied II
sources well fitted to support large psFrianea
population Alaska needs good land law
such provisions for homesteads and pfs-enptio.
as viii encourage permanent settlement y
should shape legislation with view no. to u
exploiting and abandoning OF the territory. br
to the building up OF homes therein. III Ian
laws should be liberal in type, so as TO hold ou
inducements to the actual settler whom we mo
desire TO see take possession OF the country. Al
forests OF Alaska should be protected, and, as
secondary but still important matter, the gam
also, and az the same time il Is imperative TIA
the settlers should be allowed to cut timber, IN
der proper regulations, for their own use. Law
should be enacted to protect the Alaskan salmo
fisheries against the greed which would destro.
them. They should be preserved as a permanent
industry and food supply. Their management
and control should be turned over 70 the commits
sion Of fish and fisheries. Alaska should have
delegate in the congress It would be well il
congressional committee could visit Alaska and
investigate its needs on the ground.
In dealing with the Indians our aim should b
their ultimate absorption into the body Of oul
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
at the same time with progress in wealth and
education, so 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 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 II is possible to allot
the members lands in sevcralty much as Ia the
case with white settlers. There are other tribes
where such course y not desirable. On the
arid prairie lands the effort should be to induce
the Indians to lead pastoral rather than agricul-
tural lives and to permit them to settle in viii
lagos rather than to force them into isolation.
The large Indian schools situated remote from
any Indian reservation do a special and peculiar
work OF great Importance; but, excellent though
these are, an immense amount Of additional wo.k
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 the Indian is TO teach him to earn
his living, yet 1t Is not necessarily 20 be assumed
that In each community all Indians must become
either tillers OF the soil or stock rasers. Their
industries may properly be diversified and those
who show special desire or adaptabilty for indus.
trial or even commercial pursuits should be en-.
counged so far as practicable to follow out each
his own bent ftff