The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1902-12-04

such Enclosures in the past but ample ro,ic. ah
now been given the trsspassers and Al, ~, m
sources at the command Of the Roycrnt..s.une .ne Y.
hereafter hc used to put stop to such trsu WI
In view OF the capital importance of thssc L
ters commend them to the earnest convd..ae
Of the congress, and II the congress spSs ll,n
Guilty in dealing with them from lack Of fSalih alih
ksowledge Of the subject recommend that ptn
cally TO investigate and report upep ,b spe
plicsted questions involved WV com
e'peSs,y urge soS pp9n the tn. need
credit as nation that Alaska, which ba. hom hom
ours for thrty'hve years, should still have os en e
a system Of laws rs is the case. No co,m, pood
more valuable possession in mineral we,i,k 'N N
fisheries furs forests and also in land ,tn, esunl,,m
for certain kinds OF farming and stock gro,ison
II is a territory OF great size and yarioS 'ns
sources, well fitted TO support a large ncrua re
population. Alaska needs a good land iaw
such provisions for homesteads and pre e.enr,ia aa
as Will encourage permanent settlement NJ
should shape legislation with a view no, We
exploiting and abandoning Of the territor. w. w.
TO the building up Of homes therein ne t,rt tv%
laws should be liberal in type. 70 as 10 boil .
inducements TO the actual settler whom We ros vo.
desire TO see take possession Of the country IN
forests Of Alaska should be protected. and ,s ~.
secondary but still important matter, the a..
also, and at the same time IL is imperatiyeT AZ
the settlers should be allowed to cut tinhor 's s
der proper regulations for their own use s%, %
should be enacted to protect the Alaskan saimn,
fisheries sgainst the greed which would des,ros
them. They should be preserved as a pcrnsno.,
industry and food supply. Their manarcmcst
sion Of Ash and fisheries Alaska should have
delegate in the congress. II would be we'll II
congressional committee could vsit Alaska ant
investigate its needs on the ground
In dealing with the Indians our aim sbopId \,
their ultimate absorption into the body NJ o.
people but in many cases this absorption mus
and should be very slow. In portions Of The h,
dian Territory the mixture Of blood has gone =,
at the same time with progress in wealth anS
varying degree. Of 'pSri paS are indian Of ho wiz
are absolutely indstinguishable In point OF soci,I
political and economic ability from their Whit,
associates. There are other tribes which hay. a,
yet made perceptibe advance toward s,cL
equality. To try to force such tribes too fast /,
to prevent their going forward at all. Moreover
the tribes live under widely different conditions
Where a tribe has made considerable adyaucs a,5
lives on fertile farming soil IL is possible 10 sIIo
the members lands In severalty much as is t6,
case with white settlers. There other tribe,
where such course is not desirable On an,
arid prairie lands the effort should be 10 induct
the Indians to lead pastoral rather than agricul
tural lives and to permit them to settle in vii
lagos rather than to force them into isolation
The large Indian schools situated remote from
any Indian reservation do special and peculiar
work OF great Importance but excellent thopri
these are, an immense amount Of additional s,orl
must be done the reservations themsclvss
among the old, and, above all, among the young
Indians.
The first and most important step toward IN,
absorption Of the Indian is to teach him TO ear.
his living, yet it is not necessarily TO be assumed
that in each community all Indians must become
either tillers Of the soil stock raiserS Tbes
industries may properly be diversified, and tiost
who show special desire or adaptabiity for indus
trial or even commercial pursuits should be en-
eouraged so far as practicable to follow out each
his own bent.
Every effort should be made to develop the In
dian along the lines Of natural aptitude and 3,
encourage the existing native industries pecuiss
TO certain tribes such the various kinds a
basket weaving, canoe building, smith work and
blanket work Above all, the Indian boys and
girls should be given confident command Of cal
loquial English and should ordinarily be prepared
for vigorous struggle with the conditions undct
which their people live rather than for immcdi
ate absorption into some more highly developed
community.
The officials who represent the government In
dealing with the Indians work under hard conj!-
tions and also under conditions which render i
easy to do wrong and very difficult to detect
wrong. Consequently they should be amply psiS
on the one hand. and on the other hand a par.
ucularly high standard Of conduct should be de
manded from them, and where misconduct can bt
proved the punishment should be exemplary.
In no department OF governmental work in re-
cent years has there been greater success than
In that OF giving scientific aid to the farming
ciently to help themselves There is no need oi
insisting upon its importance, for the welfare oi
the farmer is fundamentally necessary to the
welfare of the republic as whole In additior
TO such work as quarantine against animal and
vegetable plaques, and warning against them wher
here introduced, much efficient help has been
dered to the farmer by the introduction Of nes
plants specially fitted for cultivation under the
peculiar conditions existing in different portions
oi tne country. New cereals have been established
in the semiarid 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 thereabout has been conclusiyely
demonstrated. Through the introduction Of new
rices in Louisiana and Texas the production "
nee in this country has been made to about equal
the home demand. In the southwest the possibil
tty OF regrassng ovsrstocked range lands has been
demonstrated; In the north many new forsge
crops have been introduced, while in the east u
has been shown that some OF our choicest fruits
slC a IA
find profitable market abroad.
i again recommend to the favorable considers
tion OF the congress the plans Of the Smithsonian
institution for making the museum under iu
charge worthy OF the nation and for preserving
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 he
come extinct unless specimens from which theii
representatives may be renewed are sought IL
safety.
The District Of Columbia Is the only part a
our territory in which the national gop9zgnsnt
exercises local or municipal functions and where
IN consequence the government has a free hand
IN reference y certain types OF social and eco
nomic legislation which must be essentially local
or municipal In their character. The government
should see to it, for instance, that the hysieris
and sanitary legislation affecting Washington ii
Of high character The evils Of alum dwellings,
whether in the shape of crowded and eongestSd
tenement house districts or Of the back ali.y
type, should never be permitted to grow up 10
washington The city should be model in every
charitable and correctional systems Of the Die
trict should receive consideration at the hands u
the congress to the end that they may embOdy
The results Of the most advanced thought IN tbess
helds. Moreover, while Washington is not a great
industrial city, there is some industrialism here.
and our labor legislation, while II would not bs
important In itself, might be made q model fos
the rest OF the nation. We should pass for in
stance, wise employers liability act for the Dis
uict OF Columbia and we need such an act in
our navy yards. Railroad companies in the Dis
trict ought to be required by law to block their
frogs.
The safety appliance law, for the better pro-
lection OF the lives and limbs Of railway
pioyees, which was passed in 1893 went into full
eject on Aug l, 1901 II has resulted in avert
Ing thousands 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. II is to be
hoPsd that some such measure may now be en-
acted into law
There is growing tendency TO provide for the
publication OF masses OF documents for which
there Is no public demand and for the printing Q!
which there is no real necessity. Large numbers
Of volumes are turned out by the government
printing presses for which there Is no Justification
Nothing should be printed by any Of the depart
mehts unless IL contains something OF permanent
value and the congress could WITH advantage cnt
down very materially all the printing which
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