Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1903-12-10

the immediate past the lack of just such
facilities as these has driven many of the
more active and restless young men and |
women from the farms to the cities; for
they rebelled at loneliness and lack of
mental companionship. 1t is unhealthy
and undesirable for the cities to grow at
the expense of the country; and rural
free delivery is not only a good thing
in itself, but is good because 1t Is enc
of the causes which check this uhwhole=
some tendency towards the urban COM
centration of our population at the ex-
pense of the country districts. It is for
and approve OF the policy OF building
good roads. The movement, for good
roads is one fraught with the greatest
benefit to the country districts:
Ia the Philippines and Porto Rico,
it is declared, steady progress is being
made and the condition of the island
ers already has been materially ad-
vanced
Receipts of General Land Office.
On the subject of the public lands
of the country the message says:
The cash receipts of the General Land
Office for the last fiscal year were sl1,-
o24, 74365, an increase of $4,762, s16.47 over
the preceding year. OF this sum, approx
imately. sS.461 49s will go to the credit
of the fund fer the reclamation of arid
land; making the total Of this find up
to the 30th Of June, 1903. approximately.
S16,191, S36.
gratifying disposition has been
evinced by those having unlawful in
closures of public land to remove their
fences. Nearly two million acres so in
closed have been thrown open on oe-
mand. In but comparatively few cases
has 1t been necessary to go into court
to accomplish this purpose. This work will
be vigorously prosecuted until all unlaw-
fui enclosures have been removed.
irrigation.
The work of reclamation of the arid
lands of the West Is progressing steadily
and satisfactorily under the terms of
the law setting aside the, proceeds from
the disposal of public lands. The corps of
engineers known as the Reclamation
Service, which is conducting the surveys
and examinations, has been thoroughly
organized, especial pains being taken to
secure under the civil-service rules
body of skilled, experienced. and efficient
men, Surveys and examinations are
progressing throughout the arid states
and territories, plans for retaining works
being prepared and passed upon by
boards Of engineers before approval by
the Secretary of the Interior. In Arizona
and Nevada, in localities where such
work is prominently needed, construc-
ton has already been begun. In other
parts of the arid West various projects
are well advanced toward the drawing
up of contracts, these being delayed in
part by necessities of reaching agree
ments or understanding as regards rights
of way or acquisition of real estate. Most
of the works contemplated for construc-
ton are Of national Importance; invoiv-
ing interstate questions or the Securing
OF stable; self-supporting Communities In
the midst Of vast tracts Of vacant land.
The Nation as whole is Of course the
Painer Inv the creation of these homes.
adding as they do to the wealth and sta
bility CT the country, and furnishing
home market for the products of the East
and South. The reclamation law, while
perhaps not ideal, appears at present to
answer the larger needs for which it is
designed. Further legislation is not rec
6thnehdsd until the necessities of change
are more apparent:
Preservation Of Forests.
The President points out the neces-
sity of taking steps for the preserva-
ton of our forests, especially at the
headwaters of streams. OF the cotton
weevil he says:
The cotton growing States have re-
Gently been invaded by a weevil that has
done much damage and threatens the
entire cotton industry. 1 suggest to the
Congress the prompt enactment of such
remedial legislation as its judgment may
approve.
The Philippines and Porto Rico.
| OF our jnsular possessions the Philip
| pines and Porto Rico 1t is gratifying to
say that their steady progress has been
| SUCH as to make 1t unnecessary to spend
| much time in discussing them. Yet the
Congress should ever keep in mind that
d peculiar obligation rests upon lis to
| further in every way the welfare of these
communities. The Philippines should be
| knit closer to us by tariff arrangements.
| It would, of course, be impossible sud
| denly to raise the people of the islands to
| the high pitch of industrial prosperity
and of governmental efficiency to which
| they will in the end by degrees attain:
and the caution and moderation shown
in developing them have been among
the main reasons why this development
| has hitherto gone On so smoothly. Scru-
pulous care has been taken in the choice
| of governmental agents, and the entire
elimination of partisan politics from the
| public service. The condition Of the
islanders IS in material things far better
| than ever before; while their govern
mental, intellectual, and moral advance
| has kept pace with their material adj
vance. No one people ever benefited an
| other people more than we have bene-
fitted the Filipinos by taking possession
| of the islands.
The message continues;
SdiClJ-HFPiid1CC Law.
| In my last annual message the atten-
| tion of the Congress was called to the
necessity of enlarging the safety-appliance
| law, and 1t is gratifying to note that this
| law was amended in important respects.
| With the increasing railway mileage of
| the country. the greater number of men
| employed. and the use of larger and
heavier equipment. the urgency for re-
newed effort to prevent the loss OF life
and limb upon the railroads of the coun-
try, particularly to employees. Is apparent.
For the inspection of water craft and
the Life-Saving Service upon the water
the Congress has built up an elaborate
body OF protective Legislation and
thorough method OF inspection and is an
| nually spending large sums of money. 1t
Is encouraging to observe that the Con-
gress is alive to the interests of those
who are employed upon our wonderful
arteries of commerce-the railroadS-who
SO safely transport millions of passen-
gers and billions of tons of freight. The
Federal inspection of safety appliances,
for which the Congress is now making
appropriations, Is a service analogous TO
| that which the Government has upheld
for generations in regard to vessels. and
1t is believed will prove of great practical
benefit. both to railroad employees and
the travelling public. AS the greater part
of commerce is interstate and exclusively
under the control of the Congress the
needed safety and uniformity must be Sc
cured by national legislation.
lsthmian Canal.
The causes leading up to the estab-
lishment of the new republic of Pan
anna, and its recognition by the
United States are given in much de-
tail, as follows:
By the act of June Is. 1902. the Con-
gress authorized the President TO enter
| into treaty with Colombia for the build
| ing of the canal across the Isthmus of
Panama: it being provided that In the
| event of failure to secure such treaty
after the lapse of a reasonable time. re-
| course should be had to building a canal
| through Nicaragua. 1t has not been
| necessary to consider this alternative as
1 am enabled to lay before tho Senate
a treaty providing for the building of the
canal across the Isthmus of Panama
| This was the route which commended