Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-06


agrees fully with the requirements of good
administration in our own case.
The creation o. forest service In the
Department of Agriculture will have for its
important results:
First. A better handling of all forest
work. because 1t will be under single
head. and because the vast and indispensa-
BILE experience of the Department in all
matters pertaining to the forest reserves.
to forestry in general, and to other forms
OF production from the soil. Will be easily
and rapidly accessible.
Second The reserves themselves. being
handled from the point of view of the man
in the field instead of the man in the Of
nee, VIII be more easily and more widely
useful to the people of the West than has
been the case hitherto.
Third Within a comparatively short
time the reserves will become self-support-
ing. This Is important, because continually
and rapidly increasing appropriations will
be necessary for the proper care of this
exceedingly important interest of the Ma
ton. and they can and should be Offset by
returns from the National forests. Under
similar circumstances the forest posses
sions of other great nations form an I'M
portant source of revenue to their govern
ments
Every administrative officer concerned is
convinced of the necessity for the proposed
consolidation of forest work in the Depart
ment of Agriculture, and l myself nave
urged 1t more than once in former mes
sages. Again commend 1t to the early and
The interests of the Nation at large and
of the West in particular nave suffered
greatly because Of the delay.
Public Lands and Game Preserves.
1 call the attention of the Congress again
to the report and recommendation of the
Commission on the Public Lands forwarded
by me to the second session of the present
Congress. The Commission has prosecuted
It's Investigations actively during the past
season, and a second report Is now IN an
advanced stage of preparation.
In connection with the work of the foress
reserves l desire again to urge upon .he
Congress the Importance of authorizing the
President to set aside certain portions Oh
these reserves or other public lands as game
refugees for the preservation or the DlSon'
the Wapiti and other large beasts once so
abundant in our woods and mountains anu
on our great plains, and now tendlhg To-
ward extinction Every support shouiu DO
given to the authorities of the Yellowstone
PARK in their successful efforts at preserV-
ing the large creatures therein: and at very
little expense portions of the pupnc ooli ias
In other regions which are Whoiiy un1u .S ~
to agricultural settlement could be miiaIly
utilized We owe 1t to future generations
to keep alive the noble and beautiful crsa-
lures which by their presence ado sucii US
tinctive character to the American w. pnr,
ness The limits of the Yellowstone oil
should be extended southwards. Inc Sdi-
Won of the Colorado should be mace ia,
tional park; and the nationai-park syste
should include the Yosemite anu a. 49, IN
&C nossibIe of the groves OF giant trees III
California.
Tho veterans of the Civil War have
claim upon the Nation such as no o'iei
hodv of our citizens possess. 1he fehsloii
bureau has never in its history been man
.ead in a more satisfactory manner than Is
now the case.
Civilizing the Indians.
The progress of the Indians toward CIV
i,ization though not rapid, is perhaps all
tbat couId he hoped for in view OF the cir
cumstances. Within the past year many
tribes have shown, in degree greater imam
ever before, an appreciation of the neces-
sitz of work This changed attitude Is III
mart due to the policy recently pursued on
reducing the amount or subsistence " lnS
Indians, and thus forcing them, thIous
sheer necessity, to work for a llVeHhoou;
The policy, though severe, Is useiui
one, but it is to be exercised only win
| Judgment and with a full understanding
of the conditions which exist IN eacH coili,
munfty for which it is intended On or
near the indian reservations there Is
| usually very little demand for LABOR ana
| if the Indians are TO earn their living anu
when work cannot be furnished from
| outside (Which is always preferable), then
| IT must be furnished by the government
Practical instruction of this kind would In
| few years result in the forming or haplts
| of regular industry, which would render
| the Indian a producer and would effect
great reduction in the cost OF his mantle
nance
| r. is commonly declared that the slow adj
| vance of the Indians is due to the unsatis-
| factory character of the men appointed to
| take immediate charge of them, and to
some extent this is true. While the stand
ard of the employees in the Indian Service
shows great improvement over that Of by
gone years, and while actual corruption or
| fragrant dishonesty is now the rare excep-
| ton. it is nevertheless the fact that the
! salaries paid Indian agents are not large
enough to attract the best men to that field
| Of work.
To achieve satisfactory results the official
| In charge of an Indian tribe should possess
! the high qualifications which are required
| in the manager of large business, but only
| in exceptional cases is it possible to secure
| men of such a type for these positions.
Much better service, however. might be OBJ
| tanned from those now holding the places
were 1t practicable to get out Of them the
| best that is in them. and this should be
done by bringing them constantly into
closer touch with their superior officers. An
agent who has been content to draw his
| salary, giving in return the least possible
| equivalent in effort and service, may. by
proper treatment. by suggestion and en-
couragement, or persistent urging, be slim
ulated to greater effort and induced to
| take more active personal interest in his
work.
Under existing conditions an Indian agent
| in the distant West may be wholly out of
| touch with the Office of the Indian Bureau.
| He may very well feel that no one takes
| a personal interest in him or his efforts.
! Certain routine duties in the way of re-
| ports and accounts are required Of him.
| but there Is no one with whom he may in
| telligently consult on matters vital to his
| work, except after long delay. Such a
man would be greatly encouraged and aided
| by personal contact with some one whose
| interest in Indian affairs and whose au-
| thority in the Indian Bureau were greater
than his own, and such contact would be
certain to arouse and constantly increase
| the interest he takes in his work
| The distance which separates the agents
! the workers in the field-from the Indian
| Office in Washington is chief obstacle to
Indian progress. Whatever shall more close
| ly unite these two branches of the Indian
| Service, and shall enable them to cooperate
! more heartily and more effectively will be
| for the increased efficiency of the work and
/ the betterment of the race for whose i'm
provement the Indian Bureau was establish
| ed The appointment of field assistant to
! the Commissioner of Indian Affairs would
| be certain to insure this good end. Such an
| official, II possessed of the requisite energy
| and deep interest in the work, would be a
most efficient factor In bringing into closer
| relationship and more direct union of ef-
! fort the Bureau in Washington and its
| agents in the field: and with the cooperation
| of it's branches thus secured the Indian Bu-