The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-21
Public land Nearly Conc.

~
We have at last reached a point
where the public wealth of farm land
which has seemed so ineXhaustible is
nearly gone, and the problem of utiliz-
ing the remainder for the building Of
new homes has become of vital inn
portance.
The present administration has dealt
with this problem vigorously and eff
fectively. Great areas had been unlaw-
tully fenced IN by men OF large means,
and the home-builder had been eXclud-
ed. Many of these unlawful aggressOrs
have been compelled to relinquish their
booty, and more than 100000 acres of
land have been restored to the public.
Extensive frauds in procuring grants
of land not for homesteads but for
speculation, have been investigated and
stopped, and the perpetrators have been
indicted and are being actively prose-
cuted. A competent commission has
been constituted to examine into the
defective working of the existing laws
and to suggest practical legislation to
prevent further abuse. That commits
sion has reported, and bills adequate to
accomplish the purpose have been
framed and are before congress. The
further foundation of forest areas,
producing alternate floods and dryness
in our river valleys, has been checked
by the extension of forest reserves,
which have been brought to aggregate
! more than SO, 600 600 acres of land. The
reclamation by irrigation of the vast
arid regions forming the chief part of
our remaining public domain, has been
provided for by the national reclan1a-
ton law of June II, 1903. The execution
of this law, without taxation and by
the application of the proceeds of pub
lie land sales alone, through the con-
struetion of storage, reservoirs for wa
ter, will make many millions of acres
of fertile lands available for settle
ment. Over $40, 100000 from these
sources have been already received to
the credit of the reclamation fund.
r,fr
IA states and territories have been en-
braced in the 81 projects which have
been devised and are under eXamina-
ton, and on eight of these the work of
actual construction has begun.
The Postal Service.
The postal service has been extend
ed and improved. Its revenues have
increased from $76,OOOOOO in 1881 to
$50, 100000 in 1899, and $4,000. 600
IN 1904. In dealing with these vast
sums lew cases of population, trifing
IN amount and by subordinate officers
have occurred there as they occur in
every business. Neither fear nor
favor, nor political or personal inf111-
ence mas availed to protect the wrong
dOerS- IheIr acts have been detected
investigate laid bare: they have
been dismissed from their places.
prosecuted, indicted many of them
IIed' ana many of them convicted.
me abuses in the carriage of second
class mail matter have beer. remedied.
The rural free delivery has been wide
" extended. 1t is wholly the creation
OF Republican administration. The
last Democratic postmaster general
declared 1t fmDracticable. The first
administration of Mckinley proved
the contrary. At the beginning of the
IlscaI year 1899 there were about 200
routes III operation There are now
more than $4,000 routes bringing a
daily mail service to more than 70
OOO'oVo OF our people in rural com
munities, charging the circulation of
the newspaper and the magazine, in
creasing communication. and relieving
the isolation of life OF the farm.
The department OF agriculture has
been brought to a point of efficiency
and practical benefit never before
known. The oleomargarine act of
May 8, 1902, now sustained in the SUI
preme court and the act of July 1
1902, to prevent the false branding of
food and dairy products=prote
farmers against fraudulent limitations
The act of February 2, 1903 enables
the secretary of agriculture to pre-
vent the spread of contagious and in
fictitious diseases of live stock. Rigid
inspection has protected our cattle
against infection from abroad. and has
/ established the highest credit for our
meat products in the markets of tn e
world. The earth has been searched
for weapons with which to fight the
enemies that destroy the growing
crops An insect brought from near
the Great Wall of China. has checked
the San Jose scale which was destroy
ing our orchards; a parasitic fly
! brought from South Africa is extermi-
mating the black scale in the lemon
and orange groves of California; and
an ant from Guatemala is about offer
4 ing battle to the boil weevil. Broad
( science has been brought to the aid
4 of limited experience. Study of the
relations between plant life and eli
mate and soil has been followed. by
the introduction of special crops suit
! ed to our varied conditions. The in
/ PRODUCTION of Just the right kind of
seed has enabled the gulf states to in
crease our rice crop from rs, 900, 900
pounds in 1895 to 400, 1000. 600 pounds
I IN 1903, and TO supply the entire
i American demand with a surplus for
/ export. The right kind of sugar beet
4 has increased our annual production
of beet sugar by over 100000 tons.