Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-12-06


viii be easily ana rapiIiy accessible.
SeconG.-The reserves themselves be
ing handled from the point OF view OF
the man in the teld instead of the mar
in the Office, will be more easily anC
more widely useful to the people OF
the west than has been the case hith
erto.
Third.-Within a comparatively short
time the reserves will become self sup
porting. This is important, because
continually and rapidly increasing ap
preparations will be necessary for the
proper care of this exceedingly impor.
tant interest of the nation, and they
can and should be Offset by returns
from the national forests. Under sim
liar circumstances the forest posses
sions OF other great nations form an
important source of revenue to their
governments.
Every administrative officer concern
ed is convinced of the necessity for
the proposed consolidation of forest
work in the department Of agriculture.
and myself have urged it more than
once in former messages. Again COM
mend it to the early and favorable con-
sideration OF the congress. The inter-
ests of the nation ut large and of the
west in particular have suffered great
| IL because Of the delay.
| Public Lands.
| / call the attention of the congress
again to the report and recommends
ton Of the commission on the public
lands forwarded by me to the second
session Of the present congress. The
commission has prosecuted its investi-
cations actively during the past sea-
son, and a second report is now In an
advanced stage Of preparation.
Game Preserves.
In connection with the work of the
forest reserves 1 desire again to urge
upon the congress the Importance of
authorizing the president to set aside
certain portions Of these reserves, or 9th
er public lands, as game refugees for the
preservation of the bison, the wapiti
and other large beasts once SO abun-
dant in our woods and mountains and
on our great plains and now tending
toward extinction. Every support
should be given to the authorities OF
the Yellowstone park in their success
full efforts at preserving the large crea-
lures therein, and at very little ex-
pense portions of the public domain in
other regions which are wholly insult
ed to agricultural settlement could be
similarly utilized. We owe it to fu-
ture generations to keep alive the no.
BILE and beautiful creatures which by
their presence add such distinctive
character to the American wilderness.
The limits of the Yellowstone park
should be extended southwark. The
Canyon Of the Colorado should be made
u national park. and the national park
system should include the Yosemite
and as many as possible of the groves
of giant trees in California.
Pensions.
The veterans Of the civil war have q
claim upon the nation such as no other
body Of our citizens possess. The pen
sion bureau has never in it's history
been managed in more satisfactory
manner than is now the case.
Indians.
The progress of the Indians toward
though not rapid, is per-
haps all that could be hoped for in
view of the circumstances Within the
past year many tribes have shown in a
degree greater than ever before an ap-
probation of the necessity of work.
This changed attitude is in part due to
the policy recently pursued of reduc-
ing the amount of subsistence to the |
Indians and thus forcing them through |
sheer necessity to work for liveli- |
hood. The policy, though severe, is
useful one, but it is to be exercised |
only with judgment and with full |
of the conditions which |
exist in each community for which it |
IL intended. On or near the Indian res
crvations there is usually very little
demand for labor, and if the Indians
are to earn their living and when work
be furnished from outside
which is always preferable. then it
must be furnished by the government
Practical instruction of this kind
would in n few years result in the
forming OF habits of regular industry,