Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-12-10


nar circums 3 the forest posses
sions Of 9th eat nations form an
important &C OF revenue to their
governments
Every adm tratfve officer concern
ed Is convin OF the necessity for
the proposed oscillation Of forest
work In the d tment of agriculture,
and myself urged 1t more than
once In forrre' ,sages. Again 1 COM
mend 1t to tn and favorable con-
sideradon OF ~cngress. The inter-
ests of the at large and Of the
west In parh have suffered great
ly because OF "a 'elay.
Puhif,, 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 it's investI-
cations actively turing the past sea-
son, and a seco.,-. report is now In an
advanced stage ct preparation.
Game Preserves.
In connection with the work of the
forest reserves desire again to urge
upon the congress the Importance OF
authorizing the president to set aside
certain portions these reserves. or 9th
er public lands.b came refugees for the
preservation of bison. the wapiti
and other large asts once SO album
dant in our WOO and mountains and
on our great pla 8 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 i'm
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
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 a
claim upon the nation such as no other
body of our citizens possess. The pen
sion bureau has never In its history
been managed In more satisfactory
manner than is now the case.
Indians.
The progress Of the Indians toward
civilization, though not rapid, Is per-
/ haps ali 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 attitu1 is in part due to
the policy recently 1rsued of reduc-
ing the amount of Subsistence to the
| Indians and thus foIci ug them through
sheer necessity to vk FOR a liveli-
hood The policy, t ueh severe, is a
!, nset'.s- csss. --ss-,- A., sv exercised
only with Judgment and with a full
! understanding of the conditions which
exist In each community for which II
| N intended. On or near the Indian res
/ ervations there is usually very little
demand for labor. and IL the Indians
arc to earn their living and when work
cannot be furnished from outside.
which is always preferable then It
must he furnished by the government.
Practical instruction of this kind
would In a few years result In the
forming of habits of regular industry,
which would render the Indian a pro-
ducer and would effect q great reduc-
ton In the cost of his maintenance.
1t Is commonly declared that the
slow advance OF the Indians Is due to
the unsatisfactory character of the
men appointed to take immediate
charge OF them, and to some extent
this is true. While the standard of the
| employees in the Indian service shows
great Improvement over that OF bygone
years, and, while actual corruption or
fragrant dishonesty is now the rare ex-
ception, Ii is nevertheless the fact that
the salaries paid Indian agents are not
large enough to attract the best men to
mat Held OF work To achieve satisfac-
Tory results the Official In charge of an
Indian tribe should possess the high
the manager OF a large business, but
only in exceptional cases is il possible
TO secure men Of such type for these
positions. Much better service, how
ever, might be obtained from those
now holding the places were 1t practi-
cable 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 serv-
ice, may by proper treatment, by sug-
gestion and encouragement or persist
ent urging be stimulated to greater eff
fort and induced to take a more active
personal interest in his work.
Under existing conditions an Indian
agent in the distant west may be who'll
ly out of touch with the office of the
Indian bureau. He may very well feel
that no one takes q personal interest in