Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-05
| erna.ent 70 pro.eet the en- On their winter

range
western plains was the great shaggy -maned
wild on, the bison, commonly known as
buffaio. Small fragments of herds exist In
demesticated state here and there. a few
of them In the Yellowstone Park. Such
herd as that on the F'lathead reservation
should not be allowed to go out of exist
| ence. Either on some reservation or On
! some forest reserve like the Wichita re-
serve and game refuge provision should be
made for the preservation of such herd,
I believe that the scheme would be of eco
| nomic advantage. for the robe of the buffalo
| Is of high market value. and the same is
true of the robe OF the cross-bred animals,
Life-saving Service.
! call your especial attention to the de-
STABILITY of giving to the members of the
| life-saving service pensions such as are
given to fireinen and policemen in all our
| great cities. The men in the life-saving
| service continually and in the most matter
| of-fact way do deeds such as make Ameri
| cans proud of their country. They have no
political influence, and they live in such re-
mote places that the really heroic services
| they continually render receive the seantiest
| recognition from the public. It is unjust
| for a great nation like this to permit these
1 men to become totally disabled or to meet
1 death in the performance OF Their hazard
our duty and yet to give them no sort OF
reward. IL one of them serves thirty years
/ of his life In such a position he should sure
! ~ be entitled to retire on half pay, as a
! fireman or policeman does, and If he be-
| comes totally incapactated through acct
! dent or sickness or loses his health in the
1 discharge of his duty he or his family
should receive pension just as any soldier
should. call your attention with especial
earnestnesS to this matter because ii ap-
peals not only to our Judgment, but to cur
/ sympathy, for the people on whose behalf
l ask it are comparatively few IN number
render inealculable service of particularly
dangerous kind and have no one to speak
| for them.
Indians
During the year just past the phase OF
/ the Indian question which has been most
| sharply brought to public attention is the
| larger legal significance of the Indians in
duction into citizenship. This has made it
! self manifest not only In a great access of
| litigation in which the citizen Indian fig
ures as party defendant and in a more
| widespread disposition to levy local taxa
/ ton upon his personality. but in a decision
| OF the United States Supreme Court which
1 struck away the main prop on which has
| hitherto rested the government benevolent
/ effort to protect him against the evils OF
| intemperance. The court holds In effect
| that when an Indian Becomes by virtue of
| an allotment of land to him, a citizen or
/ the state in which his land is situated he
| passes from under federal control in such
| matters as this, and the acts of Congress
prohibiting the sale or gift to him of ntoxi-
| Giants become substa ntially imperative. 1t
| is gratifying to note that the states and
| municipalities of the west which have most
| at stake IN the welfare of the Indians are
| taking up this subject and are trying to
! supply, in measure. at least. the abdication
! OF Its trusteeslip forced upon the federal
! government Nevertheless, would urgent
| ~ press upon the attention of the Congress
| the question whether some amendment of
! the internal revenue laws might not be of
| aid in prosecuting those malefactors known
| IN the indian country as ''bootleggers," who
are engaged at once in defrauding the
| United States Treasury nf taxes. and what
! Is Tar more important, in debauching the
| Indians py carrying liquors i!lcitly into ter
| rltory stu completely under federal juris-
] ict:on.
Among the crying present needs of the
! Indians are more day schools situated in
| the midst Of their settlements, more effect
| i've instruction in the industries pursued on
| their own farms and more liberal extern
| son of the field-matron service which
/ means the education of the Indian women
| In the arts of home making. Until the moth
ers are well started in the right direction
| We cannot reasonably expect much from
| the children who are soon to form an inte-
| graz part CT our American citizenship.
| Moreover, the excuse continually advanced
by male adult Indians for refusing offers
| of remunerative employment at a distance
/ from their homes is that they dare not
| leave their families too long out of their
sight One effeciual remedy for this state
| of things is TO employ the minds and
| strengthen the moral fiber of the Indian
/ women. the end to which the work of the
heid matroe is especially directed 1 trust
| that the Congress viii make its aDpropra-
] IONS for Indian day schools and field ma
irons as generous as may consist with the
other pressing demands upon its providence.
The Philippines.
/ During tie last year the Philippine
Islands have been slowly recovering from
| the series of disasters which, since Ameri-
| can occupation, have greatly reduced the
amount OF agricultural products below
what was produced in Spanish times. TIE
war. the rinderpest, the iocusts, the
! drought and the cholera have been united
as causes TO prevent n return of the BROS
| perity much needed in the Islands TIE
most serious is the destruction bg the rim
derpest of more than 10 per cent Of the
oFait cattle, because it viii take several
years of breeding to restore the necessary
number of these Indispensable aids to agr.-
culture. The commission attempted to sl,n-
ply by purchase from adjoining countries
the needed cattle, but the experiments made
| were unsuccessful. Most of the cattle inn
1 ported were unable to withstand the change
OF climate and the rlgoIs OF the VOYAGE and
dfed from other diseases than rinderpest
| me income of the Philippine government
| mas necessarily been reduced by reason of
the business and agricultural depression IN
| the Islands, and the government has been
| Obliged to exercise great economy to cut
l down Its expenses to reduce salaries and
| In every way to avoid a deficit. Ii has
| adopted an internal revenue law imposing
| taxes on cigars. cigarettes and distilled
| liquors. and abolishing the old Spanish in
dustrial taxes. The law has not operated
| as smoothly as was hoped. and although is
| principle is undoubtedly correct il may
! need amendments for the purpose of re-
eoncil1ng the people to its provisions. The
| income derived from it has partly made IN
for the reduction in customs revenue
| There has been marked increase In the
! number of Fiiipinos employed in the civil
service, and a corresponding decrease in
the number of Americans. The government
| in every one Of its departments has been
| rendered more efficient by elinnina ton of
undesirable material and the promotion of
! deserving public servants.
| improvements of harbors, roads and
! bridges continue, although the cutting down
of the revenue forbids the expenditure of
any great amount from current income for
these purposes. Steps are Being taken by
advertisement for competitive bids, 10 Sc
cure the construction and maintenance If
| LOCO miles of railway by private corpora-
tons under the recent enabling legislation
of the Congress. The transfer of the frfsr
lands in accordance with the contract
! made some two years ago, has been com
pletely effected and the purchase money