The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-12-07

4 sEE ~ $1,000 tSRA> PSoIlS.
Asks Support for Treaty.
Accordingly the executive department
OF our government negotiated a treaty
under which we are to try TO help the
finances. This treaty Is pending before
the senate. In the meantime u temporary
has been made which viii
last until the senate has had time to
axe action upon the treaty. nde this
arrangement the Dominican government
has appointed Americans to all the mn
portant positions in the customs service,
and they, are seeing to the honest coliec-
ton OF the revenues, turning over As per
penses and putting the other 90 per cent.
INTO q safe depository for equitable divi-
European or American.
This has completely discouraged all rev.
olutionary movement, while 1t has al
ready produced such an Increase in the
event that the government is actually
getting more from the As per cent, that
than It got formerly when it took the
S salire rfv people + & 5 san ena9 p5gi5 the p poor
more to turn their attention to Industry
and to be free from tie curse of inter-
minable revolutionary disturbance.
Tier Is, Of course, opposition to the
and American, and from the professional
revolutionists of the island itself.
The Army and Navy.
We cannot consider the question OF cur
loISlSl polcy without at the same time
treating OF the army and navy. We now
have a very small army-indeed, one we'll
nigh nfnitesimal when compared with the
army of any other large nation.
Oh course the army we do have should be
as nearly perfect of its kind and for it's
size as IS possible. 1 do not believe that
any army in the world has a better aver
age. of enlisted man or a better type of
Junior officer; but the army should be
trained to act effectively in a mass. Pro-
vision should be made by sufficient appro-
| + m for ma ~ al Owe W. - - r,.+;-~
kind so that the troops may learn how
TO tax care Of themselves under actual
service conditions.
The number of posts In which the army
Is kept in time of peace should be mate
rally diminished and the posts that are
left 4 made correspPondingly larger:
To accomplish this end we must have not
p or regimental garrisons, but
brigade and division garrisons.
For a Big Navy.
Dur navy must, relatively to the navies
OF other nations, always be Of greater size
tinued for a number Of years to build up
our navy, and it has now reached a fairly
nigh STANDARD of efficiency. This stand
tanned, but increased. 1t does not seem to
me necessary, however, that the navy
shouldn't least in the immediate future-
be increased beyond the present number of
units. What is now clearly necessary is to
substitute efficient for inefficient units as
the latter become worn out or as it be-
SoIIlcS apparent Una tlpN are useless.
Probably the result would be attained by
adding a single battle ship to our navy
each year, the superseded OF. outworn yes
sells being lad up or broken up.as they are
thus replaced.
Public Land Laws.
One again 1 call your attention to the
condition of the public land laws. Recent
deVelopments have given new urgency to
the need for such changes as will fit these
laws to actual present conditions. The
honest disposal and right use Of the re-
naming public lands is OF Fundamental i'm
portance The ubiquitous methods by
which the monopolizing of the public lands
is being brought about under the present
laws are becoming more generally known,
bmt the existing laws do not furnish
effective remedies. The recommendations
Of the public lands commission upon this
subject are wise and should be given
effect.
As to the Grazing Land Claim.
The greater part of the remaining public
lands cannot be irrigated. They are at
present and will probably always be of
greater value tor grazing than for any
other purpose. This fact has led to the
grazing homestead of $40 acres in Ne
braska and to the proposed extension of it
to other states. 1t is argued that a family
can not be supported on 100 acres of arid
grazing land. This is obviously true; but
neither can a family be supported on $40
acres of much of the land TO which it is
proposed to apply the grazing homestead.
TO establish universally any such arbitrary
limit would be unWise at the present time.
1t would probably result on the one hand
in charging the holdings of some of the
needless suffering and failure on the part
of a very considerable proportion of the
bona hde settlers who give faith to the i'm
piled assurance of the government that
such an area is sufficient.
The best use of the public grazing lands
requires the careful ton andclass-
ification Of these lands in order to give
each settler land enough to support his
family and no more. While this work is
being done, and until the lands are set
tied, the government should take. control
of the open range. under reasonable regu-
lations suited to local needs, following the
general policy already in successful opera
ton on the forest reserves, 1t is probable
that the present grazing value of the open
public range is scarcely more than half
what it once was or what it might easily
be again under careful regulation.
tavora Merchant Marine.
To the spread Of our trade in peace and
the defense Of our flag in war a great and
prosperous merchant marine is indispensi-
bic. We should have ships Of our own and
seaNcn OF our " to convey our goods to
neutral markets, and in case of need to
reinforce our battle line. 1t can NOT but
be a source Of regret and uneasinesS to us
that the lines of communication with our
sister republics of South America should
be chiefly under foreign control. 1t is not
a good thing that American merchants
ana manufacturer should have to send
their goods and letters to South America
via Europe if they wish security and dis
patch. Even on the Pacific, whore our
ships lave held their own better than on
the Atlantic, our merchant flag is now
threatened through the liberal aid be-
slowed by other governments on their own
steam lines. ] ask your earnest consider
alton of the report with which the Mcr-
chant Marine commission has followed its
long and careful inquiry.
The Immigration Question.
The question of immigration is Of vital
interest 70 tins ~ountry In the year end
ing juno 80, 1905, there came to the United
states ~l,v-1,CO0 alien Immigrants. In other
words, III the single year that has Just
elapsed lhCic came TO this country a
greater member of EcOp.c than came here
during the oAe hundred ana siXty-nine
years OF our colonial life which inter
Vencd between the first landing at James
town and the Declaration OF lnGcpcnd-
cnce. 1t is clearly shown in the report of
the commissioner general of immigration
that Nb.lc much OF this imlni-
grafton IS undoubtedly healthy and nlIur-
al, q considerable proportion is undesirable
nom one reason or another; moreover. a
considerable proportion OF il. probably Il
very iaiBe pluportioH, including most OF
the undesirable class, does not come here
ot It's own initiative, but because of the
activity CT nc agents OF the great trans
Hoitai.cn companies. These agents are
distributed throughout Europe, and by the