Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-16
If what might be termed incubatory owner

of what might be termed incubatory owner
ship.
The North American Indian is a born
gambler. In this he differs very little from
members of the Aryan or even the Mongol
race. But the Caucasian legislator for
the red son of the forest and the plain
proposed to protect the holdings OF 10 and
all his brothers. even If he pauperlzed the
Indian in doing this. The theory upon
which the lawmakers, backed by the phil
anthropsts proceeded was altruistic, but
II has not met the results expected. Every
western state in which there is a large
body Of Indian citizens has appealed for
relief from its taxation burdens, and prac-
tlcally every indian begged to be re-
leased from the utopian conditions which
"his friends" have tried TO force upon him.
The senate committee found in that pOr-
ton Of oklahoma designated as the Indian
Territory literally hundreds Of Indians who
are virtually starving to death because
they cannot dispose Of their surplus lands
Under the method of land distribution
which was generally followed each Indian
family Of, say five persons has been given
about LOO acres of land Under the regu-
lations Of the Department of the Interior
the Indian family, or its head, is permitted
to lease his lands only from year TO year
and never for a period longer than Ave
years He or they cannot sell an acre and
Of course cannot borrow on mortgage. The
committee discovered that thirty acres is
about the absolute limit of the amount
which can be cultivated by the average
Indian family, and unless he has animals
and tools Papa Indian cannot handle even
so much.
The committee is trying to formulate
some plan which viii assure the Indians
adequate protection for their homes against
the rapacity Of the whites and will at the
same time permit them to sell or lease their
surplus holdingg The lands in question
are those of the FIVE civilized tribes In
dams who have for twenty-five years lived
as white men, and who. it is asserted, are
as well prepared to take care Of themselves
today as they will ever be in this world.
HearHNE on Copyright Law.
The committee on patents Of the house
Of representatives is not usually n very
active body of law trainers. But every
year or two some one gets busy on the
subject of copyright laws and then this
particular committee has to get busy for
fair" as one OF the members slangily put
II today.
Next week the committee will Join with
a similar body from the senate and will sit
In the handsome senate reading room Of
the congressional library for the purpose
OF hearing arguments for and against the
proposal TO extend the copyright laws 10
cardboard rolls used in self-playing pianos,
etc Naturally, the man who composes a
march or a song or any other musical
work and who takes the trouble to copy
right his production does not care to hear
Il played by hand organs, street pianos or
beer garden pianolas without his consent.
Consequently he comes to congress and
asks that he be given the protection OF the
copyright laws TO a greater extent than he
enjoys On the other hand, the manufac-
turers OF mechanical piano players assert
that one or two concerns have foreclosed
upou every artist In the world and that
the extension Of the copyright law to pieces
Of perforated cardboard will simply place
in the hands Of the trust another Othello-
ike pillow with which TO smother the s"f-
fcring people who are dying for canned
music.
The Joint COMMITTEES which has this mat
ter up for consideration hopes to be able
TO devise some law which will insure a
royalty 20 the composer without criprling
the music roll industry, which has grown
20 enormous proportions, by the way as
it Is asserted that upwards Of 100000,
are invested In mechanical plano playing
plants in the United States.
war ON seed Distribution.
once more an effort is TO be made 70
induce congress TO abandon the practices
Of distributing each year a few million
packages OF comparatively worthless seeds