Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-12-12

worse, than the labor men who are
guilty OF the second type of wrong
doing, because less is to be par
doned those who have no such ex-
cuse as is furnished either by ignor-
lnce or by dire need. ::
Farmers and Wage Workers.
The national government, through
the department of agriculture. should
do all it can b. joining with the state
governments and with independent as
sociations of farmers to u the
growth in the open farming country
of such Institutional and social move
ments as will meet the demand of the
best type of farmers. both for the i'm
proNement of their farms and for the
betterment of the life itself. The
farmer must not lose his Independence,
his initiative. his rugged self reliance,
yet he must learn to work in the
hcartiest cooperation with his fell
lows, exactly as the business man has
learned to work: and he must prepare
the knowledge that can be obtained
from agricultural colleges. while he
must insist upon n practical curriculum
In the schools in which his children
are taught.
The present diverse methods of in
spection and grading of grain through
out the country under different laws
and boards. result in confusion and
lack of uniformity, destroying that con
fidencc which is necessary for healthful
trade. l therefore suggest to the con-
gress the a%dvisability of IL national
system of inspection and grading of
grain entering into interstate and for
eign as Il remedy for the
present evils.
Inland Waterways.
II conservation of our natural re-
sources and their proper use constitute
The fundamental problem which UNDER
lies almost every other problem of our
national life. We must maintain for
our civilization the adequate material
basis without which that civilization
cannot exist. We must show fore
sight. we must look ahead. For the last
ew years. through several agencies.
the government has been e%ndeavoring |
to get our people to look ahead and
10 substitute Il planned and orderly |
development of our resources in place
of a haphazard striving for immediate
profit.
Our great river systems should be de-
veloped as national water highways:
the Mississippi. with it's tributaries. (:
(: standing first in Importance. and the |
!: Columbia second. although there are
(: many others of Importance on the Pa
/: citic, the Atlantic and the gulf slopes.
The national government should under |
I: take this work. and 1 hope a beginning
+: will be made in the present congress:
: and the greatest of all our rivers, the : |
!: Mississippi. should receive especial at
!: tention. II
| From the great lakes to the mouth OF
the Mississippi there should he a deep
water way. with deep waterways leading |
from 1t to the east and the west. Such q
waterway would practically mean the ex-
tension of our coast line into the very
heart of our country; The government
of thousands of horsepower as an Incl
dent to improving navigation: for the an
nual value Of the unused water power of
the United States perhaps exceeds the an
nual value of the products of all our
mines. AS an incident to creating the deep
vramrM, sS DOWN the h,,, MiaSissippi, the COY
lower length levees which taken together
with the control of the headwaters. will
at once and forever put a complete stop
to all threat OF foods In the immensely
fertile Delta region. l have appointed an
inland waterways commission to study
and outline a comprehensive scheme Of
development along all the lines indicated.
Later l shall. lay its report before the
congress.
Irrigation should be far more extensively
developed than at present. not only In the
states of the great plains and the Rocky |
mountains. but In many others. as. for
instance. in large portions of the south
Atlantic and gulf states. where it shout:
go hand in nand with the reclamation Of
swamp land.
Public lands.
The land law system which was de-
signed to meet the needs OF the fertile and
well-watered regions OF the middle west
has largely broken down when applied to
the dryer regions of the great plains. the
mountains. and much of the Pacific slope.
where a farm OF 100 acres is Inadequate
for self-support. In these regions the sye-
TEN lent itself to fraud. and much land
passed out of the hands of the govern
ment without passing into the hands OF
the home-maker.
Some such legislation as tha proposed
is essential In order to preserve the great
stretches Of public grazing land which
are unit for cultivation under present
methods and are valuable only for the
forage which they supply. These
stretches amount in all to some 300, OOO. 900
acres. and are open to the free grazing of
cattle. sheep. horses and goats. without
restriction. Such a system. or rather
such lack OF system. means that the
abuse. AS the west settles the range be-
comes more and more over-grazed. Much
of It can not be used to advantage unless
II Is fenced. for fencing is the only way
by which to keep in check the owners OF
nomad fiocks which roam hither and
th.ther utterly destroying the pastures
and leaving a waste behind 50 that their
presence Is Incompatible with the pres-
ence of home-makers. The existing
fences are all Illegal.
The unlawful fencing of public iands
Tor private grazing must be stopped but /:
the necessity which occasionei II must /: