The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-11-24
Leasing and Disposal of
* The PubG lands.


believes that he is getting q tract upon
which he can raise grain sufficient TO
support his family. Contrast this with
the Indian lands opened in the arid
states. There has been no rush to set
the free lands in the southern Ute res
ervation in Colorado because on 100
acres of grazing lands a man cannot
raise enough cattle or sheep to enable
him to make a living But it is said
the settler has his share of the public
domain in addition to his 160-acre
homestead The theory is good. but in
practice il VIII not work. Another man
who's home may be one or ten or 100
or 1000 miles away has an equal right
TO the sra s and exercises his right
and thousands of abandoned home
steads in the west tell the story.
How can it be remedied?
Let the public lands be leased for
short terms in limited quantities and
at low rates, the preference being given
to actual settlers now located IN the
country.
As conditions are different in differ
ent states and i'm the various counties
in each state, let it apply on a local
option basis, the stockmen in each
county to decide, after careful CLASH
ficatiOn of lands and statement Of
e. Sc plans by commissioners who shall
give due consideration to the difficult
ties in each district.
The funds derived from leases should
be used for reducing county taxes,
completing public land surveys, irri-
cation surveys and for reservoir con-
StructiOn
The majority of the cattle and sheep
men of the west are now ready for a
good lease plan, fair to all concerned,
and are not unalterably opposed to all
plans proposed for leasing the public
lands.
The homestead law should be amend
ed to meet the changed conditions in
arid America. and to enable a settler
by a combination homestead and lease
privilege TO get enough land under con-
troll TO enable him to make a living
raising cattle and sheep in the grazing
states as we'll as raising grain in the
prairie states. Uncle Sam should
spend some money to place the facts
about his public lands before the peO-
pie who want homes.
Canada gets from Us thousands Of
settlers each year. because its public
lands are advertised and intelligent ef-
forts are made to assist in promoting
colonization work.
We must keep in mind the fact that
the homestead law is the one great
land act to which all political parties
are pledged and the best hope of inn
proved conditions viii come from prac-
teal efforts directed toward securing
amendments which will make this act
broad enough to cover free homes in
irrigated farming and grazing as well
as rainfall districts
The present desert land law has out
lived whatever usefulness it ever pos
sessed and ought to be repealed or en-
larged to enable it to be of some better
service in the future.
a commission should be appointed to
Investigate the mining laws in force
in Australia, British Columbia and
South Africa and propose amendments
to our laws. We are behind the times.
Better laws may promote development
of mining fields and put the industry
upon a better basis in the eyes Of the
world
1t is too late in the day to suffer
from the uncertainty of new rulings
with each change in the general land
office.
The prOspector's life is not a happy
one ana he is entitled to better treat
ment. Litigation generally Overtakes
him if he discovers anything worth
having and wants TO sold it himself
The farmer who takes up govern
ment land deals directly with Uncle
Sam, but the miner has to figure on
local and state regulations. Some of
the red tape can be dispensed with
safely. The methods probably neces-
5ary in a district many miles away
from civilization are not necessarily
the best for Cripple Greek. MANY
practical men believe that q locator
should have only what is found within
his claim lines. Uncle Sam might rea-
sonably reserve alternate claims for
sale at reasonable prices and reduce
the cost for original locations. Regu-
lar surveyors ought to be employed
50 that lOcatOrs need not bear the ex-
pense Of surveying the claims
Public land surveys and reSurveys
ought TO be made TO better accommO-
date the mining and agricultural in
feTests. The law requiring all general
surveys Of public lands 20 be made bv
contract is wrong. More local United
States land offices are needed do
not criticiSe the Officers OF the general
land Office. as they work under defec-
tive plans, some of which can only be
changed by act of congress, and an
prOpriatiOns are not always sufficient.
Time hes developed great improve
ments and conditions have forced
changes in other directions, and surely
in the great work of western develop
meHt red tape and antiquated ideas
can properly give way to modern meth
DDS. The brains of today are equal to
The emergency.
Practical business men are studying
10 r,44F1fr GorI .rro-4so- -
lection. and the reclamation and con-
troll of the arid lands of the west. will
surely bring prosperity 10 the business
interests of the country. A great in
crease in western farms viii bring a
wonderful new growth to our cities. AS
the trade with lands across the Pacific
increases. the benefits Of western bust
ness men viii be seen more clearly.
and we may soon find a strong senti-
ment demanding such action by con-
gTeSs and the state legislatures as viii
larmOniZe laws and conditions so that
the friends of western development
viii be found pulling together in Wash
ington in favor of measures generally
satisfactory to al concerned. And
as this is being accomplished and the
great influence of improved conditions
is being felt. and the landIess man of
the east is being placed upon the man
.ess land Of the west, our people will
fully appreciate the great services rem
cered by this association of eastern
friends
Great men predict great things for
the great west. That grand old man.
Everett Hale. in a recent ar
ticle on "Our Nations Future" saws:
The new century Will place round
peg in a round hole and a square pec
in a square hole. It viii not permit