Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1903-08-08
UNCLE SANS DOMAIN.
THE homemakeT or the SpecuIa.
tori" Is the Question.
PRESIDENT SEES DANGER AHEAD.

western arid lands and the nations
money be used to enrich a compare
lively few greedy individuals, or shall
they be used to furnish security and
happiness for millions of men, women
and children?
Uncle Sam is still rich enough to
give us all farm. And an irrigated
farm, at that. II Is not a dream but a
fact that the present populaticr OF the
united states can be duplicated on the
arid public domain In the west.
1his can be done without making
new competitors for those already en-
gagged in agricultural pursuits in the
east and In the south. On the other
hand, this wonderful act of planting a
new nation in what IL now all but an
unbroken wilderness will confer enor.
nous benefits on those sections which
are already covered with farms. factor.
les and towns.
The subjuga. ..on and settlment OF
the great empire of public lands
means that every factory wheel in the
United States must whirl faster that
every banking house iAust handle
more money. and that every railroad
must transport more passengers ane
freight. This. in turn. means larger
and buster population 10 every eastern
and southern town. and that, of
course, will quicken and enlarge the
demand for all the products of the coil
In the older sections of the country
In the meantime, that which is
grown from the soil to be conquered
by irrigation in the west will go al.
most exclusively to the feedi OF new
home.markets to be created within the
arid region Itself and TO the satisfac.
tion OF unlimited demands In the Or.
lent and in the frozen north.
Congress has decreed that the great
policy OF national irrigation shall be
entered upon wi,aout delay. Already
the engineers and surveyors are doing
their work and Ave great projects
have been reported favorably to the
Interior department. Only about ST.
100000 are required to carry all FIVE
to completion ana the money is in the
treasury awaiting the cali. But upon
the threshold of the greatest construc-
tive policy to which this nation ever
set its hand. a new and appalling OBJ
stac.e Is encountered
Almost every acre of these lands
which the nation Is about to prepare
for the swarn,ing of home.building
population may. under existing laws,
be stolen and used as the basis of a
profitable speculation. And those who
desire to secure these lands for specu.
lative purposes are strong enough to
tie the hands of congress until the
deed shall have been done. This, too
In spite Of the fact that the president
OF the United States has urged the
repeal OF these inlquitous land laws
as something whicn is vital to the sue.
cess o: Il national irrigation policy.
Shall the nations land then. and the
nations money be used to enrich a
comparatively few greedy individuals
or shai! they be used to furnish Sc
curity and happiness for millions OF
men, wcmed and children?
This Is the question which must be
answered when congress meets again
The answer depends absolutely upon
the will OF the people as II shall be
made known to their representatives
at Washington. No power on earth
except the power OF an aroused and
indignant public opinion can save the
arid region from falling prey to the
spectators who are alive TO their op
portunty while the people are asleep.
In his last message, the president
recommended the repeal of the desert
land law, of the commutation clause oI
the homestead law. and of the timber
and stone act These are the provis
ions OF existing statutes under which
absolutely the most valuable property
now owned by the American people 1,
being systematically absorbed into
private ownership by those who can
not use Il. but who propose to sell 4
at enormous profit TO real homeseeS
ers when the nation shall have multi
piled its value an houndred.fold by
means or irrigation.
The nation has land for every mar
who Will make his home upon II II
good faith-who will break the sod
plant crops. build house. and settl'
down TO support his family from th'
soil. But the nation has no land-a
least, IL ought to have none-for tn,
man who merely seeks to forestall tn,
actual settler and sell out to him at
proit. or become landlord collecting
income from his tenants.
Under present land laws, millions o
acres are being taken by those VIII
have no thought OF breaking the sol
planting crops, or building homes
They are mere adventurers and specu
lators.
rhe desert land law gives them