Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1903-09-25
COOPERATION.
IRRIGATION CONGRESS FOR COLNIzATTON.
Land Statutes Attacked.

We gather the following from the Chicago
Record Heralds farm department:
The National Irrigation Congress which was
in session at Ogden, Utah, last week, brought
out several things that will prove beneficial to
the country.
Senator Gibson, of Montana, read paper
on "The Repeal of Some of Our Land Laws" :"
Senator Glbson's address was an arraigrment
OF those who had taken advantage of the pro-
visions OF the commutaton clause of the home
stead law, of the timber and stone act and the
de sert act to rob the people of their heritage
that vast landed estates might be created by
and for the benefcaries. He demanded RENE
dial legislation bv congress.
The Senator quoted authorities from Lincoln
down to Roosevelt, and from Henry M. Teller,
as secretary Of the Interior score of years
ago, down to Secretary Wilson, of the depart
ment of agriculture, to show how the laws in
tended for the people had been perverted and
made the agents Of plundereis of the public
domain. Lincoln, sorely pressed for funds to
carry forward the civil war, still hesitated to
use the public lands as source of revenue for
the depleted Golfers of the nation.
President Grant, in his fourth annual mes
sage, said 81 renew my recommendation that
the public lands be regarded as the heritage of
our children, to be disposed of only as required
for actual settlement"
In his latest message to congress, President
Roosevelt declared: "In their actual use, the
desert land law, the timber and stone law and
the commutation clause of the homestead law
have been so perverted from the intention with
which they were enacted as to permit the acqui-
sition of large areas Of the public domain for
other than the actual settlers and the conse-
quent prevention of settlement
"The desert land law and the communication
clause of the homestead law were never asked
for by the Settlers" said Senator Gibson, "but
they were enacted at the behest of spectators,
individuals and companies desiring to control
large bodies of land-Ly men having seldom
use for the plow." He declared that, at the
rate the public domain in now being absorbed
government land, and he urged the repeal of
the laws named.
The morning session on the 18th was devot,
to the special subject of colonization. c. F.
Wanlland, of the Union Pacific railway, urged
the cooperation of states, municipalities and
land owners in the development of colonies in
the several states.
John Henry Smith, nephew of Joseph
Smith, the prophet of Mormonism, followed
with speech, which was an eloquent recital of
the work of his church and people in trans
forming the desert into garden of fruits and
flowers, aud a high tribute to Brigham Young,
10 whose foresight and extraordinary powers of
organization aud execution were due the results
now visible on every hand i'll the valleys of
Utah.
There were several other speakers, but it was
Commander Booth Tucker, of the Salvation
Armv. who electrified and stirred the congress
as no one else had done. He received three
cheers from the great convention when his
address was ended. 1t indicated that, after all,