Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-11-14
BATTLE IS ON
OVER PUBLIC DOMAIN,
Special Corresponding.


Washington, Nov. l2--The battle is on
between the friends and the foes OF ex-
listing laws governing the disposal OF the
public domain In the west Those WHO
uphold the present laws frankly confess
that they have been used in numerous
instances, to facilitate private speculation
In public property and 10 lay the founda-
ton OF monopoly IN agricultural and tim
her lands. But they insist that this is
not the fault of the laws, but the manner
In which they are administered And
their remedy for present evils is-"En-
force the laws"
Those on the other side OF the contro.
versy insist that the timber and stone
act, the desert land act. and the commu-
taton clause Of the homestead act simply
cannot be enforced In the sense which the
defenders and apologists of these statutes
are supposed to mean, That Is to say,
they carnot be enforced In way to pra-
vent their continued use as instruments
Of speculation and monopoly
For instance. take the matter Of timber
entries a citizen comes from Michigan
or Illinois to exercise his right In acquir-
ing a quarter section of timber on the
eastern slope OF the Sierras In northern
California The law gives his this priv
iege, provided he acts for himself and de-
sires TO obtain the quarter-seotion for his
own use and benefit And he swears that
such Is the case. lie gets the timber for
$3.50 per acre, though 1t may be worth
from 20 to 30 times as much for com.
mercial purposes.
PURCHASE MADE IN BAD FAITH.
The moment the title passes from the
government TO the Individual the indi-
>idual turns around ana sells his property
To a syndicate which 10 buying timber
night and left at prices slightly In add
vance OF what the government has re-
celved, but representing only small
traction OF It's actual value. BY this
method, something like l00VtJ acres Of the
nnest timber IN the Sierra Nevada noun
tains have been taken from public owners
ship and created Into a consolidated hold
ing by single syndicate during the past
10 months on two years.
IL Is no exaggeraton to say that II Is
actually worth tens Of millions OF dollars
more tnan II has cost the syndicate TINS
is on the basis OF It's value as timber
alone, regardless OF Its Importance In
conserving the water supply of streams
? useful for irrigation.
It is idle to talk about "enforcing the
law" In such case. The citizen swears
"his own use and benefit" But when the
title Is securely vested in him, he sells II.
lie has right to sell IT, There IL no
possible way Of proving that he acted
merely as tool for the lumber syndi-
cate. The law gave him the right to take
this land. The law gave him the right
10 sell II. And that is Just the reason
that great and growing public sentiment
demands that the law shall be repealed.
TO say that "the law is good enough il
properly enforced" is equivalent to saying
that the process OF converting public
property into private property must 90 on
until every acre Of timber belonging 10
the government has been ABSORBED by
syndicates and corporations,
A NATURAL RESOURCE BECOMES A
SYNDlCArE'S PROFIT
And why "by syndcatcs and corpora
tionsT' Simply because a timber claim IN
the remote districts yet open To entry
Is not n poor mans proposition Rail-
roads must be buli 10 make II accessible.
Mills must be erected and operated with
large capital. And the competition Of
vast enterprises already under way must
be met and overcome, Under such cir
cumslances there Is but one customer 10
whom the timber claim can be sold, That
customer Is the monopoly which has SCI
lected that particular field for the scene
OF its speculation.
The foes OF the existing timber and
stone act realiez that development must
so on, that timber must continue TO be
cut and lumber to be supplied for com.
mercial purposes. But they say these
needs would be fully met II the govern
ment should retain title and control Of
these timber lands and sell stumpage To
lumber manufacturers at something like
what Il II worth.
The government would thus be able to
regulate numbering In such way as to
perpetuate the forests and preserve the
watersheds, without Interfering with nee
essary enterprises, And 1t would largely
increase the amount OF money available
for national Irrigation by collecting what
stumpagp il worth, instead OF selling the
land itself at ridiculousy low prices.
The present law is an outrage upon the
American people, A private citizen who
managed his estate as Uncle Sam man
ages his would be promptly committed TO
the insane asylum and have guardian
placed IN charge of his affairs The law
should be repealed and followed by COM
mon sense business policy.
WILLIAM f.. SMYTHE.