The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-05

United states should run throughout
the entire territorial extent of our
country The delays OF the criminal
law, no less than of the civil, now
amount to q very great evil.
1 Breaches OF Trust in Public Service.
There seems to be no statute of the
/ United States which provides for the
| punishment of a United States attor-
ney or other officer of the government
who corruptly agrees to wrongfully do
| or Wrongfully refrain from doing any
act when the consideration for such
| corrupt agreement is other than one
possessing money value. This ought
/ to be remedied by appropriate legisla-
| ton. Legislation should also be en-
acted to cover, explicitly, uneQuiVOc-
/ ally and beyond question, breach OF
trust in the shape of prematurely di-
/ vulging official secrets by an officer or
/ employee of the United States. and TO
/ provide a suitable penalty therefor.
Such officer or employee owes the duty
| to the United States to guard carefully
and not to divulge or in any manner
/ use, preTnaturely, information which
is accessible to the officer or employee
by reason of his official position Most
breaches of public trust are already
/ covered by the law, and this one
I should be. It is impossible, no mat
ter how much care is used, to prevent
the occasional appointment to the pub
/ lie service OF q man who when tempt
4 ed proves unfaithful; but every means
| should be provided to detect and every
! effort made to punish the Wrongdoer
So far as in my power lies each and
every WrOng-QOer shall be relentleSsly
/ hunted down. in no instance in the
past has he been spared; in no in
stance in the future shall he be spared.
His crime is a crime against every
honest man in the nation. for it is a
crime against the whole body polite
Yet in dwelling on such misdeeds, it is
/ unjust not to add that they are alto
gether exceptional, and that on the
4 whole the employees of the govern
ment render upright and faithful SER
I vice to the people. There are eXcep-
4 tiOns. notably in one or two branches
of the service; but at no time in the
nations history has the public service
on a higher plane than now, alike as
regards honesty and as regards eff
cheney.
! Once again I call your attention to
! the condition of the public-land laws.
/ Recent developments have given new
urgency to the need for such changes
as Will mt these laws to actual present
| conditions. The honest disposal and
right use of the remaining public
lands is of fundamental importance.
The iniquitoUs methods by which the
mOnopolizing of the public lands is be-
ing brought about under the present
1 laws are becoming more generally
known, but the existing laws do not
furnish effective remedies. The rec
concentrations of the public lands COM
mission upon this subject are wise
and should be given effect
The creation of small irrigated
farms under the Reclamation Act is a
powerful offset to the tendency of GER
tain other laws to foster or permit
monopoly of the land. Under that act
the construction of great irrigation
works has been proceeding rapidly and
successfully. the lands reclaimed are
eagerly taken up. and the prospect
Al -
will accomplish all that was expected
of it is bright. The act should be eX-
tended to include the state of Texas.
Reclamation of Arid Land.
The reclamation act derives much
of it's value from the fact that it tends
to secure the greatest possible number
of homes on the land, and to create
Il communities of freeho1ders, in part by
i settlement on public land, in part by
forcing the subdivision of large pri-
vate holdings before they can get wa
ter from government irrigation works.
The law requires that no right to the
use of water for land in private own
ership shall be sold for a tract exceed
ling 100 acres to any one land owner.
This provision has excited active and
powerful hostility, but the success of
the law itself depends on the wise and
firm enforcement of it. We can not
afford to substitute tenants for free
holders on the public domain.
The greater part of the remaining
public lands can not be irrigated. They
are at present and will probably always
be of greater value for grazing than
for any other purpose. This fact has
!. led to the grazing homestead of $40
acres in Nebraska and to the proposed
| extension Of it to other states. 1t is
argued that a family can not be sup
ported on $50 acres of arid grazing
land This is obviously true; but
: neither can a family be supported on
$40 acres of much of the lard to which
it is proposed to apply the grazing
homestead. To establish universally
any such arbitrary limit would be I'M
wise at the present time. It would
probably result on the one hand in en-
iarging the holdings of some of the
great land owners. and on the other
in needless suffering and failure on
the part of q very considerable pro-
3; portion of the bona fide settlers who
give faith to the implied assurance of
the government that such an area is
sufficient. The best use of the public
: lands requires the careful examination
= and classification of these lands in or
der to give each settler land enough
+ to support his family and no more.
While this work is being done, and I'M
til the lands are settled, the govern
ment should take control of the open
: range, under reasonable regulations
suited to local needs, following the
q general policy already in successful
| operation on the forest reserves. 1t is
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