The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-12-06

upon this subject are wise and should be given effect.
 The crea. ion of small irrigated farms under the Reclamation Act is a power ful offse. to the tendency of certain other laws to foster or permit monopoly of the land. Under that act the con- struction of great irrigation works has been proceeding rapidly and success { fully, the lands reclaimed are eagerly taken up, and the prospeot that the policy of national irrigation will ac- complish all that was expected of it is bright The act should be extended to include the State of Texas.
 The Reclamation Act derives much of it's value from the fact that 1t tends to secure the greatest possible number of homes on the land, and to create com munities of freeholders. in part by set , clement on public land, in part by fore ing the subdivision of large private holdings before they can get water from Government irrigation works, The law requires that no right to the use of water for land in private owner ship shall be sold for tract exceeding 160 acres to any one land owner. This provision has excited active and pow erful hostility, but the success of the law itself depends on the wise and firm enforcement of it. We cannot afford to substitute tenants for freeholders on the public domain.
 The greater part of the remaining public lands cannot be irrigated. They are at present and will probably al- ways be of greater value for grazing than for any other purpose. This fact has led to the grazing homestead Of GAO acres in Nebraska and to the pro- posed exten:ion of it to other states. It is argued that family cannot be supported on 160 acres of arid grazing i land. This is obviously true; but neither can a family be supported on i $40 acres of much of the land to which it is proposed to apply the grazing homestead. To establish universally any such arbitrary limit would be un- wise at the present time. It would probably result on the one hand in en- 1 larging the holdings of some of the i great land owners, and on the other 1 in needless suffering and failure on the 1 part of a very considerable proportion of the bona fide settlers who give faith to the implied assurance of the Govern ment that such an area is sufficient. i The best use of the public grazing 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 until the the lands are settled, the Government should take control of the open range, ] under reasonable regulations suited to local needs, following the general policy already in successful operation on the forest reserves. It is probable that the present grazing value Of the open pub lie range is scarcely more than half what it once was or what it might cas- fly be again under careful regulation.
 The forest policy of the Administra- i ticn appears to enjoy the unbroken SUD- port of the people. The great users of timber are themselves forwarding the movement for forest preservation. All organized opposition to the forest re- serves on the West has disappeared Since the consolidation of all Govern ment forest work in the National For est Service there has been a rapid and notable gain in the usefulness of the forest reserves to the people and in public appreciation of their value The national parks within or adjacent to forest reserves should be transferred to the charge of the Forest Service also.
 Mississippi Levecs.
 The National Government already does something in connection with the construction and maintenance of the great system of levees along the lower course cf~the Mississippi; in my judg- ment is should do much more.
 Merchant Marine.
 To the speard of our trade in peace and the defense of our flag in war a great and prosperous merchant marine is indispensable. We should have ships of our own and seanen of our own to convey our goods to neutral markets, and in case of need to re-enforce our battle line. It cannot but be source of regret and uneasiness to us that the lines of communication with our sister republics of South America should be chiefly under foreign control. It is not good thing that American merchants dIlu lIdlLuldCbuLSLS sLlOuld IlohNS LO SSliu their goods and letters of South Amer ica via Europe if they wish security and dispatch. Even on the Pacific, where our ships have held their own better than on the Atlantic our mer- chant flag is now threatened through the liberal aid bestowed by other gov ernments on their own steam lines. l ask your earnest consideratin of the report with which the Merchant Ma rine Commission has fololwed it's long and careful inquiry.
 Jamestown TercentenniaI.
 I again heartily commend to your favorable consideration the tercenten- nial celebration of the settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. Appreciating the desirability of this commemoration, the Congress passed an act, March 5, 1905, authorizing in the year1907, on and near the waters of Hampton Roads, in the State of Virginia, an international nav al, marine and military celebration in honor of this event. By the authority vested In me by this act, l have made proclamation of said celebration, and have issued, in conformity with it's in- instructions, invitations to all the na- tions of the earth to participate, by sending their naval vessels and such