Amador ledger., 1906-01-12

ditions has already been brought about by
range control on the forest reserves, and
that the great bulk of the western stock
men are definitely in favor of government
control of the open range.
Fifth. Upon facts presented at many
public meetings held throughout the West
and upon innumerable suggestions which
have been received and considered.
Your commission concurs in the opinion
of the stockmen that some form of gov
ernment control is necessary at once, but
is opposed to the immediate application of
any definite plan. to, all of the grazing
lands alike, regardless of local conditions
or actual grazing value. The following
plan is intended to bring about the grad
form of control specifically suited to
that locality, whether it may be ap
plicable to any other locality or not.
Your commission recommends that suit
able authority be given to the Presi-
dent to set aside, by proclamation, certain
grazing districts or reserves. To the Sec
retary of Agriculture, in whose depart,
ment is found the special acquaintance
with range conditions and livestock queS-s
itionS which is absolutely necessary for the
wise solution of these problems, authority
should be given to classify and .appraise
the grazing value of these lands, to ap-
point such officers as the care of each
and collect a moderate fee for grazing
permits, and to make and apply definite
and appropriate regulations to each graz
framed and applied with special reference
to bringing about the largest permanent
occupation of the country by actual set
by any permit so given should continue
to be subject to entry under reasonable
regulations Notwithstanding such permit.
Mining Laws.
Your commission has not yet found it
possible to take up the extremely impor-
tant subject of the revision of the mining
laws with the thoroughneSs which it de-
evidence b.
mitted it is obvious that important
changes are necessary, both in the United
States and in Alaska. The commission
hopes to treat this matter more at length
in a subsequent report.
Rights of May.
Year after year the question of rights of
way across the public lands and reserva-
tions has been called to the attention of
the Congress in the reports of the Secre-
tary of the Interior and the Commissioner
of the General Land Office. The laws on
this subject are numerous and apparently
often incongruous. Rights of way are
granted contingent upon the execution of
work within a definite time, but decisions
and practices are now in force under
which it has become, almost impossible to
divest the public lands of the incubus OF
these rights, granted conditionally in the
first place, but still in existence, although
the conditions were not fulfilled.
Rights such as these are very numerous.
They lie dormant until actual development
has begun to take place, either under the
reclamation act or otherwise; then they
appear in enormous numbers to the very
serious hindrance of new enterprises
Your commission is engaged on a study OF
this subject and will report hereafter
upon it.
Attention is called again to the recon-.
mendat1on OF your commission in its pre-
vious report (hereto attached) that entry
of agricultural lands included in forest re-
serves be permitted under surveys by
metes and bounds, and special emphasis is
directed to the recommendation, which i:
here renewed, that in such cases actua
residence at home on the land be rigidly
required and that no Communication be al.
lowed.
Large and Small Holdings.
Detailed study of the practical operation
of the present land laws particularly o1
the desert-land act and the Communication
clause of the homestead act, shows that
their tendency far too often is to bring
about land monopoly rather than to mul
tply small holdings by actual settlers
The land laws, decisions, and practices
have become so complicated that the set
tier is at a marked disadvantage in com.
parison with the shrswd business mar
who aims to acquire large properties
Not infrequently their effect is to put
a premium on perjury and dishonest
methods in the acquisition of land. 1t is
apparent. in consequence, that in very
many localities, and perhaps in general
larger proportion of the public land is
passing into the hands of spectators anG
corporations than into those of actua
settlers who are making homes.
This is not due to the character of the
land. In all parts of the United States
known to your Commission where such
large holdings are being acquired the
genuine homesteader is prospecting along