, 1906-08-14
COAL LAND WITHDRAWALS.

general land once Inem 10
withdraw from all forms of entry GER
tain townships. 1t was not stated for
what purpose these lands were with
drawn, but 1t is presumed that 1t was
because of their supposed coal char
acter. In all SO townships, or approx
mately 1000, 900 acres, were withdrawn
in Wyoming. The action has met with
a very strong protest from throughout
the west, as 1t is believed to be deroga-
tory to the best interests of the unde-
veloped states of the Rocky mountain
region. To add 1000, 900 acres more
to the lands already withdrawn for one
purpose or another, is deemed a hard
ship we ought not to be called upon to
bear. Prior to this gigantic withdraw
al fully 5000, 900 acres had been with
drawn for forest reserves, and the pur-
poses of the reclamation act, the latter,
however, being still subject to home
stead entry under the provisions of
that act.
Hearing Of the contemplated with
drawal Just before the close of the con-
g%ressional session, Congressman Mon
dell o occasion to enter his formal
protest against such action. In his We
ry able address upon the proposition,
Mr.. Mondell said:
II assume Mr.. Chairman, that the
administration has never seriously
contemplated any such action as sug-
gested in these dispatches. No doubt
some misguided enthusiast has made
such suggestion and it has been taken
for granted by those not acquainted
with facts and conditions that some
thing Of the kind might be done.
I'VE all realize, of course, that the
executive department of the govern
ment "a no authority to take any such
radical action. The public land laws
provide for the manner and the terms
upon which the public land shall be
disposed of, or for their reservation
from entry for certain well.defned pur.
poses. 1t is true that secretaries of the
interior, charged with the administra-
lOu VI Tie ANU laws III stutIdl CalS
and protection Of the public domain,
have from time to time reserved linn.
tied areas from entry in anticipation of
contemplated action by congress, or
where for some reason the public in
terest demanded a temporary suspen,
sion of certain provisions of law over
comparatively limited areas. But no
secretary has ever assumed authority
to suspend the operation of land laws
enacted by congress operating over
vast areas
Not only is there no authority in
law, and therefore | assume no serious
intent in the executive department, to
take the action suggested; neither is
there a condition warranting it were
such action authorized. There has new
er been and probably never will be a
thorough classification of the public
domain with a view to determining the
agricultural oil non-agricultural, min
eral or non-mineral character of all of
the public lands. In fact, such a CLASH
~ >NNNPN ~ AiS " 1llS u
way, is entirely impracticable. The
mineral or non-mineral, the coal or oil
bearing character of all of the public
lands can, in the vast majority of in
stances, only be determined by pros
pecting and development, and it often
requires a very large expenditure to
determine the mineral or non-mineral
character, the coal or oil bearing h
acter of particular lands.
The agricultural or nonagricultur-
al character of lands, particularly in
arid or semi-arid regious, is a. question
of water supply of special cultivation,
and can not be determined at any Civ
en- time as to large areas, ever by a
careful examination. Lands popularity
supposed to contain coal or oil in pay
ing quantities may, as a matter of fact,
be ~yalueless for such purposes, but
may be of some value for agriculture
or grazing. Lands popularity considered
as grazing or agricultural lands may
prove to contain deposits of coal or oil
or other minerals, Under our land sys-
TEN, the question of the character of
lands, as determining the laws under
which they may be acquired, is deter
mined as TO each particular tract when
entry is made, and the system has
worked well in the main.
mo general classification of lands
having been made, there is no way of
determining just how much public land
Is undertake with valuable coal and oil
deposits, but the geological survey has
estimated the coal area on the public
lands at As, 200, 900 acres, scattered
from Mexico to Canada and from the
great plains to the coast To attempt
an indirect repeal of the coalland law.
for the repeal of which 1 have never
heard any demand, would necessitate
the withdrawal from all entry of an
area vastly greater than 5000, 900
acres, as there is no way of determin-
ing just what lands are coal lands. AS
for oil, no guess has, so far as | know,
ever been made as to the acreaga of