Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-12-17
!, soecial Message to Congress,
President Says They Need il
TO Meet Conditions.
nEsERr ACT PROMOTES FRAUD
Present Coal Law. He Declares,
Simply Places a Premium
On SWindIing.
recommends Enactment Of . Law for
Government Control Of the Pub.
lie Range.

washington, Dec. 1.-THE following
message OF President Roosevelt on the
subject Of public land laws. was sent
TO Congress today:
TO the Senate and House Of Represent
atlves:
The developments of the past year
EMPHASIZE with increasing force the
need OF vigorous and immediate action
10 recast the public land laws and
saapt them to the actual situation. The
timber and stone act has demonstrated
concluslvely that IFS effect Is to turn
aver the public timber lands TO great
corporations. II has done enormous
harm, It Is no longer needed and II
should be repealed.
DESERT LAND LAWS.
The desert land act results so FREE
ouently in fraud and comparatively
seldom in making homes on the land,
hat It demands radical amendment.
That provision which permits assign
ment before patent should be repealed
and the entryman should be required
d i've for not less than two years ut
Nme on the land before patent issues.
GharWise the desert land law Will con-
tue 10 assist Spectators and other
hrge holders to get control of land and
water on the public domain by inde-
iensible means.
The continuation clause of the home
stead act serves, in majority of cases.
TO defeat the purpose of the homestead
act itself, which is TO facilitate settle
ment and create homes. In theory the
commutaton clause should assist the
honest settler, and doubtless In some
cases II does so. Far more often IL sup
plies the means by which SPECTATORS
and loan and mortgage companies sc.
cure possession Of the land. Actual
not COMMUNICATING at home on tho
land for three years should be required
before commutation, unless IL should
appear wiser to repeal the commute
ton clause altogether.
LAND LAWS UNSATISFACTORY.
These matters are more fully dis
cussed IN the report OF the public
Ands commission, to which again call
yqr attention.
am grayely concerned AZ the ex-
smelly unsatisfactory condition of the
Eblc land laws and at the prevalenca
etraud under their present provisions.
For much NJ this fraud the present
Ass are chiefly responsible. There Is
vi one way By which the fraudulent
gfuisition OF these lands can be def
iisly stopped and therefore / have
erected tho secretary Of the interior to
allow no patent to be issued to public
knas under any law until by an ex-
inmatiop on the ground actually III
onpliance with that law has been
found TO exist. For this purpose an
screase of special agents IN the land
cice are urgently required. unless
gwen bona fide, would he settlers will
s put TO grave inconvenience, or else
The fraud will In large part go on. Fur
iher, the secretary Of the interior
iouid be enabled to employ enough
nnlng experts to examine the validity
q all mineral land claims, and to I'M
srtake the supervision and control Of
be use OF the mineral fuels still be-
baging to the United states, The pres
| ui coal law limiting the individual
I1try TO 100 acres puts a premium on
aud by making 1t impossible to de-
hop certain coal fields and yet COM
|iy with the law. Ii Is scandal to
naintan laws which sound well, but
shich make fraud the key without
Which great natural resources must re-
main closed. The law should give In
clyiduals and corporations under prop
q government regulation and control,
lIhe details of which shall not at
Present. discuss,) the right to work
bodies Of coal land large enough for
Profitable development, Ny own be.
Ief Is that there should be provision
nr leasing coal, oil and gas rights I'M
Ger proper restrictions. II the addition,
a force OF special agents and mining
experts ! recommend II provided and
Nell used, the result will be not only to
sop land frauds, but prevent delays In
aentlng claims, and to conceive the
indispensable fuel resources OF the ma