The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-09-05

President Sends Message and Vice President
Fairbanks Attends Fourteenth An.
nual Session of National Irri.
cation Congress.

Speculation in lands reclaimed by the
government must be checked at whatev.
err cost. The object of the reclamation
act is not to make money but to make
homes. Therefore. the requirement of
the reclamation act that the size of the
farm unit shall be limited in each region
to an area which will comfortably sup
port one family must be enforced in let
ter and in spirit. This does not mean
that the farm unit shall be sufficient for
the present family with its future grown
children and grand children, but rather
that during the ten years of payment the
area assigned for each family shall be
sufficient to support it. When once the
farms have been fully titled by free
holders, little danger of land monopoly
will remain.
"This great meeting of practical irri-
gators should give particular attention
to this problem and others of the same
kind. You should, and doubt not that
you will, give your effectual support
to the officers of the government in maxi
ing the reclamation law successful in all
respects, and particularly in getting
back the original investment, so that the
money may be used again in the COM
pletion of other projects and thus in
the general extension of prosperity in
the west. Until it has been proved that
this great investment of $40,OOOO0O in
irrigation made by the government will
return to the treasury, it is useless to
expect that the people of the country
will consider direct appropriations for
the work. Let us give the reclamation
service a chance to utilize the present
ing such increase. look forward with
great confidence to the result
"By the side of the reclamation serv-
ice there has grown up another service
of not less interest and value to you of
the west. This is the forest service.
which was created when the charge Of
the forest reserves was transferred from
the interior department to the depart
ment of agriculture. The forest policy
of the administration, which the forest
service is engaged in carrying out, is
based, as l have often said. on the vig-
orous purpose to make every resource of
the forest reserves contribute in the
highest degree to the permanent prosper
ity of the people who depend upon them.
If ever the time should come when the
western forests are destroyed there will
disappear with them the prosperity of
the stockman, the miner, the lumberman
and the railroads, and most important
of all, the small ranchman who cult
Yates his own lands. know that you
are with me in the effort to preserve the
timber, the water and the grass by using
them fully, but wisely and conserva-
lively. We propose to do this through
the forest and most cordial cooperation
between the government and every man
who is in sympathy with this policy,
the wisdom of which no man who knows
the facts can for moment doubt
ut is now less than two years since
the forest service was established. 1t
had great task before ito create
or organize the service on hundred
reserves and to ascertain and meet the
very different local conditions and local
needs all over the west. This task is
not finished. and of course, it could not
have been finished in so short time.
But the work has been carried forward
with energy and intelligence and enough
has been done to show how our forest
policy is working out.
'"The result of first Importance to you
as irrigators is this:
"The forest service has proved that
forest fires can be controlled, by con-
trolling them. Only one tenth of the
one per cent of the area os forest re-
serves was burned over in 1905. This
achievement was both due to the forest
service and to the effective assistance
of settlers in and near the reserves. Ev-
erything the government has ever spent
upon its forest work is small price to
pay for the knowledge that the streams
which make your prosperity can be and
are being freed from the ever-present
threat OF forest fires. The long-standing
and formerly bitter differences between
the stockmen and the forest officers are
nearly all settled. Those which remain
are in process Of settlement. Hearty CO.
operation exists almost everywhere be-
tween the forest officers and the stock
men. This most satisfactory condition
of mutual help will be as welcome to
you as it is to the administration and
to the stockmen- To the stockmen it
means more and more certain grass; to
you, because of the better protection and
wiser use of the range, 1T means steadier
streams and more water.
"The salaa of forest reserve timber to
settlers, miners, lumbermen and other
users are increasing very rapidly and in
that way also the reserves are success
fully meeting a growing need.
Glands in the forest reserves that are
more valuable for agricultural than for
forest purposes are being opened to set
Element ard entry as fast as their agri-
cultural character can be ascertained
There is. therefore, no longer excuse fol
saying that the reserves retard the legit-
innate settlement and development of the
country. On the contrary they promote
and sustain that development and they
will do so in no way more powerfully
than through their direct contributions
to the schools ard roads. Ten per cent
of all the money received from the for
est reserves goes to the state for the
use of the counties in which the re-
serves lie, to be used for schools and
roads. The amount of this contribution
is nearly $4,000 for the first year. 1t
will grow steadily larger and form a
eert n in and ppruaa naut sn,,rca af ,noo,aa