The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-17
RICH CATTLE KINGS
HOT AFTER TEDDY
Policy of President Subject of
Attack at Coming Denver
Convention.
SECRETARY GARFIELD TO
PROTECT ADMINISTRATION
Powerful Influence of Enormous
Wealth Arrayed Against
Roosevelt.
Special 10 The Tribune.


WASHINGTON. June l6.-This week,
Tuesda+. Wednesday aud Thursday,
June IS, l9 and 30. at Denver will be
held the public lands convention called
by the Colorado Legislature to consider
the public lands policy Of the Roose-
Welt administration, Delegates will be
present from all the States west of the
Mississippi river, and there appears to
be no doubt that an attempt will be
made to mold the President up 10 view
as a Socialist, ana his conservat ton OF
The public domain as n Socialistic prop
aganda. in the. hope of creating a
public sentiment that will result in the
defeat Of the Roosevelt public land pro.
grammc in Congress next winter
But the President is well aware OF
the design OF the men who called the
convention, and in order that no dele.
gates to the affair may be deceived has
sent Secretary of the Interior Garfield,
Chief Forester Pinchot and other Off
GERS of the government. who are fami
liar with the administration s public
domain policy, 10 be upon the ground,
and TO speak for the government. The
convention, IL will therefore be observ.
ed. will be the first battle Of what will
probably be the greatest contest before
the 60th Congress, the President placing
1T even ahead of the railroad legisla-
ton. And if The nti-Roosevelt people
capture the convention and do their
worst TO make a spectacle of the admin.
istrat,on. it may be safely promised
that there will be such contcr-d demon.
stratlon not confined 10 the trans Mis-.
sissippi States, but covering the wbols
country. as will thoroughly offset the
effect of this Denver gathering.
After Public Land Thieves.
President Roosevelt has been touched
to the quick by the fact that half a
dozen men control the entire anthracite
coal deposit of the country, and by their
simple dictum can name the price at
which the fuel shall be laid at any
man s door He regards this situation
as nothing short of a national calamity,
and he is determined that it shall not
be parallelcd in the mineral and timber
resources remaining in the public con.
troll he has therefore laid it down IA
the unnlierable policy of his admins
tration that those who steal the public
lands or the public timber shall be
punished, no matter how high they may
stand IN their several communities, and
that hereafter any monopoly of the
public resources, whether of lands. tim
Der or mineral deposits. shall be unlaw-
jamestown speeches he made the follow
ing significant statement, to show his
estimation of the Importance of this
policy:
"Evcn such questions as the regula-
tion of railway rates and the control
OF corporations are in reality subsidi-
AIRY to the primal problem of the preser-
walton in the interests of the whole
people of the resources that nature has
given us. If we fail to solve this
problem no skill in solving the others
will in the end avail us very greatly. -
The President believes that in resist
ing the unlimited greed of land grab
bers and timber thieves. in preventing
the monopoly Of lands and timber and
OF coal and other deposits, aud in the
development of arid lands and of navi-
gable streams for the equal benefit Of
all. lie has great. interviewer question
that exceeds in Importance any other
before the American people, TO bring
the accuracy of his position home To
everybody il is only necessary 10 re-
member that had n similar policy been
pursued IN regard to the anthracite de
posts the price Of hard coal would now
be cut IN two.
But Mr.. Roosevelt does not deceive
have an easy victory IN this matter.
Too manv colossal fortunes have been
made out of the exploitation of the
natural resources Of the west Almost
every community, all over the country,
contains one or more people who havo
made money out of timber. or lands. or
mineral deposits belonging TO tine people,
and who hope To make more From
the Atlantic to the Pacific the country
sc 1ntE tlN-
which may Justly be regarded as monu-
ments To the devastation of tho public
domain, made possible by the criminal
carclessncss of those whom the people
placed on guard in Washington.
Scheme Of Cattle Kings.
Take this Denver convention. 1t was
instigated in the first place by suudry
cattle kings, who wanted TO protest
against the government taking control
OF the cattle ronges-who desired
public opportunity To express their in
dignstion over the presumption of the
Federal government is assuming 10 care
for lands which belong to the govern
ment and through the government to all
the people. The idea that the government
should express an intention 10 see that
these lands were open TO all cattle men
alike until claimed by actual settlers,
seeking homes made these shooting,
cattle Kings indignant,
and they are going 10 Denver TO say So
They arc rich and will make their
presence felt. And with them will como
others. who have also become rich out
of the public domain or who hope to
become rich by that method Among
them viii be men who will protest
against fhc policy of reserving the tim
bcr lands. and men who will be there
with nm eye 20 the acquisition of vast