The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-02-19
NATION SHOULD CONSERVE
THE PUBLIC LANDS
President Declares Government
Should Control Full Resources.
CITES ERRORS or THE PAST
All Laws Which Merely Prohibit
Trusts Futile-What is Needed
is Not Prohibition of Combina-
tons, But Federal Supervision.

Washington, D. CT cannot too
emphatically say that all laws which
merely seek to prevent monopoly or
the mishandling of the public by for
bidding combination are certain to
fail of their purposes. Our exper.
| fence with the interstate commerce
and antitrust laws shows that what
is needed is not prohibition of all
combinations, but such supervision
| and control over combinations, and
over corporations entering into them,
as will prevent the evils while giving
| to the public the advantages of COM
| bination."
This is paragraph from President
Roosevelt's message to Congress call
ing attention to the urgent need of
legislation affecting the different
phases of the public land situation in
the United States"
The President says that henceforth
the nation should retain it's title to
it's fuel resources, urge Government
control of the Western public land
pastures, with system of small graz
ing fees, etc., and ask for an extra
appropriation of 100000 to aid in
detecting and preventing land frauds.
He contends for a system of Govern
ment leasing of it's mineral lands and
for treating these fuel lands as pub
lie utilities.
He points out that it would have
been better if some of the Eastern
coal lands had been left under Gov
eminent control, and suggests provi-
sion in the West against recurrence
of the conditions we deplore in the
East" Citing 1900 cases of public
land entries in four districts men
toned, he says that noncompliance
with the law was found in over half
of them and deliberate fraud in very
many cases.
Mineral fuels, like the forests and
navigable streams the message
says, Should be treated as public
utilities. This is generally recog-
niZed abroad. In some foreign coun-
tries practical control of a large por-
ton of the fuel resources was allowed
years ago to pass into private hands.
but the existing Governments are en-
deavoring to regain this control
This Government should not now re-
peat this mistakes of the past. Let
us not do what the next generation
cannot undo. We have right to the
proper use of both the forests and
the fuel during our lifetime, but we
should not dispose of the birthright
of our children"
Concerning the claim that reserva
ton of the fuel supplies still belong
ing to the Government would raise
the price of coal in the West, the
President contends that the leasing
system will enable the Government
to protect the public against unreas.
enable and discriminating charges"
Then follows the paragraph With
which this dispatch begins.
The message had not yet reached
the Capitol when the House Commit
tee on Public Lands decided to re-
port bill Numerically opposed to
the Presidents recommendations
Under the present laws only $40
acres can be acquired by one person;
the committee think that by increas-
ing the amount land frauds will be
decreased, and the bill permits one
individual to take up as much az
1880 acres of land.