The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-24
LIVELY FIGHT
THIS WINTER
President to Meet With Strong
Opposition From the West
When Congress Meets.
SQUABBLE OVER LAND LAWS
MANY STATE DELEGATIONS d.
VIDED.
Especial to The Herald.)

Washington. d. c., Aug. pa lively
clash over western matters is expected
to take place in the coming session of
congress, when there will be an oppor-
tunity to indorse or reject numerous
plans of the administration for what it
looks upon as reforms in land, mining
and forestry legislation. This clash will
involve senators and representatives
from nearly every western state, and
in some instances the state delegations
will not be a unit by any means.
Up to the present time practically all
the present recess of congress has been
utilized by the representatives of the
president who are in charge of western
matters in the personal examination and
investigation of western conditions.
Secretary Garfield and Land Commits
sioner Ballinger of the interior depart
ment, and Secretary Wilson and For
ester PinchOt of the department of
agriculture have been in the field since
early in June taking notes" of af-
fairs in every western state, and they
will be prepared from personal OBJ
servation to advise the big chief as to
just what legislation is needed in the
west to adequately reform it. This adj
vice will undoubtedly be Incorporated
in the presidents first message to the
Sixtieth congress, for he has full con-
fidence in all of these advisors.
Larger Appropriation Wanted.
Just what these recommendations
will be it is, of course, impossible to
say at this time with absolute certain
ty But what some of them will be
may be predicted with reasonable ex-
actness. 1t is known that Secretary
Garfield and Commissioner Ballinger
viii want the regular appropriation for
special land agents increased material
ly. The force of special agents is en-
tirely too small, in the opinion of the
heads of the land administration, to
properly inspect and keep tab on the
thousands of land entries being made
in the ordinary routine of business, to
say nothing of examining and inspect
ing the thousands of entries now tied
up ard withheld from patent because
they have not been examined.
1t is believed also that the heads of
the land department will ask for the
! enactment of legislation which will re-
quire every entry made in the future
| to be examined by an agent Of the gov
/ eminent before a patent is issued for
1t, whether contested or not, and re-
CARELESS of the proof of compliance
with law offered by the entryman and
his witnesses.
They will ask also for more radical
changes in the laws providing for the
the disposition of coal lands, so that
higher prices may be obtained for these
! lands than have been heretofore real
/ lied, and so that the government may
| lease its coal lands if found desirable
| by the secretary of the interior to dc
/ so. 1t is probable that Secretary Gar
/ field and Commissioner Ballinger VIII
recommend the repeal of the act pro-
viding for the communication of home
stead entries by purchase after resi-
! dence of fourteen months. the repeal OF
| the timber and stone act and the SUD-
stitution of plan Of selling timber anc
other materials on the public lands
and legislation modifying the desert
| land act.