Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-03

should De systematically ana continuously
carried forward in accordance with some
well-conceived plan. The main streams
should be improved to the highest point Of
efficiency before the improvement Of the
branches Is attempted and the work
should be kept free from every faint of
reckiessness or jobbery.
The inland waterways which lie just
back Of the whole eastern and southern
coasts should likewise be developed. More
over. the development of our waterways
| involves many other important water
problems. all of which should be consid-
cred as part Of the same general scheme.
The government dams should be used to
produce hundreds Of thousands Of horse
power as an incident to improving navi-
CATION. for the annual value of the unused
water power Of the United States per-
haps exceeds the annual value of the
products Of all our mines. AS an incident
TO creating the deep waterway down the
Mississippi, the government should build
alonG its whole lower length levees, which.
taken together with the control of the
headwaters. Will at once and forever put
complete stop to all threat Of foods in the
immensely fertile delta region.
The territory lying adjacent to the Mis-
sissippt along its lower course will thereby
become one Of the most prosperous and
populous Al IT already is one OF the most
fertile. farming regions In all the world.
l have appointed an inland waterways
commission to study and outline q COM
prehensive scheme Of development along
all the lines Indicated. Later I shall lay
its report before the Congress-
Reclamation Work.
Irrigation should be far more ex-
tensiyely developed than at present.
not only in the states of the great
plains and the Rocky mountains. but
In many others. as. Ter instance. IN
large portions Of the South Atlantic
and gulf states. where it would go
hand In hand with the reclamation of
swamp land. The federal government
should seriously devote itself TO this
task. realizing that utilization of wa
eerways and water power forestry. tr-
rigatfOn. and the reclamation of lands
threatened with overflow. are all inter-
dependent parts Of the same problem.
The work of the reclamation service
Of the western half of our country for
irrigation Is more imp0rtant-lhan al
most any other movement.
The constant purpose OF the govern
ment In connection with the reclama-
ton service has been to use the water
resources Of the public lands for the
ultimate greatest good of the greatest
number: in other words. to :.ut upon
use and develop 1t for themselves and
for their children and children's chill
dren. There has been. of course. op-
position to this work; opposition from
some interested men who desire to ex-
haust tho land for their own immediate
profit without regard to the welfare
Of the next generation. and opposition.
from honest and weli-meanins men
who did not fully understand the SUBJ
ject or who did not look far enough
Ing away. and our people are under
standing that It would be utterly
wrong to allow q few individuals to
exhaust for their own temporary per-
EA lob 10
to be developed through use SO as to
be conserved for the permanent COM
mon advantage Of the people an q
whole.
with the public land has beea based
upon the same principle as that Of
the reclamati0 service. The land law
system which was designed to meet the
needs OF the fertile and well-watered
regions Of the middle west has largely
broken down when applied to the dryer
regions OF the great plains. the noun
tafns and much OF the Pacific slope,
where farm Of 100 acres Is made
quate for self-suDDort. In these re-
gions the system lent itself to fraud.
and much land passed out Of the hands
OF the government without passing into
the hands Of the home-maker. The De-
partment OF the Interior and the De-
partment Of Justice Joined in prose-
cutting the offenders against tine law:
and they have accomplished much.
while where the administration OF tho
law has been defective 1t has been
changed. But the laws themselves are
Three years ago a public lands commits
sion was appointed to scrutinize the law.
and defects. and recommend remedy.
existence OF great fraud upon the public
domain. and their recommendations for
changes in the law were made with the
design Of conserving the natural resources
Of every part Of the public land by. put
ting 1t to Its best use. Especial attention
was called to the prevention Of settle
ment by the passage Of great areas Of
public land into the hands OF q few men.
and to the enormous waste caused by un-
restricted grazing upon the open range.
The recommendations Of the public lands
commission are sound. for they are espe-
cialiy in the interest Of the actual home
maker. and where the small homemaker
cannOts at present utilize the land they
provide that the government shalt keep
control Of 1t 80 that 1t may not be mo-
nopolized by few men. The Congress
has not yet acted upon these recommen-
dations: but they are so just and proper.
50 essential to our national welfare, that
I feel confident. II the Congress will take
time to consider them, that they will ulti-
mately be adopted.
Preserving Grazing Lands.
Some such legislation as that proposed
Is essential In order to preserve the great
stretches Of public grazing land which are
unfit for cultivation under present meth
DDS and are valuable only for the forage
which they supply. These stretches
amount in all to some 100000. 900 acres.
and are open to the, free grazing Of cattle.
sheep. horses and goats without restric-
ton. Such system. or rather such lack
of system. means that the range Is not so
much used as wasted by abuse.
AS the west settles the range becomes
more and more over-grazed. Much Of 1t
cannot be used to advantage unless it Is
fenced. for fencing is the only way by
which to keep In check the owners OF no.
mad docks which roam hither and thither,
utterly destroying the pastures and leav-
ing a waste behind SO that their presence
Is Incompatible with the presence Of home
makers. The existing fences are all 4lle-
gal. Some of them represent the I'm
proper exclusion Of actual settlers, actual
home-makers. from territory which is
usurped by great cattle companies. Some
Of them represent what is In itsof q
proper effort to use the range for those
upon the land. and to prevent its use by.
nomadic outsiders. All these fences, those
that are hurtful and those that are bene-,
ficial, are alike illegal and must come
down. But It IL an outrage that the law
should neceSsltate such action on the part
| OF the administ ton,