Semi-weekly herald., 1907-12-05

to scrutinize the law. and defects, and
recommend a remedy. Their examIna-
tion specifically showed tie existence
of great fraud upon the public domain,
and their recommendation for
changes in the law were made with
the design of conserving the natural
resources OF every part OF the public
lands by putting it to its best use,
! Especial attention was called TO the
prevention OF settlement by the pas.
sage of great areas of public land into
the hands OF few men, and to the
enormous waste caused by unrestricted
grazing upon the open range. The rec
concentrations of the public lands COM
mission are sound, for they are espc-
cially in the interest of the actual
home-maker. and where the small
home-maker can not at present utilize
the land they provide that the govern.
ment shall keep control of 1t so that
Il may not be monopolized by few
upon these recommendations but they
are so just and proper. so essential
to our national welfare, that feel
confident II the congress will take
time to consider them, that they will
ultimately be adopted
Some such legislation as TINT pro-
posed is essential in order to pre-.
serve the great stretches OF public
grazing land which ARE unit for cult.
vation under present methods and are
valuable only for the forage which
they supply. These stretches amount
in all to some 300.000.0O acres, and
are open to the free grazing of cat
tie. sheep horses and goats. without
restriction. Such a system. or rather
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 IL can not be used to ad-
vantage unless 1t is fenced, for fencing
is the only way by which to keep in
check the owners of nomad tiocks
which roam hither and thither, utter
ly destroying the pastures and leav-
ing waste behind 50 that their pres
e1ce Is Incompatible with the presence
OF home-makers. The existing fences
are all Illegal Some of them rep.
resent tho improper exclusion Of actual
settlers, actual home.malters. from ter
ritory which is usmrpcd by great cattle
companies. The destruction
of the public range will continue un-
I'll some such laws as these are en-.
acted. Fully to prevent the fraud In
the public lands which, through the
Joint action of the interior department
and the department of Justice, we
have been endeavoring to prevent.
there must he further legislation and
especially sufficient appropriation to
permit the department of the interior
to examine certain classes of entries
on the ground before they pass into
private ownership. The government
should part with its title only to the
actual home-makcr not to the profit
maker who does not care to make
home. Our prime object is to secure
the rights and guard the interests of
the small ranchman, the man who
plows and pitches hay for himself
It Is this small ranchman. this actual
settler and home.maxer, who in the
long run is most hurt by permitting
thefts of the public land in whatever
form.
Forests.-Optimism Is good char
acteristlc, but II carried to an excess
II becomes foolishness. We are prone
to speak Of the resources Of this coun
try as inexhaustible; this is not So
The mineral wealth of the country,
the coal. iron, oil, gas, and the like
does not reproduce itself, and there
fore is certain to be exhausted ulti-
mately; and wastefulness In dealing
with 1t today means that our descend
ants will feel the exhaustion genera
'''' - f"c b''p'' th'S oNh'i W lH'
would. But there are certain other
forms of waste which could be entirely
stopped--the waste of soil by washing.
for instance. which is among the most
dangerous of all wastes now in prog
ress in the United States, is easily
preventable. The preservation or re-
placement of the forests Is one of the
most important means Of preventing
this loss. We have made a beginning
In forest preservation. but II is only a
beginning. At present numbering is
the fourth greatest industry in the
United States and yet. so rapid mas
been the rate Of exhaustion of timber
in the United States in the past. and
so rapidly is the remainder being eY
hausted. that the country Is unques-
tionably on the verge of a timber
famine which will be felt in every
household In the land There has nj
ready been a rise in the price Dl
lumber, but there lis certain TO be a
more rapid and heavier rise In the
future. The present annual consump-