The Elbert County tribune., 1907-02-21
LEASING THE PUBLIC LANDS.
Strong Argument Against President
RooseveIts Policy.
BY Senator E. NJ. Ammons.

notice from the press dispatches
that the administration Is trying TO
force government control of the public
ranges by adding the provisions of the
Burkett measure to the agricultural
appropriation bill The Burkett bill
was introduced as an administration
measure nearly a year ago. 1t pro-
vides for the establishment of grazing
districts by proclamation of the Presi-
dent, and their control by the secre-
tary of agriculture, whose duty 1t is
to classify such lands as agricultural
or grazing, appraise the grazing value
of the land in each locality and charge
and collect fees for grazing permits,
prescribe regulations for the control
of these districts. and appoint all nee
essary officers. Lands classified as
agricultural are to be let out on season
or annual permits. Lands classified
as grazing shall be occupied under per-
mits for periods of not more than ten
years, and upon application agricul-
tural settlement shall be allowed when
ever an inspection by the secretary of
agriculture of the lands applied for
shall show such land to be agricultural
in character, but no other settlement
or entry therein shall be allowed ex-
cept under the mining OK townsite
laws"
This is just what the big cattle com
panies want to have done. There are
no limitations that will hurt them.
There is little or no fear that these
lands will be classified as anything
grazing lands, and once classi-
fled as such how much chance
is there that with any rea-
sonable time they will be classified
as anything else? In the meantime
hax xsrfIl ha odf hxr
under permit II some homeseeker
comes along and can convince the gov
ernment official in charge that he
wants to go on these lands for some
proper purpose" he may find a quar-
ter section upon which he would like
tc settle. If so, he must ask for re-
classification. II he is fortunate
enough to get his quarter section clas-
sified as agricultural, he will be per-
mitted to enter It, If he gets the land
the first thing he must do is to fence
1t to keep out Uncle Sans leasers'
live stock. He cannot go into the cat
tie business, for the country around
him is already occupied by some leaser
or "permittee" during the balance of
the ten years period, and he has no
assurance of getting a reclassifcation
at the end of that period. After he
fences off his farming ground, what is
left of his 100 acres could not possibly
take care of his ordinary farm animals.
Looking over the experience of the
past, how many homeseekers do you
imagine would undertake such prop
osition as this, and how many would
succeed if they did undertake it?
Up to the present time. except as to
national parks and forest reserves, the
government has not been in the land
business. 1t has merely occupied the
position as trustee for the public lands
until they should be settled up by citi-
zens If the country. BY the homestead
act and other laws these lands have
been apportioned out among the peo-
pie, who have made homes, built
towns, made roads, erected school
houses, churches and colleges, con
structed bitches and reservoirs, con
tributed their share to the support of
our state and local institutions and
government, built up prosperous com
munities, and added to the wealth, the
strength and the prosperity of the
country.
1t Is now proposed, presumably on
the ground that we have reached the
| limit of our development, to entirely
change our policy and have the gov
ernment go into the permanent land
business and make of Uncle Sam
favored landlord. We have had az
inkling of what this means in the ad-
ministration of the forest reserves. In
these the government put in a permit
system and a grazing tax. 1t has not
fenced these lands and claims i'm
munity from our state laws. Any citi-
zen land owner in Colorado in orda-
to protect his land from trespassfnv
live stock must put lawful fence
around 1t. If it is line" fence be-
tween his property and his neighbor's
each shall build half. The government
claims it is not bound by these state
| laws. Its rules require that citizens
Of this state must keep their livestock
off these reserves and the bureau of
forestry, under the agricultural depart
menl has gone so far as to attempt to
make it criminal offense for owners
of livestock to permit their cattle or
horses to drift on these unfenced
lands Arrests have been made under
this ruling and / am told fines have
actually been imposed Now that the
right to do this has been questioned,
the Burkett bill proposes to enforce
the principle by fixing penalty of not
to exceed 81 900 fine on the open lands
of the grazing districts. If annoyance.
expense, and conflict occur under the
somewhat doubtful rules of the fores-
try bureau, what may be expected
from the same people when backed up
by unquestioned law of congress
which we have no power to amend or
repeal?
Our semi-foreign landlord, Uncle
Sam, does not propose to pay any taxes
on his land under this new system He
does propose to collect rents, however
This will put his untaxed land in COM
petition with yours and mine. Do you
think this is fair? Our land has cost
us something. The improvements have
cost us more. We hope to be able to
still further improve them. A very
large proportion of the lands we have