The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-17

jects of the government because 1Trlgaa-
tion makes fertile farms and orcharoe
out of what are now free ranges from
which millions are being made.
The allimportant committee OF the
convention is that on programme, ana
on that committee arc 10 be found most
of the leading opponents OF the admin
jstration's land policy. Among these
arc such men as Senator Hepburn or
Idaho, Senator Fulton of Oregon, Sena-
tor McCumber Of North Dakota, Sena-
tor Clark of Wyoming, Senator Carter
of Montana, Senator Teller of Colorado,
and Representative Mondell of Wvo-
ming. all of whom have been keenly
antaeonistic on the floors of Congress
to the Presidents land policy, This
committee at first planned TO keep all
government officers off the programme,
and proposed that Secretary Garfield,
Forester Pinchot, Land Commissioner
Ballinger and Reclamation Director
Newell. all of whom announced that
they would attend the convention,
should only be permitted to speak in
answer TO question II no questions
were asked them then they were not
TO speak at all. But the extreme danger
that tins project might defeat the very
object the convention was designed to
attain, and might create just the kind
of public opinion to enable the Presi-
dent to 90 ahead with the best assur'
ances of success, caused the programme
finally TO be changed and the admins.
tration officers admitted thereto. They
will speak in regular order, and viii
try to keep the anti Roosevelt men from
stampeding the meeting.
Clark Scheduled for Chairman.
The convention will be called 10 order
1,1r al ~ ('Il h,,f
it is expected that he will name as tenn
porary chairman ex-senator Clark of
Montana, with power to name all the
important committees. Clark. it must
be noted. has stripped the timber from
as many hillsides in the west as any
man now living. and he has never been
accused of harboring any feelings of
intense admiration for President Roose-
velt s ideas regarding the conservation
of the public domain.
An address issued by the committee
on programme indicates that one of the
chief topics to be brought up liz the
convention will he the constitutiouality
of the government s power TO hold lands
indefinitely, and TO embark upon per-
mancnt schemes of developing and pre-
serving the nation S natural resources.
Another topic is to be the admins.
trative control of grazing lands. On
this the government will have the sup.
port of many of the smaller cattlemen,
and of at least some of the sheep men,
as we'll as Of the representatives of the
American Live Stock association, which
has gone on record as in favor of
government regulation of all open graz
ing lands now in the public domain, The
opposition Will come from the big cattle
men, but the continual warfare on the
free ranges between the big and little
cattle men. and between the sheep and
cattle men. with the frequent shootings
and the loss of property, will hardly
give the cattle kings the support of an
undivided public opinion, and the con.
ventjon will certainly have to be packed
II they mould its action to serve their
purpose.
Will Attack Forest Policy.
But the reports from Denver indicate
that the opposition will make the Ma.
tional forest policy their principal point
of attack. The circulation of rumor
few days ago that the government
was going to charge for water flowing
from the forests reserves and used for
irrigation purposes created a furious
wave OF indignation throughout large
portion of the west 1t was denied by
the government representatives, and
branded as lie. aud then ii developed
that IT was circulated in order TO secure
the active aid Of those who are inter
ested in irrigation in behalf af The
nti-RcosevcIt section Of the convention.
The TACT is that forestry and irrigation
are practically one thing. as the steady !
flow of many of the streams used for
irrigation depends upon the preservation
OF the forested water sheds
Many other roorbacks have likewise
been circulated for the purpose of arous.
ing the prejudice of the western people
and TO bring as many hostiles as pos
sible TO the convention. One of these
Is that the President s action in re-
serving the forests has been irregular