The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1907-12-03

men WHO ucsiIt W eNuduSt tuc iHuQ
for their own immediate profit without
regard TO the welfare OF the next gem
Grafton and opposition from honest and
well meaning men who did not fully
understand the subject or who did not
look far enough ahead. This opposi-
tion Is, think. dying away, and our
people are understanding that Il would
he utterly wrong to allow a few In
dividuals to exhaust for their own
temporary personal profit the resources
which ought to be developed through
use SO as To be conserved for the per-
manent common advantage of the peo-
pie as whole.
Public Lands.
The effort of the government to deal
with the public land has been based
upon the same principle as that of the
reclamation service. The land law sys-
tem 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 drier
regions of the great plains. the noun
tains and much Of the Pacific slope.
where farm of 100 acres is made
quate for self support. 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 homemaker. The de-
partment of the interior and the de-
partment Of justice Joined In prosecut-
inn fha offap6aro A Uo met tho low nd
they have accomplished much, while
where the administration Of the law
has been defective 1t has been changed
But the laws themselves are defective.
Three years ago a public lands COM
mission was appointed to scrutinize the
law and defects and recommend q
remedy. Their examination specific
ally showed the 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 lands by put
ting II to its best use. Especial atten-
ton was called to the prevention Of
settlement by the passage 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 recommendations
of the public lands commission are
sound, for they are especially in the in
terest of the actual homemaker, and
where the small homemaker cannot at
present utilize the land they provide
that the government shall keep control
of IL SO that 1t may not be monopoliz-
ed by a few men. The congress has
not yet acted upon these recommends
tions. but they are so just and proper,
so essential to our national welfare.
J that I feel confident II the congress
will take time to consider them they
| will ultimately be adopted.
| Some such legislation as that pro-
posed is essential In order to preserve
the great stretches of public grazing
land which are unfit for cultivation
under present methods and are valu-
able 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 restriction.
Such a 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 overgraZed. Much Of
Ii cannot be used to advantage unless
1t is fenced. for fencing is the only
way by which to keep In check the
owners OF nomad flocks which roam
hither and thither, utterly destroying
the pastures and leaving waste be-
hind, so that their presence is incom-
patible with the presence OF home
makers. The existing fences are all
Illegal. Some of them represent the
improper exclusion of actual settlers,
actual homemakers, from territory
which is usurped by great cattle COM
panies. Some of them represent what
is in itself a 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 beneficial, are alike
illegal and must come down. But it is
an outrage that the law should neces-
state such action on the part of the
administration. The unlawful fencing
Of public lands for private grazing
must be stopped, but the necessity
which occasioned 1t must be provided
for. The federal government should
have control Of the range. whether by
permit or lease, as local necessities
may determine. Such control could Sc
cure the great benefit Of Legitimate
fencing, while at the same time Sc
curing and promoting the settlement
Of the country. In some places 1t may
be that the tracts Of range adjacent to
the homesteads of actual settlers
should be allotted to them severally or
In common for the summer grazing OF
their stock. Elsewhere 1t may be that
lease system would serve the pur-
pose. the leases to be temporary and
subject to the rights Of settlement
| and the amount charged being large