The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1907-06-21
PUBLIC LAND CONVENTION RES
oLuTioNs MILD OF TONE.
PRESIDENT STANDS PAT
Secretary Garfield Reads Letter by
Roosevelt to Secretary Wilson Fol-
lowing Cali for Denver Meeting
Severe Arraisnment of Certain Men
and interests.

Denver, June 20.-The first pubic
land convention ever held came to an
end late this afternoon, with the adop-
tion of series of resolutions which
were not so radical as expected. A
letter was received from President
Roosevelt and was feature of the
days session. The resolution over
which there was the most dispute
read:
i I'VE oppose any change in the ex-
listing law and customs as to grazing
livestock upon the public domain,
outside of forest reserves
The resolutions say that experience
has demonstrated the wisdom of the
policy of treating the lands nof the
nation as public trust, to be dis
posed of in all cases and wherever
possible to actual settlers. The peo-
pie of the west are unalterable op-
posed to any change in this whole
some and beneficial policy. Forest
reserves should only be created where
they do not infringe on this policy In
all cases the rights of the states and
the people of the states to the free
and unhampered use of all waters
within forest reservations should be
not only permitted, but encouraged,
and no charge should be imposed
thereon. 1'he necessity of forest res
ervations is recognized by this con
vention and reasonable regulations by
the government commended The res
olutions, however, favor the prompt
elimination from forest reservations
of all lands not timbered or suitable
for reservation or reasonably neces-
sary to conserve the flow of streams
used for irrigation. 1t is especially
urged that the reports of special and
secret service agents of the land de-
partment and of the department of
agriculture shall be made under OATH
A modification OF any existing Or.
ders which prevent bona fide filings
on any OF the public coal lands is de-
manded. The national irrigation law
is heartily indorsed
1t is asked that congress legislate
appropriately with respect to school
lands in reservations, SO that each
state deprived of these lands may
receive its full quota Of lands or its
equivalent, for the purpose for which
they were originally intended. It is
finally demanded that in states where.
in forest reserves are situated and
not desired and are excessive, the
reservation shall be reduced to reas.
enable limits, whether the land re.
stored contains timber or not.
AT the afternoon session the com
! mittee on credentials recommended
\ that the delegates from national as
sociations be seated because they
lived west of the Mississippi. The
! report was adopted.
Secretary Garfield made lengthy
argument in support of the admins
/ tration. He read letter from the
president which was addressed tC
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson, wher
lit was expected he would be present
at the convention. The letter in part
| follows:
There has been placed in my
hands paper purporting to be issued
by the program committee of the pub
lie lands convention to be held al
Denver. The preliminary discussion
of the general subject in this paper
desire to call your especial atten
ton, as they not merely misrepresen1
| the attitude of the administration
but portray that attitude as the direc
reverse of what it really is.
The first and most important o
these misstatements is to the effec
that there has been a change in the
public land policy of the government
| which change will result in deprivins
the western states of the right to set
| tie the public lands with American cit
liens. This allegation directly re
verses the actual facts. The course
the government is now pursuing is t.
carry out the traditional home making
| policy of the United States as to it,
public lands. The men most interest
ed in opposing the traditional cours'
| of the government and are doing al
in their power to turn the publi
lands over to be exploited by whicl
men and powerful corporations, who's
interests are hostile to those of tn,
homemakers.
THE policy of the present admins
tration has steadily been, and is now
and will be to promote and foster &C
tual settling, actual homemaking, OF
the public lands in every possible
way.
"We have incurred the violent hos
tility of the individuals and corpora
tions seeking by fraud and sometimes
by violence, to acquire and monopc
lie great tracts of the public domain
to the exclusion of settlers. The ben
eticiaries and instigators of, or tn
participators in the frauds of cours
disapprove the acts of the admins
tration. But if the administration
policy is upset the one man who woul'
be irreparably injured would be tn
settler the homemaker, the man o
small means, who has taken up
farm which he intends himself t
work and On the proceeds of whicl
he intends to support and bring u
his family,
Last year the coal lands wer
4 withdrawn from settlement to ens
BILE congress to consider law to pre
tect the public interests against tn
| great coal monopolies by leasing tn
l H. tr