The Mena weekly star., 1907-06-27

Denver. June 22.--The first public land convention ever held came to an end late Thursday afternoon with the adoption of a series of resolutions which were not so radical as expected. A letter from President Roosevelt was a feature of the session. The resolu- tion over which was the most dis pute reads:
 We oppose any change in the exist ing laws and customs as to grazing live stock upon the public domain outside of forest reserves" The resolu' tions say that experience has demon strated the wisdom of the policy Of treating the lands of the nation as public trust to be disposed of in all cases and wherever possible to actual settlers. The people of the west are unalterably opposed to any change in this wholesome and beneficial policy.
 Secretary Garfield made lengthy argument in support of the position assumed by his department. He read a letter from President Roosevelt which was addressed to Secretary of Agriculture Wilson, when 1t was ex- pected he would be present at the con yentionto be held at Denver. The pre- sident in discussing an advance pro gramme of the convention says: The preliminary discussion of the general subject in this paper contains several statements to which I desire to call your especial attention, as they not merely misrepresent the attitude of the administration, but portray that at titude, as the direct reverse of what it really is.
 The first and most important of these misstatements is to the effect that there has been a change in the public land policy of the government, which change will result in depriving the western states of the right to set tie the public lands with citizens This allegation directly reverses the actual facts. The course the government is now pursuing is to carry out the tra- ditional home-making policy of the United States as to it's public lands As the men most interested in oppos- ing the action of the administration are endeavoring to upset the tradition. al course of the government and are doing all in their power to turn tb public lands over to be exploited by rich men and powerful corporations whose interests are hostile to those Of the home-makers.
 ''The policy of the present admins tration has steadily been, is now and will be in the future, to promote and foster actual settling, actual home making on 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 acqsirs and monopo- lize great tracts of public domain to tine exclusion of the settlers. The ben eficiaries and instigators of, or partici pators in the frauds. of course. dis approve the acts of the administration But if the administration policy is upset the one man who would be ir- reparably injured would be the settler the home maker, the man of small means, who has taken up farm which he intends himself to work and on the proceeds of which he intends to sup port and bring up his family.
 As to the forest reserves, their ere. ation has damaged just one class; the managers and owners of great lumber companies which by illegal, fraudule or unfair methods, have desired to get possession of the valuable timber of the public domain, to skin the lam and to abandon it when impoverished well-nigh to the point of worthlessness.