The Colorado statesman., 1907-02-16
NATION TO RETAIN THE TITLE
Special Message Advocates Leasing
System Both for Coal Lands anc
Grazing Lands-Wants Appropria-
tion to Detect and Prevent Frauds.

L.
saying that henceforth the nation
should retain it's title to its fuel re.
sources; urges government control OF
the western public pastures, with
system of small grazing fees, etc.. and
asks for an appropriation of half a mil
lion dollars, Immediately available, in
addition to present estimates, to aid
in detecting and preventing land
frauds.
He contends for system of govern
ment leasing of it's mineral lands and
for treating these fuel lands as public
utilities.
The President points out that il
would have been better if some eastern
coal lands had been left under govern.
ment control, and suggests provision
IN the West against recurrence of tho
conditions we deplore in the East"
Citing 1900 cases of public land ell
tries in four districts mentioned, the
PRESIDENT says no compliance with the
law was found in over half of them and
deliberate fraud in many cases.
The President first refers to his pre.
vious message to Congress on the sub.
Jcct and again calls attention to the
Importance of such legislation as
would provide for title to and develop
ment OF the surface land as separate
ana distinct from the right to the un-
oerly1ng mineral fuels in regions
where these may occur, and the dis
posal of those mineral fuels under a
leasing system on conditions which
would inure to the benefit of the public
as whole. He says he cares little
for the details and that the prime need
is that the system should be estab
lished. The message in part says:
Such a leasing system as that pro-
posed represents by no means an un.
tried policy. In the Australian coun.
tries during the last fifteen years coal
has been mined under system of gov
crnment leases and on conditions SC
favorable for development that their
coal and coke are to-day being sold on
the Pacific coast of both the American
continents. In all the great coal-pro
ducing European countries except
Great Britain coal is being mined un.
der government leases.
I'm Great Britain leases are granted
almost entirely by the private land
tries, the surface culture and the min.
ing operations are conducted indie.
pendently of each other. In Nova SEQ
tia. British Columbia, India and other
British colonies a government leasing
system has been adopted and is work
ing satisfactorily.
Mineral fuels, like the forests and
navigable streams, should be treated
as public utilities. This is generally
recognized abroad. In some foreigS
countries practical control of large
PORTION of the fuel resources was al
lowed years ago to pass into private
hands, but the existing governments
are endeavoring to regain this control
in order that diminishing fuel supply
NAV be safeguarded for the common
good, instead of being disposed of for
the benefit of the few-though the mis-
take of the preceding generation in
d,sposing of these fuels for a nominal
return cannot always be corrected by
the present generation, as the cost
may be so enormous as to be prohib-
itory.
I'm our own western states and ter
ritories the scarcity of both water and
forests has rendered necessary their
preservation as public utilities and the
preservation of the forests for the pur-
pose of conserving both the waters
and the timber supply has come to be
recognized as the wise and proper
policy of the federal government.
"The quantity of high grade mineral
fuels in the West is relatively much
smaller than that of the forests and
the proper conservation of these fuels
is matter of far-reaching Importance.
"This government should not now
repeat the mistakes of the past. Let
us not do what the next generation
cannot undo.
1--WE have a right to the proper use
of both the forest and the fuel during
our lifetime. but we should not dispose
of the birthright of our children. II
this government sells its remaining
fuel lands, they pass out of its future
control, and future congress will be
at liberty to decide whether 1t will con-
tinue or change this policy.
"Let me also again urge that legisla-
ton be passed to provide for govern.
ment control of the public pasture
lands of the West on the same general
principles which now apply in the gov
ernment control of the forest reserves.
The local control of the range should
be in the hands of Western men ia
miliar with stock raising, and there
should be full local participation in the
management of the range. There Is
no need that the government should
get a revenue from grazing on the pub
lie range, but only enough to pay for
administration and improvement and
it may be wise to provide that any
surplus shall go to the states and ter
ritories in which the fees are collected
81 am exceedingly anxious to protect
the interests of bona fide settlers and
to prevent hardships being inflicted
upon them. But surely we are work
ing in their interests when we try to
prevent the land which should be re-
served for them and those like them