The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-06-11

sire was to secure settlers thereon, and comparatively slight attention was paid posed of in detail. In consequence, lax execution of the laws became the rule both in the land office and in tho mon and little noted. This was es- pecially true when system oris isinaIiy designed for the fertile and well-water- ed regions Of the Middle West was ap plied to the dryer regions of the Great Plains and to the mountains ana the Pacific coast In these regions the land passed out of the hands ot the Government without passing into the nanas or the home maker. The De- partment Of the Interior and the De- partment Of Justice joined .n prosecu- upg the offenders agaInst the law; put
 potn the law and It's administration were defective and neeaed to be Lanas Commissioner was appointed to scrutinize the law and the facts and to recommend remedy Their examlna- ton specifically showed the existence or great frauds upon the puoItc do- man, and their Recommendations Tor changes Tn the law were maae With the design of conserving the natural re- sources of every part of the pubic land by putting 1t 10 it's best use.
 Attention was especially called to the prevention of settlement by the passage of great areas of public lands into the hands of few men, and to
 the enormous waste caused by unre
 stricted grazing on the open range; system or using the natural forage on
 the public domain which amounts to putting premium on its destruction The reconmendations of .ae Pubic Lands Commission were sound, tor they were especially In the interest or the actual home maker; and where the small home maker could not utlnze the land, 1t was provided that tns
 so that it could not be monopoiized by few wealthy men, Congress has not yet acted upon these recommenda- tions, except for the repeal Of the ubiquitous lieu-land law. But the recommendations are so just and prop CT, so essential to our national well adopted,
 In 1891 Congress authorized the the public domain. o AHoi These forest forest re- serves remained for a long time Tn charge of the General Land ottice. Whish had nS men properly trained ,n trained men. In other words. the Government forests were without
 ters without forests. Waste of effort and waste of forests inevitably followed. Finally the situation was United States Forest Service, which has stopped the waste, conserved the re- sources of the national forests, and are now being managed on a coherent pian,. and in way that augurs well for the future.
 The mineral fuels of the eastern United States have already passed into [ the hands uf large private owners, and those of the West are rapidly follow ing. This should not be. for such degree to the whole people Under private control there is much waste from shortsighted methods of working.
 profit. The mineral fuels under our present conditions are as essential to ssD as shs SFests s tSa M the M supply is definitely halted. for coal
 does not grow and trees do. It is obvious that the mineral fuels should
 enough of them should remain in the
 hands of the Government to protect
 the people against unjust or extor-
 be done. What has been accomplished of the Indian Territory Offers strik-
 sh ns soRas of s sss s0Sa IeSalts aasorS ingly. I withdrew most of the coal
 bearing public lands temporarily from disposal. and asked for the legislation by the conservation of the mineral fuels; that is, for the power to keep the fee in the Government and to lease tAtG Coa1y Oit dnQ IGillS uHuCE hAppST regulation. No Such legislation was passed, but still hope that we shall 1 ultimately get 1t.
 In addition to treating alright for the | benefit of the whole people the forests and the mineral beds, we should simi-
 larly try to preserve for the benefit of public domafn, some three hundred
 million acres In all, which are unfit for
 cultivation uliSS, by present methods .n,nd ana thAV RnnnlU This Ia
 open to the free grazing. of cattle. sheep. horses. and goats. without restriction
 or regulation: When population has | ter lack of management means that the public domain is turned over to be skinned by men whose only concern Is
 moment. without any regard to whether or not it is ruined sof ar as the next generation is concerned. In other
 as wasted by a5ase: and as an incident conflict and bloodshed frequently arise between opposing users. With the
 Is more and more overgraEed. More over, much of it can not be used to ad- vantage unless it Is fenced. for fencing
 Is the only way by which to keep in | flocks which roam hither and thither, utterly destroying the pasturage and
 leaving 8 waste behind so that their
 presencs of me-makers Good l Judges estimate that our public range has now lost nearly half it's value, yet | fencing Is against the law, and as the
 law now stands 1t is well-nigh impos-
 sible to do anything to keep the value
 remedy is to give control of the range to the Federal Government. Such
 control would not only stop all con flict but would conserve the forage
 without stopping its use, as our ex- fully proved. It would likewise secure
 to the West the great benefits of legf- innate fencing without interfering in
 the slightest with the settlement of the
 not proved possible to get any legis . lation to secure these ends. The de- struction of the public range will con- tinue until. as nation, we insist upon the enactment of some such laws as those l have advocated.
 T0 Prevent Fraud.
 For seyeraA years we have been do- Ing everything In our power to prevent
 can be done. under the present laws is
 now being done through the joint ac- ton of the Interior Department and
 the Department of Justice. But fully to accomplish the prevention of fraud
 there is need of further legislation and
 especially of a sufficient appropriation to permit the Department of the In terior to examine certain classes of enrties on the ground before they pass Into private ownership. The appropria- would have put an end to the squander- ing of the public domain. while it would have prevented any need of causing
 hardship to individual settlers by hold ing up their claims. However, the appropriation was no tgiven us, and in consequence 1t is not possible to secure, the natural resources of the public land from fraud, waste, and encroach-