, 1907-03-02

a few minutes | will admit that the
amendment is open to the Kissing 81
a point of order, and l would not be
fair If l did not admit that there can
scarcely be sny doubt as to how the
president of the SENATE will rule upon
such point Of order. The committee
knew that when they placed this
amendment in the bill. They placed
it there SO that it might be consid-
cred and, II there was unanimity OF
opinion, that 1t might be indorsed, and
II not 1t could pass out and come up
again later Tor consideration in a fu-
ture congress
Former Years Recalled.
Il recall that some years ago l came
into this body imbued with the idea
that the nation ought to do something
about irrigation. Having been made
ton and reclamation of arid lands, l
prepared a bill, made a speech, and
was at the next election promptly re-
tired from the nat on that bill and
that speech. l have never felt called
upon to apologize to myself or to my
neal friends for SO early espousing
the cause OF national aid for irrigation,
because years afterwards the subject
was taken up under the leadership Of
Theodore Roosevelt, and we were able
to work out elaborate successful legis-
lation.
Came to Harmonious Ending.
There was just as much difference
of opinion and opposition then to ma
tional irrigation as there is here today
or was yesterday to the forestry and
grazing propositions, but those inter-
ested in it had the good sense finally
to go into a volunteer committee, com
posed of representatives from all the
arid land states, and to thrash it out
among themselves to a harmonious
ending, spending more han q month in
the process, and then coming before
this body and the other body with a
particular and definite policy. This
policy was promptly Endorsed, and it
is being proceeded under now to the
great benefit of this country.
Question of Grazing Control.
1.-The question as to grazing control
on the public domain is, in my opinion,
just as sure to come before this body
and require some kind of a settlement
as was that of irrigation. 1t will not
down. The purely grazing land must
be sold or a%pportioned, by rental OF
otherwise, or the range will be destroy
ed and wars of occupation will ensue
1t is misunderstood at the present time
as to what is proposed to be done, and
this is evidenced not only by what we
see in the press and current in the
newspapers, but by the letters that
are brought in here by senator's and in
deed, by the remarks of senators them
selves. 4-L-
In Favor Of Settler.
"The letters which nave been writ
ten by the president and read before
the agricultural committee, and which
have in a way shaped the language Of
the amendment, are in favor of the set
tier against the stockman all the way
through. In fact, there is not a single
lease that could be made under this
law, should it pass, but what would be
subject to all kinds of settlement by
any settler under any of the several
existing land laws. Again, even though
the man who makes a home there is
within an enclosure, and even If a
lessee is paying by the acre or by the
head for the use of his enclosure, the
settler gets free grazing instantly and
continuously for all the stock that he
has and needs for domestic use. Fur
thermore, he has an opportunity to en-
large his possessions and Craze more
stock by leasing that which naturally
belongs to him, by annexing the land
nearest to his settlement and renting
it as against the first tenant.
May Be Moving Rapidly
Now, this proposition Is not one
that is attempted to be forced in here
by the forester or by the president OF
the United States, although, in truth,
ii might seem just at this time Is il
We were moving a little bit fast in pro
posing such legislation in an appro.
priation bill. But there are some rea.
sons why the president and those in.
terested in the management of the in.
terror department ought to ask con
gress to settle the question.
The Action Of Congress
For instance, there is a large part
of the state l in part represent-and
there are other states similarly stu
ated-where congress provided railroad
land grant subsidy to the Union Pa
cific, Central Pacific and other rail
roads, alternate sections of lane in a
strip forty miles wide, twenty miles on
each side of the railroad. The rail-
roads did not ask to have it in check.
erboard form. The congress granted
it and forced them to accept it in that