, 1907-06-19
LITTLE LIKE
COLORADO CUTE MOVE

and development, vas contained in the
legislation concerning forest reserves
over which the government is exercis
ing the power and privileges of a land
lord, partly by provision of statute
and partly by rather attenuated inter
pretations and differences of statutes
At its last session, however, congress
taking into consideration the extent tc
which reserves had been created, and
the policy which had been pursued
with regard to them, provided that nc
further should be created, VI
engagements made In most of the
western states except by act of con,
gress.
Judgment Worked by Power.
AS I assume that others will discuss
the questions of forest reserve policy
and management, l shall not go into a
discussion of the reasons for this radi
cal modification of national policy with
regard to forest reserves, further than
to observe that 1t seems to indicate thai
congress had arrived at the conclusion
that 1t was unwise to leave in the
hands of executive authorities the pow.
er to pass vast tracts of land from the
category of lands subject to settle.
ment and entry into permanent hold.
ings of the national government, for
the a that the extraordinary au.
thority placed in the hands of bureaus
over lands permanently reserved had
q tendency to create-among those
vested with such a%utocratic power-the
very natural desire to further increase
their authority and control to an extent
that warped their judgment as to- the
necessity and .propriety Of increasing
the number and area of such reserva-
lions.
Advocates Of Permanent LandIordism,
That this view had a substantial ba.
sis seems to find confirmation in the
fact that the officers of a number of
bureaus have been jealous advocates
OF various schemes of permanent gov
eminent land holding and landlordism.
OF these the agitation in favor of the
retention of coal lands in the hands of
the federal government, and the leasing
of the same on a royalty basis, has
been particularly significant in that 1t
was st%renuously approved and warmly
endorsed by all of the gentlemen, who.
by reason of their official positions,
would have their dignity and impor'
lance largely enhanced by the inaug.
uratio1 of such a policy
Withdrawal Of Coal Lands.
The preparation for the proposed in.
auguration of a policy Of coal land
leasing did not wait on the action OF
congress, but by various orders, ema.
mating from executive departments, an
area approximating sixty-four million
acres in eight western states and ter.
ritories supposed to embrace most of
the coal fields of the country, were
withdrawn from all forms of selection
filing or entry under the land laws.
AS the coal area of Alaska was not
definitely known all the lands in that
entire territory were withdrawn from
all forms of entry. After a lapse of
considerable time these orders
were modified so that the lands within
the reserved areas, which were not in
fact coal lands, might be entered under
appropriate laws, and later still fur
ther modified So that those who had
asserted claims of record to coal lands
within these areas, before the with.
drawal of the same, might complete
their entries.
Some Areas Restored.
In the past few months some of
these lands have been restored to coal
entry, but the bulk of the known coal
lands of the country are still with
drawn from entry under the coal land
laws, though there has been no action
taken by congress either repeating,
suspending or modifying the coal land
laws, and though it is believed by those
who are in a position TO know that the
west is facing the probability of a Sc
rious Goa famine mex winter owing
to the fact that 1t Is impossible to &C.
uuire government land for new mines
in most of the coal fields Of the west.
ern states and territories at a time
when population is rapidly increasing
and when, by the operation of the pro
vision of the railroad rate bill prohib-
iting railroads from engaging in com
mercial coal operations, the sources OF
past supplies Of coal are soon to he
considerably curtailed.
spoke in Congress.
But the time allotted me is not SUIT
ficent to go into a lengthy discussion
of these coal land Withdrawals, which
l believe to have been beyond the linn,
itations of executive authority. l dis.
cussed the subject at some consider.
able length in the house of represents
tives on February 8, last. l simply
cite them as a very striking illustra'
ton of the tendency toward the estab
lishment of a condition of landlordism
under the national government, and OF
the remarkable extent to which the ex
ecutive departments have claimed and
exercised power over the public do
main, the effect of which In this In
stance has been to prevent the open
ing of small, independent mines ano
to create a monopoly in the mines al
ready operated.
Control OF the Range.
But unquestionably the most far
reaching and stupendous departure
from our EAST policy, with regard tt
public lands, which has been proposed
is the so-called Government contro
Of the range or government contro
over the use of the public lands TO
grazing purposes. The methods prac
ticed and the arguments used in bring
ing this proposed new policy before
the public, and In presenting it to con
gress, Is, I think, quite familiar TO al
of you and therefore II recital OF 1t II
not necessary at this time. S VIVA
was proposed and what would be &C
complished by this policy Is S es
tablished by consideration OF the ex
ecutive recommendations with regart