The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-06-19
MAY CHANGE LAND LAWS.

Advance notices Of the administra-
ton program that will be presented to
congress are being given by President
Roosevelt in his public speeches. On
q recent occasion, he indicated his de-
sire for legislation TO secure an honest
capitaliz alton Of railway and other
corporations, and In q later address
the preserv alton of the public domain
for actual settlers was the subject OF
his remarks. The president, as will
be seer in these extracts from his
speech, evidently believes congress
will soon make changes in the land
laws:
In 1902 the reclamation service be-.
gan % develop the larger opportun-
tiles of the western half of our country
for irrigation. The work includes all
the states from the great plains
through the Rocky mountains to the
Pacific slope. 1t has been conducted
with the clear and definite purpose of
using the valuable water of
the public land for the greatest good
for the greatest number in the long
run: in other words, for the purpose
of putting upon the land permanent
home makers who will use and develop
it for themselves and for their child
rem and children's children. There
has been opposition, OF course, to this
work Of the reclamation service; for
we have been obliged to antagonize
certain men whose interest it was to
exhaust for their temporary per.
sonal profit natural sourc which
ought to be developed through use.
SO as 70 be conserved for the perma-
nent common advantage of the people
as a whole. But there will be no halt
in the work Of preserving the waters
which head in the Rocky mountain
region so as to make them of most
use TO the people as a whole; for the
policy is essential to our national
welfare.
The public lands of the United States
should be utilized in similar fashion.
Our present public land laws we're
passed when there was q vast surplus
Of vacant public land. The chief de-
sire was to secure settlers thereon,
and comparatively slight attention
was paid as to exactly how the lands
were disposed of in detail. In conse.
quence, lax execution OF the laws be.
came the rule both in the land Office
and in the public mind, and land
frauds we're common and little noted.
This was especially true when a sys.
tenn originally designed for the fertile
and well.w altered regions of the middle
west and applied to the dryer regions
OF the great plains and to the noun
tains and the Pacific coast. In these
-egions the system lent itself to fraud
and much land passed out OF the
hands of the government without pass
ing into the hands Of the home maker
The department of the interior anc
the department of justice joined il
pEOSCCulluS VIC OuCuOSto a. l"
law: but both the law and its admins
tration we're defective and needed t
be changed.
Three years ago a public lands com
mission was appointed to s%cruntiniz'
the law and the facts and to recon
mend a remedy. Their examination
n,,;G,,11y aknurnl thn nviSfannn n
great frauds upon the public domain
and their recommendation to
changes in the law were made with tn
design of conserving the natural re
sources of every part of the publ
land by putting it to its best use. Al
tention was especially called to tn
prevention of settlement by the pass
age of great areas Of public lands ir
to the hands of a few men, and to tn
enormous waste caused by unrestricte
grazing O. the open range: q systel
of using the natural forage on tn
public domain which amounts to pu
ting a premium on its destruction.
The recommend atoms OF the publ
lands commission were sound, tC
they are especially in the interest
the actual home seeker; and where Il
small home maker could not utili;
the land, it was provided that II
government should keep control Of
SO that lit could not be monopolizs
by q few wealthy men. Congress hi
not yet acted upon these recommend;
tions, except for the repeal of Il
Ubiquitous lieu.land law. But the re
ommend atoms are SO just and prope
so essential to our national welfar
that l believe they will surely ult
mately be adopted.