Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1907-06-11

Pays High Compliment to the and Discusses Many
u MATTERS Of National Interest.

surplus of vacant public land. The
chief desire was to secure settlers
thereon, and comparatively slight at
tention was paid as to exactly how
the lands were disposed of in detail. |
1n consequence,
Lax Execution Of the Laws
became the rule both in the land office
lind in the public mind, and land
frauds were common and little noted.
iTlis was especially true when sys-
Eem originally designed for the fertile
land well-watered regions OF the Mid
die West was applied to the dryer
Regions OF the Great Plains and to The
mountains and the Pacific coast. In
lthese regions the system lent itself
ito fraud, and much land passed out
\ OF the hands of the Government with
/ out passing into the hands Of the home
maker The Department Of Justice
joined in prosecuting the offenders
against the law; but both the law and
Tits administration we're defective and
Qneeded to be changed. Three years
IIago Public Land Commission was
/ appointed to scrutinize the law and
the facts and to Recommend a rem
edy Their examination specifically
showed the
Existence of Great Frauds
upon the public domain, and their
Recommendations for changes in the
law were made with the design of
conserving the natural resources of
every part of the public land by put
ting it to its best use Attention was
especially called to the prevention of
Isettlement by the passage of great
areas of public lands into the hands
Iof a few men, and to the enormous
waste caused by unrestricted grazing
ON the open range; system of using
the natural forage on the public do
main which amounts tc putting pre-
MUM on its destruction. The recon-
mendations of the Public Lands Con-
mission were sound. for they were
especially nthe interest of the actual
home maker; and where the small
home maker could not utilize the land
!, II Wns provided that the Government
ulAoul1 keep control Of it so 1t could
j 4 rot be monopolized by few wealthy
men Congress mas not yet acted up
!, on these recommendations except feu
J the repeal of the
. Ubiquitous Lieu-Land Law.
!. But the recommendation are so jusl
and proper, so essential to our ma
tional welfare. that believe they vii
!. surely ultimately be adopted.
In 1891 Congress authorized the
President to create national forests
in the public domain These forests
reserves remained for a long thee il
y charge of the General Land Office
: which had no men properly trained il
: forestry But another Department
that Of Agriculture, possessed tth'
& trained men. In other words, III,
] Government forests were without tor
\ esters and the Government forester
without forests. Waste of effort am
I. waste of forests inevitably followed
Z fFinally the situation was ended Il
!. 1905 by the creation Of the Unite
Z lStates Forest Service which has stol
: ped the waste, conserved the resource
n OF The national forests, and made tier
! aselul; 50 that our forests are no'
Z. being managed on coherent plar
" and in a way that augurs well for Oh
future.
The slineral fuels of the Easter
'e United States have already passed il
'e to the hands of large private owner
~ and those of the West are rapidly 70
q lowing. This should not be, for sue
y mineral resources belong in pecuIia
"a t..egree to the whole people. tnde
70 Ir,vae control there is much was1
ne from shortsighted methods of wol'
ai inc. and the complete utilization
often sacrificed for a
e Greater Immediate Profit.
Ell The mineral fuels under our presel
~ conditions are as essential 70 OF
- prosperity as the, forests will alwa!
4 HE. The difference is that the supp
n lis definitely limited for coal does n
Nj gi ~ and trees dc, 1t is obvious I'll
H the mineral fuels should be conserve
not wasted, and that enough of the
should remain in the hands Of tn &C
eminent TO protect the people again
unjust or extortionate prices SO I
Has that can still be done. What h
heen accomplished in the regulation
1.-THE sres oil fields Of the Indian L
Il rilory sffers striking exampls OF {
Il good iesuits Of such policy Ia
II summer. accordingly. withdrew mt