Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-12-07
PRESERVING THE PUBLIC LANDS
Department of the Interior Is Doing
an Excellent Service

The effort of the government TO deal
with the public land has been based upon
the same principle as that Of the recla-
nation service. The land law system
which was designed to meet the needs
Of the fertile and wel-watered regions
OF the middle west has largely broken
of The great plains, the mountains, and
much of the Pacific slope. where a farm
Of 100 acres is inadequate for self-sup-
port. In these regions the system lent
out of the hands of the government
without passing into the hands of the
home maker. The department, of the In
terror and the department OF Justice
joined in prosecuting the offenders
against the law; and they have accom-
plished much. while where the admins
tration of the law has been defective it
has been changed. But the laws them
a public lands commission was appointed
to scrutinize the law. and defects, and
recommend remedy. Their examina.
great fraud upon the public domain, and
their recommendations for changes in
the law were made with the design Of
every part of the public lands by putting
it to its best use. Especial attention was
called to the prevention of settlement
by the passage OF great areas of public
land into the hands Of few men, and to
the enormous waste caused by unre-
stricted grazing upon the open range.
Tho recommended tons of the public lands
commission are sound, for they are, es-
home maker; and where the small home
maker can not at present utilize the land
they provide that the government shall
keep control Of It so that 1t may not
be monopolized by few men. The
congress has hot yet acted upon these
recommendations; but they are so just
welfare, that 7 feel confident: II the
congress will take time TO consider them.
that they will ultimately be adopted.
GRAZING LANDS PROTECTED
Some such legislation as that proposed
Is essential In order to preserve the great
stretches OF public grazing land which
are UNFIT for cultivation under present
forage which they supply. These
stretches amount in all to some soo, 600.
900 acres and are open to the free graz
ing of cattle, sheep. horses and goats,
without restriction. Such a system. or
rather such lack Of system, means that
the range is not so much used as vast
ed by abuse As the we. west settles the
grazed Much of it can not be used to
advantage unless it Is fenced. for fenc-
ing is the only way by which to keep
which roam hither and thither. utterly
destroying the pastures and leaving a
waste behind SO that their presence Is
incompatible with the presence OF home I;
legal. Some OF them represent the i'm
proper exclusion of actual settlers, actual
home-makers. from territory which is
usurped by great cattle companies. Some
of them represent what is in itself a
proper effort to use the range for those
upon the land, and TO prevent its use
by nomadic outsiders. All these fences
those that are hurtfu and those that are
beneficial, are alike illegal and must
come down But it is an outrage that
on the part OF the administration. The
unlawful fencing Of public lands for pri
vate grazing must be stopped, but the
necessity which occasioned it must BIZ
provided for. The federal government
should have control of the range, wheth
may determine. Such control could Sc
cure the great benefit of legitimat t.
| fencing. while at the same time secur
ing and promoting the settlement of thu
country In some places It may be tina
the tracts Of range adjacent to thu
allotted to them severally or In common
| for the summer grazing of their stock
Elsewhere it may be that a lease system
would serve the purpose: the leases t
of settlement, and the amount charged
being large enough merely to permit o
the efficent and beneficial control 0
the range by the government, and O
| the payment TO the country of tn
equivalent OF what it would otherwis
public range will continue until som
such laws as these are enacted Full,
TO prevent the fraud in the public land
which through the joint action of tn
interior department, and the depart
ment of Justice, we have been endeavor
ing to prevent there must be furthe
| lei islation. and especially a sufficien
| appropriation to permit the department