, 1907-06-24
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THE PRESIDENTS LAND POLICY

THE PRESIDENTS LAND POLICY.
The Denver Republican makes the
following comments upon the letter
written by President Roosevelt to Sec
rotary Wilson and read at the Denver
land convention:
in his letter to Secretary Wilson
President Roosevelt answered the au-
thors OF the document outlining the
program for the interstate land on
v%ention, and, taking advantage OF the
opportunity. he outlined his policy in
regard to the public lands.
THE declared purpose, stated with
much emphasis, to administer public
land laws with a view to encouraging
~home-building and the settlement of
the country is the policy of the people
of his section of the country. What
Colorado and other states in the far
west need and desire is more inhab,
itants, and the way to induce people
to come is to facilitate the acquisition
of homes IN the public lands. To this
end all parts of the public domain
should be utilized.
There is no need of any great
change. The land avs have been ade.
quate In the settlement of other public,
land states; and while frauds have
been committed In some instances they
have been the result of negligent ad
ministration rather than of defects In
the laws themselves.
Whatever will promote home-build-
ing should be encouraged. If the pres
ent avs are adequate for this purpose
they need not be changed, but If they
fall short of achieving the desired end
they will be amended. This is the view
of a vast majority Of the people of the
Rocky mountains and the Pacific
coast"
The entire argument in the forego-
ing is based upon the clause, IF the
present laws are adequate The Re,
publican says they have been adequate
to settle other public land states, but
1t has evidently overlooked for the mo-,
ment the fact that 100 acres of land
that will raise crops without irriga,
ton is sufficient to support a family.
while 1t would take many times that
number of acres Of grazing land to
give the same return. 1t is scarcely
probable that the average family could
be maintained by a stockman upon less
than four sections. Is it not just as
reasonable to permit the entry of four
sections Of land worth n dollar per
acre as 1t is to permit the entry of
100 Acres Of land worth from fifteen
to thirty dollars per acre, as is the
case under the irrigation projects of
thu nation? One hundred and sixty
acres of grazing land will not give any
MAJ d ioo'ins, ne must nave more OF
i"iiufe s.aies !" III lhe race iro" 'ae
very oesilh'ns' II 'he so'erhnien' ID
~. "ilhs 10 hiahe d iease Vi d snlaA
urea oi ANU soiiouho'hs me NOME
s'eau Oh loo ACRES, 'nen II shouiu III
crease me size VI ue hohhes'eau % an
area thal Will p d ialhlly. one
1hihs VI 'ne o'her shouio oe oohe' wv
un'i nis uohe theie he'er can 10 'he
p'oper Nina VI au'ahoeineh III 'le aiia
e'aAihs uisuio's Oh the ohi'eu e'ales'
me TACT mat t"o-thirus Oh 'he nome
s'eaus are never proved up On Is HIGH
" conclusive evidence 'hat the present
Jaw Is ho' "orhihs a'isiac'orii III
'nis s'"'e.
WIN all difference 10 'he learheo
VINO packed anu hahipu-
lated Tue Denver iaho convention, 'n's
paper Is sui or the OPINION ina the
great MAJORITY Oh lhe s'oehnheh OF wy
omlhg FAVOR a tease ia"-a
law ina would give 10 'he lessee ao.
solute control OF a given amount Oh
land Tor a dennlte term OF years. SUI.
1ect only to the operation OF the lanu
laws. The wyoming S~tockgrowers as
sociation has always Favored such q
policy and at their last meetlng the
vote was almost unanimous IN FAVOR
convention who opposed such a policy
were those who are engaged In the
sheen business and who are already