The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-06-14

And the West objects. We distrust
bureaucracy, no matter how good it's
intentions. We believe we can do
better for ourselves than anybody can
do for us. We think we can prove that
the withdrawal of land from settle
ment d~iscourages the building of
homes, and that the exaction of a
tax for grazing on h public lands
tends to the disadvantage of the small
farmer. We cannot help noticing that
the only men in the West who stand
by the Presidents policy are the large
~stockmen, who think they see a fat
thing in the prospective leasing sys-
tenn. he small farmers, the home
seekers, are against that policy to a
man.
And the West has good reasons for
believing that the president has 10
power to carry out his land policy;
that he is acting without authority,
and that the first case in court will
prove tina fact. Even if we believed
he substance, the matter of his policy
right, we should be obliged to hold the
manner of it altogether wrong
The supreme court of the United
States recently handed down a decis-
ion in the Kansas-Colorado water suit
which seems to The News to have a
decided bearing on the question at
issue. n United States, in that
suit, filed a petition in Intervention,
discrediting the claims of both states
and claiming for the federal COVER
ment the right to manage the streams
and lands of the arid regions. The
attorney for the government based
this claim largely on the doctrine of
sovereign and inherent power" con-
tending that, as no power but b I'm.
tied States could cal satisfactorily
with the irrigation problem, therefore
the United States had the right to
deal with it. and to any pow
ers that seemed needed for the carry
ing out of this object. The court dis
missed this contention with extremely
scant sympathy. 1t held hat the gov
eminent of the United States a govern
ment of delegated powers; that 10
power to deal with the lands and riv-
ers as the government wished to deal
had been granted, and, therefore, non
could be exercised.
while the arid lands" says the
court, ARE to be found mainly, if not
only, in the Western or newer states.
yet the powers of the national govern
ment within the limits of the original
thirteen; and it would be strange if,
in the absence of a definite grant of
power, the national government could
enter n territory of the states along
the Atlantic, and legislate in respect
to improving tAe land within their
borders. The court goes on to say
that congress has not hitherto acted
in disregard of this limitation" But
it is the opinion of the West that the
administration has so acted.
Next Monday there will meet in this
city a body of men from the states
affected by the presidents land policy
They are coming together to define
and state the views of this portion of
the country on this important question
The gathering will be thoroughly rep
r~ese1tative of the West. 1t is in no
sense packed; it is in no sense hos
tile to President Roosevelt. 1t will,
in all human probability, go on record
in opposition to his land policy-a
thing which it has a perfect right to
do. We nope the administration will
be well represented before that con-
vention; indeed, we understand that
such will be the case. We wish the
President himself could be there. He
would receive a respectful hearing.