The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-14

shown in connection with the disposal of its public lands and the use of the proceeds from the sale of these lands for the further development of the West through the reclamation services and other ways. is of itself a sufficient guarantee that in the administration of both coal reserves and the national forests this generous policy will be continued.
 VIII Reduce Supervision.
 'It Is safe to bt iieve also that Fed eral supervision of both the coal lands and the forests will be reduced to a minimum, and that in the, future even more than in the past, this supervision will be limited to that necessary to carry out the policy of conserving these natural resources in such manner as will best promote the permanent in- terests of sthe people. and. above all. of the Western people or the people In the neighborhood of the mines and the forests which we seek to preserve for the public use.
 The necessity for cars in the future management of these fuel supplies Is further illustrated by the rapid rate at which the use of such fuels Is increas- ing in the United States. I cannot too emphatically say that all laws which merely seek to prevent monopoly or the mishandling of the public by for bidding combination. are certain to fail of their purpose. Our exp0rience with the interstate commerce and anti trust laws shows that what Is needed Is not prohibition of all combinations, but such supervision and control over combinations and over corporations entering into them, as will prevent the evils while giving to the public tho advantages of combination.
 Let me also again urge that legis- lation be passed, to provide for Gov ernment control of the public pasture lands of the West on the same general principles which now apply in the Government control of the forest re- serve. The local control of the range should be in the hands of Western men familiar with stock raising, and there should be full local participation in the management of the range. There is no need at present that the Govern ment should get a net revenue from grazing on the public range. but only enough to pay for administration and improvement. and 1t may be wise to provide that any surplus shall go to the States and Territories in which the fees are collected.
 Let me urge that Congress provide $500, 900 in addition to the present. esti- mates, to be immediately appropriated to the clearing of arrears of business HI the general ldnQ OHlC6 aS TeEdEQS the detection and prevention of fraud in disposing of applications for patents to the public lands.
 T wish to express my utter and complete dissent from the statements that have been made as to there being minimum of fraud in the actual working of our present land laws. l Ln exceedingly anxious to protect the interests of bonafide settlers and to prevent hardship being inflicted upon them. But surely we are work ing in their interest when we try to prevent the land which should be re- served for them and for those like them from being taken possession of for speculative purposes or obtained iD any fraudulent fashion,"
 The President says the present force of special agents is utterly insufficient to- conduct the proper field examina. tion, but adds that in six months ending December 31, last, they secured indict- ments in 197 actions for fraud, twenty six of which have been tried. resulting in fourteen convictions and twelve ao quittals.
 'In the forest reserves. where we have been. able to examine a great number of claims" he adds, ''in about | one-third the law was not compiled l with.