The daily sentinel., 1907-06-10

Judges estimate that our public range
mas now lost nearly half of its value. /
YET Fencing is against the law and
as the law now stands it is we'll
nigh impossible to do anything to
Keep the value of the range. The
only practical remedy is to give con-
troI OF the range to the Federal gov
ernment Such control would not
only stop in conflict but would con-
serve the forage without stopning its
use. as our experience with the nat
ural forests has fully proved. nj
would likewise secure to the West the
great benefits of legitimate fencing
! "lthout interfering in the slightest
with the settlement of the country
on the contrary. while promoting the
settlement of the country. Hither-
to, however, it has not proved pos
sihle TO get any legislation to secure
these ends. The destruction of the
public range will continue until as a
nation. we insist upon the enactment
| of some such laws as those l have
advocated
For several years we have been
/ doing everything in our power to
/ prevent fraud upon the public land.
/ What can be done under the present
/ laws is now being done through the
u
/ ment and the Department of justice.
But fully TO accomplish the preven-
ton OF fraud there is need of further
/. legislation and especially OF suf-
. heient appropriation to permit the
/ Department of the Interior to exam
/ inc certain classes of entries on the
ground before they pass into private
/ ownership. The appropriation asked
| for last winter, If granted, would have
l put an end to the squanderinE of the
public domain. while il would have
| prevented any need of causing hard
ship TO individual settlers by holding
Iup theeir claims. However. tthe ap-
| preparation was not given us, and in
consequence it is not possible to Sc
cure, as | would like TO secure. the
natural resources OF the public land
from fraud, waste and encroaChment.
so much for what we are trying
F.. TO do In utilizing our public lands
for the public; in securing the use
I OF The water the forage, tho coal, and
the timber for the public. In all four
movements my chief adviser. and the
man first TO suggest TO ME the courses
/ which have actually proved so bene-
fetal, was Mr. Ginord Pmchot the
/ chief of the Natiorat Forest Serv-
/ ice. Mr. Pmchot also suggested
I TO me movement supplementary to
| all of these movements. one which
Will itself lead the way in the gener-
/ al movement which ne represents and
/ with which he is actively Identified,
| for the conservation of all our natur-
| al resources. This was the appoint
mont of the Inland Waterways som
mission.
/ THE inability of the railroads of
/ the United States TO meet the de
mauds upon them has drawn public
[ Iatteutiou forcibly to the use of our
waterways for transportation But
/ il is obvious that this is only one Of
| their many uses, and that n planned
and orderly development is impos-
sihlc except by taking into account
| all the services they are capable Of
rendering II was upon this ground
that the Inland Waterways commits
sion was recently appointed. Their
| duty is to propose a cumprehen-
/ sivc plan for the Improvement and
| utilization of those great waterways
which are the great potential high
ways Of the country. Their duty is
also to bring together the points Of
[ view of all users of streams. and to
| submit a general plan for the develop
mout and conservation of the vast
natural resources OF the waterways
| of the United States. Clearly IL is
! impossible for the waterways com
mission to accomplish its great task
without considering the relation of
streams to the conservation and use
of all other natural resources and
have asked that il do so. Here, then.
for the first time. the orderly develop
ment and planned conservative use
of all our natural resources is pre-
seuted as n single problem. one by
one the individual tasks in this great
problem have already Deen undertake
en-. One by one i'm practical fashion
the methods of dealing with them
were worked out. National irriga-
ton has proved Itself success BY its
actual working Again. actual eXpcr-
fence has shown that the national for
ests will fulfl the larger purpose for
which they were created. All who
have thoughtfully studied the SUBJ
ject have come to see that the solu-
ton of the pubic lands question
lies with the home maker, with the
settler who lives on his land, and
that Government control of the min
eral fields and the public grazing
lands is necessary and inevitable.
Each of these conclusions represent
ed a movement or vast Importance
which would confer large benefits
upon the nation, but which stood
by itself They are connected to-
gether into one fundamental prob
lem-that of the conservation of all
our natural resources. Upon the wise
solution of this. much of our future
obviously depends. Even such ques-
tions as the regulation of railway
rates and the control of corporations
are in reality subsidiary to the prlm-
al problem OF the preservation in the
interests OF the whole people Of the
resources that nature has given us.
II We fail to solve this problem, no
skill IN solving the others will in
the end avail MS very greatly.
Now as to the matter Of taxation.
Most great civilized countries have
an income tax and an Inheritance
tax. In my judgment both should be
part of our system of Federal tax
alton. / speak dnidently about the
income tax because one scheme for an
income tax was declared unconstitu
tionaI by the Supreme court by a
vote of four to five, and in addition
it is a difficult tax to administer In
its practical workings, and great care
would have to be exercised to see that
il was not eyaded by the very man
whom It IS most desired to have tax