Bisbee daily review., 1908-02-13
SHALL WEST BE DEPRIVED
 IF ITS RIGHTS?
Secretary Garfield Would For bid Occupancy and Develop
 ment of Coal and Water Privileges, As Done in East.

Secretary of the Interior James k. Garfield has handed his report to con gree AS an example of departmental short-sightedness this epistle, let us hope. will stand out unique in the an nals of the department Secretary GaeEield calmly ignores the rights of the Western states to their own in herited snare of public domain. With out an apology, or single recognition of the paramount interests of the states concerned, he proposes to loau them with departmental tax gather CTS, seize their coal lands and monop- oiize their water supplies. In brief. the West is to become beast of bur den to carry the expense of the In terior Department says, Mining Science.
 While crying out against the coal monopolies ne proposes the most gi- gantic coal monopoly ever contem plated, one of 70.000.000 acres of coal lands. He would monopolize all the water power and other natural re sources. He directs covert sisnder at mining and all other industries. but farming. saying: Fortunately, most homestead entries are honestly made" the inference being that the same cannot be said Of mining entries, or quarry entries, or coal entries
 He says there are 70.000. 900 acres in the Western states underlain with coal. These lands he coolly proposes to reserve as a government monopoly, taking from the prosperity of the Western states the tribute they would pay the department. He says the Timber and Stone Act should be re- pealed. Apparently Mr. Garfield wants monopoly of the stone quar- ries also.
 He says: The time has come when we can no longer safely permit the unrestricted acquisition by private in dividuals of the public domain for purposes other than homesteads." He would further make government monopoly of our water power and even make us pay the department for a glass of water on thirsty day, say ing: Then snows and water in the great mountain ranges of the West contain power enough to turn millions of wheels, to irrigate millions o7 acres, to furnish water supply of hun dreds of cities. If these waters are permitted to be acquired by private
 
 will pay tribute for the use of water which should be preserved as a pub lie at1ncs sGot private privilege" Imagine the horrible, benighted con- ditfon of the older states waich have already absorbed all the water-rights as private privileges" Take Ohio, for instance; what an awful place it must be to live in, where the greedy private individual has defrauded the government, the future generations and the poor department out of all the public domain, water-rights, coal lands and all.
 Throughout this remarkable mes sage of the Secretary of the Interior there is no single intimation of any balancing tax that might be put on the states which have already ab- sorbed the public domain, no thought of equalizing the load, no considera- ton whatever Of square deal" !" Nothing seems to animate Mir Gar field but an overwhelming desire to squeeze the last cent out of the pub lie domain for the benefit of his de- partment. regardless of the injustice he may work on the younger children in the family of states.