The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1909-12-04
BALLINGER RECOMMENDS
NECESSARY BOND ISSUE.

acres of timber and other lands have
been unlawfully obtained, and 1t is
also true that actions to recover such
| lands have in most instances long
since been barred by the statute of
! limitations. The principal awaken
ing to our wasteful course came un-
der your predecessors administra-
ton. The bold and vigorous prosecu-
tions Of frauds, through Secretaries
Hitchcock and Garfield, have restored
salutary respect for the law, and
the public mind has rapidly grasped
the Importance Of safeguarding the
further disposition of our natural re
sources in the public lands in the
interest Of the public good as against
private greed. Notwithstanding this,
it is necessary to continue with ut
most vigor. through all available
sources, the securing Of information
of violations of the public land laws
and to follow such violations with rig
id prosecutions.
"In this present policy Of ccnserv-
ing the natural resources Of the pub
lie domain while development is the
keynote, the best thought Of the day
is not that development shall be BY
national agencies, but that wise utiIi-
cation shall be secured through pri-
vate enterprise under national super
visor and control. Therefore, il
material progress is 10 be made IN
securing the best use Of our remain
ing public lands, congress must %
called upon to enact remedial Iegis-
lation.
CLASSIFICATION OF PUBLIC LANDS.
"In order that intelligent adnins
istratiOn shall be applied in the dis
position Of the public lands, it Is es-
sential that they be classified into
various clearly defined divisions ae-.
EcoFding to their principal value or
use. They have generally been class,
ifikd in legislation as agricultural,
mineral, desert, timber and coal
lands, and it is only in recent years
that the interior department, through
the geological survey, has undertake
en- to make this classification in the
field in the aid of the administra-
ton of these public land statutes,
and then only through the general
authority given in the organization
of this bureau. Specific Legislative
authority should be given the depart
ment to classify and segregate our
public lands into well defined diyi-
sions according to their greatest APP
parent use, with the continuing power
of Redistribution to meet changing
conditions and the increased knowI-
! edge of their character which may
necessitate the transfer of lands
from time to time from the one class
to the other. Full legal effect should
made SO as to prevent entries, under
laws applicable to one class, except
after application for and review of
the classification; in other words, if
lands are classified as coal lands,
they should be enterable only as coal
lands, and in case it be shown that
they are improperly classified as coal
lands, and are, in fact, agricultural,
they should then be enterabls only as
agricultural lands.
As regards new legislation, the
present coal land laws respecting the
states and territories, as we'll as
Al aska should be supplanted by an
act fully meeting existing as well as
future conditions. The Inducements
for much of the crime and fraud,
both constructive and actual, COM
mitted under the present system can
be prevented by separating the right
to mine from the title TO the soil.
The surface would thereby be open to
entry under other laws according to
its character and subject to the right
to extract the coal.
81 have also recently withdrawn
temporarily, for the purpose of sub
hitting the subject to congress for
new legislation, large areas of oil
lands in Wyoming, California, Utah
and Oregon.
81 desire to call attention to the
Importance Of asking congress to au-
thorize the executive to reserve GER
tain areas of these lands for the pur-
pose of .affording supply Of fuel
oil for the future use Of the navy,
and to make such regulations as may
iUe necessary for the preservation
and extraction OF such deposits. Nc
legislation exists for the entry of oil
and gas lands other than the genera
mining laws of the United States
which are not adaptable to the dis
position Of lands containing minera
oils and gas.
"The so-ealled timber and ston.