The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1909-11-29
.BALLINCFR ON
LAND GRABBING
Secretary Of Interior In Annual
Report Urges Vigorous
Prosecutions.
PROTECT NATURAL RESOURCES
Public Mind Has Rapidly Grasped the
Importance of Safeguarding the Fur
ther Disposition of Our Natural Re-
sources, He Says, and Department
Will Enforce Laws.


Washington, Nov. 29.-Secretary Bal
linger of the department of the interior
says in his annual report, issued today:
The proper use and disposition OF
the public lands have been questions
involving no little legislative as well
as administrative difficulty from the
beginning of their history. They were.
during the earliest administrations,
| treated as a national asset for the
| liquidation OF the public debt and as a
source of reward for our soldiers and
sailors. Not until the discovery of
gold on the Pacific slope did the poll
cy change for one OF exploitation, by
which our citizens were encouraged to
develop the mineral and agricultural
resources of the public domain on con-
dition of receiving limited areas at a
nominal cost. For similar reasons,
railway and wagon-road grants were
| literally donated by congress In order
to add facilities for the opening up Of
these almost inaccessible regions,
The railway grants generally were
limited to nonmineral lands. except
such as contained coal and iron, which
latter minerals were taken to be essen
tial for railway construction and oper-
alton. New states were. when admit
ted, literally endowed with public lands
for school and other purposes; so that,
| out OF a public domain in 1860 of L.
| 055, ,911,28S acres ALASKA then not be-
longing to the United States), we now
have only about 731. .354,OS1 acres, con-
fined largely to the mountain ranges
and arid lands within some of the In
dian reservations and the 36S, ,035,9
acres of undisposed of land in Alaska
| All of the principal land statutes
were enacted over twenty-five years
ago; the homestead act, the pre-enp-
tion and the timber-culture act. the
coal land, and the mining tracts for the
aid OF the Industrious prospector, were
among the earlier acts of this nature.
The liberal and rapid disposition OF
the public lands under these statutes
and the lax methods Of administration
which for a long time prevailed, nat
urally provoked the feeling that the
public domain was legitimate prey for
the unscrupulous and that 1t was no
crime to violate or circumvent the land
laws. 1t is to be regretted that we, as
nation, were so tardy to realize the
Importance of preventing so large a
measure of our natural resources pass
ing into the hands OF land pirates and
spectators, with no view to develop
ment looking to the national welfare.
Much Land UnlawfulIy Taken.
1t may be safely said that millions
of 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 limita-
tions. The principal awakening to our
wasteful course came under your pre-
decessor's administration. The bold
and vigorous prosecutions of land
frauds. through Secretaries Hitchcock
and Garfield, have restored salutary
respect for the law, and the public
mind has rapidly grasped the import
ance OF safeguarding the further dis
position OF our natural resources In
the public lands i'm the interest of the
public good as against private greed.
notwithstanding this, 1t is necessary
to continue with utmost vigor. through
all available sources. the securing OF
information of violations of the public
land laws and to follow such violations
with rigid prosecutions.
In this present policy of conserving
the natural resources of the public do
main, while development Is the key
note, the best thought of the day Is
not that development shall be by ma
tional agencies, but that wise utiliza-
ton shall be secured through private
enterprise under national supervision
and control. Therefore. IL material
progress is to be made in securing the
best use of our remaining public lands,
congress must be called upon to enact
remedial legislation.
Retirement Fund for Employees.
No policy within the reach of the
executive can humanely solve the diff
culties involved in the discharge of SUI
perannuated clerks. The department
of the interior in all its bureaus in
Washington is laboring under great
disadvantage in trying to introduce
modern business methods and to keep
pace with the increasing volume OF
work. because of its inability to retire
members of the clerical and laboring
force after they have become incapaci-
tated by age or other causes. Inter-
mittent efforts have been made to Sc
cure congressional aid to retire them
upon basis that will recognize their
long service and protect them against
want. An involuntary retirement and
sustenance statute, by which all per-
sons after arriving at a prescribed age
or for other reasons should be required
to stand an examination before a COM
petent board as to physical and men,
tai ability. with fund created by ma
tional appropriation--in the first in
stance. and maintained by some equit-