The Detroit times., 1909-12-24
lRF TE[D POINTS
out PRESIDENT
TAFTTHHH
Former Secretary Of Interior Says
Strict Government Regulation Is
Necessary If Natural Resources
--Are To Be Conserved.
Danger Is That the Public Interest
in the Great Problem May
Be Forgotten.
nv JAMES r. GARFIELD.

CLEVELAND, o.. Dec. 24.-ln lSOo
/ Gecrefary Ethan Allen Hitchcock OF
/ fhe interior withdrew about 7O,OOoOOV
acres of coal land from general entry,
| Cor the purpose of examination and IN
order TO prevent further illegal or
| fraudulent acquisition. When ! be-
came. secretary OF the interior | con-
| finued these Withdrawals. and direct
/ "a that the coal lands in the western
Dtates be classified and valued In ac-
4 eordance with their market value.
! During my administration about 3d.
/ 900. 900 acres were classified and re-
(Nalued.
President Roosevelt urged upon
! congress the need OF a change in the
coal hand laws. He recommended that
the coal be separated from the sur
lace, the latter disposed or for the
most available use--agriculture, graz
1ng or timber-and the coal disposal
pf at fair price by sale or lease, IN
accordance with the public needs, put
under such regulations as would pre-
vent monopoly. | advocated such leg
ssiauon before the house committee on
public lands. and made report on
bill providing for II.
Ri Congress, however. passed a law
merely authorizing the separation OF
surface and coal in certain pending
bona fide homestead entries. step
An the right direction, but FAR from
what IS needed.
Suspicious About Claims.
\ Nv order for valuation and classiti-
|cation could not apply to the coal
lands of Alaska, as by law their value
was flxed at $40 per acre, but con
finued Secretary Hitchcocks order. as
III believed that most Of the attempted
locations or entries In Alaska llnclud-
1ng the Cunningham claims) were
fraudulent or Illegal.
n The Alaska coal fields are OK pecu-
THAR interest. They were centered IN
TWO great Alaska fields. comparatively
small in area, but enormously vaiu-
able. l found that some great inter
ests were trying TO acquire control OF
the Alaska fields. and some bills were
pending in congress which, II passed.
\ would have validated many fraudulent
entries. '~
opposed. by report and oral hear
ing. the bills that proposed 10 safi-
date fraudulent or filegaf ENTREES, eAa
pointed out the danger OF these aesns
passing under meHepelistie CONTROL
and urged that the proposed law apply
only to bona Ode entries or claims,
Illegal and fraudnlent--acquistl
OF coal lands vas-stopped, the greater
part OF the main land coal was classi-
ned. much coal land Illegally acquired
was recovered, the dangers or waste
and monopoIies we're exposed, and
definite suggestions were made for
system of lease conditional sale
Big Interests Active.
The enormous increase In The use
OF water for power. frrfgation and do
mestic consumption mas induced great
activity on the part Of ing frterestste
acquire as many available reservoirs
and power sites as possible. -~-'
There was imminent danger-..th
II such sites left on the public domain
would be filed upon and obtained I'M
der conditions that would in no wise
protect the public. but would make
monopoly possible in the near future
President Roosevelt brought the
question of control OF power developed
on navigable streams directly TO the
attention Of congress and stated the
policy he believed necessary to pro-
tect the pubhc interests. The essen
tial features OF that policy were that
\ mower cites should he granIed only,
under conditions that would limit
rrants to a definite period and yield
fair compensation TO the government.
The work under the reclamation
4 law is directly connected with power
development. Wherever reservoirs
and dams are needed for irrigation
projects there may be opportunity for
power Hence both objects may be
/ often combined with advantage 10 the
a uuh1ics- z. 1885, ---.s--
The irrigation work done by the
federal government during the past
eight years is practical conservation
OF the highest order. The intensive
A cultivation required upon irrigated
land results. jp an enormous increase
pf the yield per acre.
The policy OF President Roosevelt In
Healing with water Included all its
uses from source TO sea. II showed
The necessity of considering stream
rs a unit and as an essential part or
great watershed. The storage OF
water for power. irrigation and domes-
fsss