The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1910-09-09
President Taft'S Address Before
Congress at st. Paul.
DANGER IN CONTINUED WASTE
Chief Executive Outlines Plans Which
He Believes Should Be Adopted
Statistics Mako Speech Com
prehensIve to Hearers.


servation congress here today. Sub
stantially 1t was as follows:
Gentlemen Of the National Conservation
Congress-
Conservation an an economic and po-
walton Of our natural resources for
economical use. SO as to secure the great
est good to the greatest number.
The danger to the state and to the peo-
pie at large from the waste and dissipa-
ton Of our national wealth 10 not one
which quickly impresses itself on tho poo
pie of the older communities, because Its
most obvious instances do not occur In
their neighborhood, while in tho newer
part Of the country the sympathy with
expansion and development Is so strong
that the danger Is scoffed at or ignored.
Among scientific men and thoughtful OBJ
servers, however, the danger has always
been present; but it needed some one to
bring home the crying need for q remedy
Of this evil so as to impress itself on the
public mind and lead to the formation of
public opinion and action by the repre-
sentatives of the people Theodore Roose-
welt took up this task In the last two
years OF his second administration. and
we'll did he perform It,
AS president Of the United States
have, 1t were, inherited this policy,
and rejoice In my heritage. l prize my
high opportunity to do all that an ex-
ecutive can do to help great people
realize a great national ambition. For
conservation is national. 1t affects every
man of us, every woman, every child.
What I can do In the cause l shall do,
not as president OF a party, but presi-
dent Of the whole people. Conservation
IL not a question of politics. or of fac
tons, or Of persons 1t Is a question that
A hn W.T. o1 Of oil ~ ~
our children and our childrens children.
I urge that no good can come from meet
ings of this sort unless we ascribe to
those who take part in them, and who
are apparently striving worthily In the
cause, all proper motives and unless we
Judicially consider every measure or
method proposed with view to it's effec-
tiveness in achieving our common pur
pose, and wholly without regard to who
proposes 1t who will claim the credit
for its adoption. The problems are Of
very great difficulty and call for the
calmest consideration and clearest fore
sight Many OF the questions presented
have phases that are new in this coun-
try, and 1t is possible that in their solu-
ton We may have to attempt first one
way and then another. What / wish to
emphasize, however, Is that a satisfac-
tory conclusion can only be reached
promptly II we avoid acrimony, imputa-
tions OF bad faith, and political contro-
versy.
The public domain of the government
Of the United States, including all the
cessions from those Of the thirteen states
that made cessions to the United States
and including Alaska, amounted in all to
about 1900 600. 900 acres OF this there Is
left as purely government property out
side Of Alaska something like TOO, 900 900 Of
acres. OF this the national forest re-
serves In tho United States proper en-
brace IN, ,o0o, 900 acres. The rest Is largely
mountain or arid country, Offering some
opportunity for agriculture by dry farm
Ing and by reclamation, and containing
metals az we'll a. COAL phosphates oils.
and natural gas Then the government
<wns many tracts Of land lying along the
margins OF streams that have water
power, the use OF which Is necessary in
the conversion of the power into cleo
tricity and its transmission.
/ shall divide my discussion under the
heads of "a agricultural lands; (2) min
eral lands-that Is, lands containing
metalliferous minerals; (3) forest lands;
~ coal lands; C0 oil and gas lands and
(6) phosphate lands.
Agricultural Lands.
Our land laws for tho entry Of agricul-
tural lands are now as follows:
The original homestead law, with the
for Ave years. much more strictly en-
forced than ever before.
The enlarged homestead act, applying
to nonirrigable lands only requiring five
years residence and continuous cultiva-
ton of one-fourth Of the area.
The desert-land act, which requires on
the part Of the purchaser the ownership
Of q water right and thorough reclama-
ton Of the land by irrigation. and the
payment OF 81 Is Der acre
The donation or Carey act, under which
the state selects the land and provides
for it's reclamation, and the title vests In
tho settler who resides upon the land and
cultivates II and pays tho cost Of the
reclamation.
The national reclamation homestead
law. requiring Ave years residence and
cultivation by the settler on the land ir-
rigated by the government and payment
by him to the government Of the cost OF
the reclamation.
The present congress passed a bill Of
great Importance, severing the ownership
Of coal by the government in tho ground
from the surface and permitting home
stead entries upon the surface of the
land, which. when perfected. give the
settler the right to farm the surface,
while tho coal beneath the surface Is re-
tained in ownership by the government
and may be disposed OF by 1t under other
laws.
There IL no crying need for radical re-
form in the methods Of disposing OF what
are really agricultural lands. The pres
ent laws have worked well The en-
larged homestead law has encouraged the
successful farming of lands in the semi
arid regions. OF course the teachings OF
the agricultural department as to how
these subarid lands may be treated and
the soil preserved for useful culture are
Of the very essence Of conservation. Then
conservation Of agricultural lands is
shown in the reclamation Of arid lands
by irrigation and should devote a few
words to what the government has done
and Is doing in this regard.
Reclamation.
BY the reclamation act fund has been
created OF the proceeds Of the public
lands Of the United States with which to
construct works for storing great bodies
Of water at proper attitudes from which.
by suitable system Of canals and ditch
es, the water u to BE- distributed over the
arid and subarid lands Of the government
to be sold to settlers 1T price SUFFICIENT
to pay for the improvements. Primarily,
the projects are and must be for tho I'm
proveD7ent Of public landA Incidentally.
where private land h also within reach
~ the water nupnlv t6D fuYniDhinR At