The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-09-02

it would be disastrous to enact
them into law. In substance their
effect would be to free these great
special interest from all efectir.
control. The passage of such a bill
would be a victory of the special in
terest ove the general welfare, ana
a long backward step down the Hill
of progress We have Of late 0ecn
climbing.
Our people have for many v .ars
proceeded upon the assumption that
the Nation should control the pubic
land. 1t is to this assumption Of Ma
tional outlook that we owe our xisest
land legislation, from the Homestead
Law to the Irrigation Law. The wise
use Of our public domain has alu avs
been conditioned upon National ac-
ton. The States can greatly help.
but the Nation must take the lead,
as regards the land, as regards the
forests and waters; and perhaps pc
culiarly in the case Of the waters, be-
cause almost all streams are really
interstate streams.
Coal Lands.
THE same principle applies with
peculiar force to the coal lands, and
especially to the coal lands in Alas
,ka, whose protection and ownership
by the Federal Government is SO nee
essary, both for full and free indus
trial development in the West, and
for the needs of our fleet in the Pa
cific. The coal mines should be leas-
ed, not sold. and those who mine the
coal should pay back a part of the
profit to the people. 1t is the RICH,
and duty of the people to demand
the most vigilant t%rusteeship on that
part of that branch of the Federal
Government in charge of the fuel re-
sources of the United States.
The Open Range.
Il am here at the invitation of the
Colorado Livestock Association, and
l desire to express my appreciation
of their steadfast stand for decency
and progress in the handling of pub
lie lands and National Forests. They
have met and overcome the u%nrelent-
ing opposition of some Of the most
influential stockmen of the State;
they have won because they have
been right. l want to express also
my appreciation OF the work of the
American National Livestock Asso-
citation. 1t has been one of the real
ly important forces working toward
effective railway regulation, while Its
support c; the policy of Federal
.ange control has given it a large
place in National affairs. AS an old
time stockman 1 realize that the
present order of things on the open
range cannot continue, and nat the
sure way to protect the range itself,
prevent the increase of big outfits,
promote the equitable use Of the
grazing lands. and foster genuine
homestead settlement, is to extend
over the open range a system OF
range control somewhat similar to
that now in effect on the National
Forests.
Whatever system of range control
may be adopted in detail, there ara
two things it must not do. 1t must
not handicap or exclude the small
mar by requiring him to spend more
money for fences than he can afford,
and it must leave every acre that a
be settled bl bona-fide homesteaders
freely open to such settlement.
81 do not believe that a single acre
of our public lands should hereafter
pass into private ownership except
for the single purpose of homestead
settlement, and | know that the
stockmen stand with me IN their de-
sire to remove every obstacle from
the path of the genuine homestead
er. and put every possible obstacle in
the pathway of the mau who tries to
get public lands by MISREPRESENTATION