Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1910-01-15
BY Associated Press

by ASSOCldteu ITeSS
WASHINGTONs Jan. 14.-Pres-
ident Taft's message on conserva-
ton of natural resources sent to
congress today is as follows:
To the senate and house of repre-
sentatives:
In my annual message | reserved
the subject of the conservation Of
our natural resources for discus
sion in special message as fol-
lows:
In several departments there is
presented the necessity for legisla-
ton looking to the further conf
servation of our natural resources
and the subject is one of such
Importance as to require a more
detailed and extensive discussion
than can be entered into in this
communication. For this reason |
shall take an early opportunity to
send a special message to con-
gress on the subject of the i'm
provement of our waterways; upon
the reclamation of and irrigation
of arid, semi-arid and swamp lands;
upon the preservation of our for
ests and the reforestation of suit
able areas; upon the re-classifica-
ton Of the public domain with a
view of separating from agricultur-
, al settlement, mineral, coal and
phosphate lands and sites belong
ing to the government bordering
on streams suitable for the util-
ization of water power.
In 1860 we had a public domain
of 1855, ,911,2SS acres. We have
now 731,354,0S1 acres, confined
largely to the mountain ranges and
semi-arid plains We have in ad-
dition, 363,O35,275 acres of lands
in Alaska.
The public lands were, during
the earliest administrations, treated
as national asset for the liquida-
tion of public debt and source OF
reward for our soldiers and sail
ors. Later on they were donated
in large amounts in aid of the con
struction of wagon roads and rail
ways in order to open up regions
in the West then almost inaccessi
BILE.
The principal land statutes were
bop rtC nf {
century ago The homestead act
the pre-emption and timber culture
act, the coal land and the minin!
acts were among these. The rapit
disposition of the public lands un
der the early statutes and the la,
methods of distribution prevail
ing, due, / think to the belle
that these lands should pass rap
idly into private ownership, CAV
rise to the impression that tn
public domain was legitimate pre-
for the unscrupulous, and that
was not contrary to good moral
to circumvent land laws. Thi
prodigal manner of Distribute
resulted in the passage of larg
areas of valuable lands and man
of our natural resources into tn
hands of persons who felt little Q
no responsibility for promoting tn
national welfare through their d.
velopment The truth is that It'll
to millions of acres of public land
was fraudulently obtained, and thu
the right to recover large pa
of such lands for the governmer
long since ceased by reason {
statutes of limitation.
There has developed in recel
years a deep concern in the publ
mind respecting the preservatie
and proper use of our natural r
sources. This has been particula
ly directed toward the conserv
( ton of resources of the public d
~ main. The problem is how
- save and how to utilize, how
conserve and still to develops; f
no sane person can contend tn
1t is for the common good that n
tures blessings are only for u
born generations.
Among the most noteworthy ]