The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-05

ing of leases, as already suggested for
| government coal lands in the United
| States, with provisions forbidding the
| transfer of the lease except with the
| consent of the government, thus pre-
venting their acquisition by a combina-
| ton or monopoly and upon limitations
| as to the area to be included in any one
lease to one individual, and at a GER
| tain moderate rental, with royalties
upon the coal mined proportioned to the
market value of the coal either at Sc
attic or at San Francisco. OF course
such leases should contain conditions
requiring the erection of proper plants,
the proper development by modern min
ing methods of the properties leased
and the use of every known and prac-
teal means and device for saving the
life of the miners.
The government of the United States
has much to answer for in not having
given proper attention to the govern
ment of Alaska and the development OF
/, her resources for the benefit of all the
people of the country. 1 would not
force development at the expense of
present or future waste of resources;
but the problem as to the disposition
of the coal lands for present and flu
ture use can be wisely and safely set
tied in one session if congress gives it
careful attention.
In the last administration there were
withdrawn from agricultural entry 2,S2000O
acres of supposed oil land in California;
about a million and a half acres IN Louis-
ana, of which only $500 acres were known
| to be vacant unappropriated land; 1900
acres in Oregon and 174,O00 acres in Wy
oming, making total of nearly four mil
lions of acres. In September, 1909, I di-
rected that all public oil lands, whether
held from disposition pending congression-
al action, for the reason that the existing
placer mining law, although made apple
able to deposits of this character, is not
suitable to such lands, and for the further
reason that it seemed desirable to reserve
certain fuel-oil deposits for the use of the
all existing Withdrawals was changed. and
new withdrawals aggregating 2 80 900
acres were made in Arizona, California,
Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyom-
ing. Field examinations during the year
217O,OOO acres were not valuable for oil,
and they were restored for agricultural
entry. Meantime, other Withdrawals of
public oil lands in these states were made,
so that July 1, 1910. the outstanding with
drawals then amounted to 4, $4,000 acres.
The needed oil and gas law is essentially
a leasing law. In their natural occurrence,
oil and gas can not be measured in terms
of acres like coal, and it follows that ex-
ly be secured only after they reach the
surface. Oil should be disposed of as a
portable product rather than in acres of
real estate. This is, of course the reason
for the practically universal adoption of
the leasing system wherever oil land is in
private ownership. The government thus
would not be entering on an experiment
but simply putting into effect a plan sue
cessfully operated in private contracts.
Why should not the government as a
landowner deal directly with the oil pro-
Queer rather than through the interven-
ton of middleman to whom the govern
ment gives title to the land?
legislation should be the exercise of bene-
fetal control rather than the collection
of revenue. AS not only the largest own
er of oil. lands, but as prospective large
consumer Of oil by reason of the increas-
ing use of fuel oil by the navy, the FED,
in encouraging rational development and
at the same time insuring the longest pos
sible life to the oil supply. The royalty
rates fixed by the government should
neither exceed nor fall beIow the current
rates. But much more important than
revenue is the enforcement Of regulations
to conserve the public interest so that the
covenants of the lessees shall specifically
from careless drillings and of production
in excess of transportation facilities or OF
market requirements
l do not express opinion upon the
controversy thus made or preference as
to the two methods of treating WATERPROOF
sites. / shall submit the matter to
congress and urge that one or the other
of the two plans be adopted.
I have referred to the course of the last
administration and of the present one in
making withdrawals of government lands
from entry under homestead and other
doubt as to the validity of these with
drawals as a great step IN the direction
of practical conservation. But II IS only
one of two necessary steps to effect what
should be our purpose 1t has produced
status quo and prevented waste and
irrevocable disposition of the lands until
the method for their proper disposition
can be formulated. But it is of the ut
most Importance that such Withdrawals
should not be regarded as the final step
in the course of conservation, and that the
idea should not be allowed to spread that
conservation is the tying up of the natural
resources of the government for indefinite
withholding from use and the remission
to remote generations to decide what
ought to be done with these means of
promoting present general human COM
fort and progress. For, If so, It Is certain
to arouse the greatest opposition to con-
servation as cause, and If it were a cor
rect expression of the purpose of con-
servationists it ought to arouse this op-
position. Real conservation involves wise,
nonwasteful use in the present generation,
with every possible means OF presefHSatioh h
the problem to secure this end may be
difficult, the burden is on the present gen
sWaV from % it as towards, lest in the at
tempt to meet it we may make some mis-
take. AS have said elsewhere the PROD
how to conserve and still develop; for no
sane person can contend that 1t is for the
common good that natures blessings
should be stored only for unborn genera
tons.
tons and in your Informal discussions,
when men come forward to suggest evils
that the promotion OF conservation Is 70
remedy. that you invite them to point out
the specific evils and the specific remedies;
that you invite them to come down to
details in order that their discussions may
flow into channels that shall be useful |
rather than into periods that shall be elo-
uuent and entertaining, without shedding
real light on the subject. The people
should be shown exactly what is needed
in order that they make their representa-
tives in congress and the state legislature
do their intelligent bidding
TOGAY'S MARKET REPORTS