Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-09-08


Conservation congress listened with
deep interest to President Taft's ad-
dress today. The chief executive
spoke substantially as follows:
Gentlemen of the National Conservation
Congress:
Conservation as an economic and po-
liticaI term has come to mean the preser-
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 cEssipa-
ton Of our national wealth is not one
which quickly inpresses itself on the peo-
pie of the older communities, because its
most obvious instances do not occur in
their neighborhOod, while in the 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 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
well did he perform it.
As president of the United States 1
have, as it We're, inherited this policy,
and I rejoice in my heritage. I prize my
high opportunity to do all that an ex-
ecutive can do to help a great people
realize a great national ambition For
conservation is national 1t affects every
man, Of us, every woman, every child
What ! can do in the cause I shall do
not as president Of a party, but as presi-
dent of the whole people. Conservation
is not question of politics, or of fac
Uons, or Of persons. 1t is a question that
affects the vital welfare of all of us-of
our children and our children's children
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
Judiciafy consider every measure or
method proposed with a view to it's effec-
tiyeness in achieving our common pur-
pose, and wholly without regard to who
proposes 1t or 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 it is possible that in their solu-
tion we may have to attempt first one
way and then another. What I wish to
emphasize, however, is that a satisfac-
tory conclusion can only be reached
promptly if we avoid acrimony, imputa-
tons Of bad faith, and political contro-
Yersy.
The public domain of the government
Of the United States, including all the
cessOns from those of the thirteen states
that made cessions to the United States
and including Alaska, amounted in all to
about 1,S00000,0OO acres. Of this there is
left as purely government property out
side of Alaska something like 700 100000 of
acres OF this the national forest re-
serves in the United States proper en-
brace l44, 100000 acres.
I shah divide my discussion under the
heads of % agricultural lands; % min
eral lands-that is, lands containing
metalliferous minerals; go forest lands:
Cd coal lands; 90 oil and gas lands; and
90 phosphate lands
Agricultural Lands.
Our land laws for the entry of agricuI-
tural lands are now as follows:
The original homestead law. with the
requirements of residence and cultivation
for five years, much more strictly en-
forced than ever before.
The enlarged homestead act. applying
TO nonirrigahle lands only, requiring five
years residence and continuous cultiva-
ton Of one-fourth of the area.
The desert-land act, which requires on
NLlC part Ol TIE purchaser the ownership
OF a water right and thorough raClama-
tion of the land by irrigation, and the
payment of a.25 per acre.
The donation or Carey act, under which
the state selects the land and provides
for its reclamation, and the title vests in
the settler who resides upon the land and
culuvates it and pays the cost of the
reclamation
The national reclamation homestead
law Fr-a
cultivation by the settler on the land fr-
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 the 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 the coal beneath the surface is re-
tanned in ownership by the government
and may be disposed of by it under other
laws
There is no crying need for radical re-
form in the methods of disposing of what
are really agricultural lands The pres
ent laws have worked we'll The en-
iarged homestead law has encouraged the
successful farming OF lands in the semi
arid regions.
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 a suitable system of canals and ditch
es. the water is to be distributed over the
arid and subarid lands of the government
10 be sold to settlers at price sufficient
TO pay for the improvements. Primarily
the projects are and must be for the i'm
provement of public lands. Incidentally
where private land is also within reach
Of the water supply the furnishing at
cost or profit of this water to private
owners by the government is held by the
federal court of appeals not to be a
usurpation of power. But certainly this
ought not to be done except from sur
plus water, not needed for government
land The total sum already accumula-
ted in the reclamation fund is $50. 49,
25S2c, and of that all but 81, 49l 955 "a has
been expended. It became very clear to
congress at its last session, from the
statements made by experts that these
SO projects could not be promptly COM
pleted with the balance remaining on
hand or with the funds likely to accrue
In the near future, 1t was found more
over. that there are many settlers who
have been led into taking up lands with
the hope and understanding of having
water furnished in a short time, who are
left i'm a most distressing situation /
recommended TO congress that authority
be given to the secretary of the interior
to issue bonds in anticipation of the as
He Was Mistaken.