The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-06-21
SENATOR BoRAH's SPEECH.

Senator Borlh of Idaho is imprC ssing
himself upon the country as q man Of
ability, of dignity, and of force. He is
especially strong in setting forth the
conditions, realities, and interests of
this western country. Or the conscrva
! tion question he is in favor of judicious.
practical effort but is opposed to the
wild, sentimental and impractical no.
tions of some of the leading conserva-
tionists, who appear to be working on
the theory that the East owns this west
ern region and ought to control it to the
disadvantage Of the Inhabitants Of these
western commemorative.
We print this morning n fair abstract
of the speech delivered in the Senate
by Senator Borah, yesterday, on this
conservation proposition. In it he treats
the question from the practical, states
manlike standpoint. The public do
main Is, as he urges. the property of the
whole Nation, and yet only in quail
fled sense. 1t is the property of those
who settle upon 1T, who bring it into
useful occupancy, and who need the re-
sources surrounding them to further
civilization, to make progress, and
establish settled life. The States that
represent the original colonies contrib
uted nothing of their own to the public
domain, save only that Virginia, Con-
necticut, and Pennsylvania surrendered
their claims TO what was called the
Northwestern Territory, comprising the
soon admitted States of Kentucky, |
Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois SO far as |
all this region is concerned, they had |
no particular interest, and wlnlc as
members of the great American Union |
they have their rights and their say In |
The public domain and In the public |
control thereof, that is an academic
which has no right to inter
tcrc with the practical occupation OF
this country by American settlers. 1t
IS quite true that American citizens
from any Of the Older States have equal
nights of occupancy, settlement, and dc.
'elopment of all the public domain,
They have this as American citizens.
put only by practical taking hold. US.
ng and redecming from the unfruit-
'ul lethargy of nature, because any
'ther form of right is mere abstrac-
Ion, logical enough III an academic
way, but OF Go practical value, and en-
orced only to the constraint and dis
dvantage of the actual settler.
Senator Borah brought this out very
ully, and urged with clearness, power,
nd force the fact that ut is only the
cttlers, the redcemers, the conquerors
f the wilds, those who reclaim them
nd bring under tillage and civiliza~
ION, that have any actual right in the y.
ubllc domain. AS he showed, water
overs are not extinguished by use.
)ther forms of public wealth are ex- ,
austed by the taking. The duty of
etorestation rs plain, but it is lainer ,
S applied to the East than as applied ,
o all this vast interior region which ,
ever had any forests worth mention :
ng IN it. The vast forests of the cid {
northwest have been extinguished; hut Z
here Is ample spnre land in all that I
egloD to raise whatever timber is ne =
essary, generation after generation. I
III that Is necessary is to plant the /
rees on the waste spots, and timber i
ill be as plentiful as the need will ever h
emand. f
1t is great thing for all this great o
'cstcrn country to have the common C
ense of this conservation proposition t
ut sguarely before the Senate, and {
hat is exactly what Senator Borah did | i
! his speech. He is eLtitled to the r
hanks sof all practical. thinking men b
OF his efforts in TINT direction, and
for that speech. t