The Falls City tribune., 1910-12-09

lands are permitted to be sold Is $40
al aele Dut the secretary OF the in
-erior ns5 tie power To fix a maximum
price and 10 sell at that price.
IS one-third OF all the coal supply
Is he'd by the government, it seems
wise that it should retain such con-
,Tol over the mining and the sale as
the relation OF lessor to lessee fur
nishes.
The secretary of the interior thinks
there are difficulties in the way OF
easing public coal lands. which OBJ
jections he has set forth in his re-
port, the force of which freely con
cede. | entirely approve his stating
at length in his report Of the objec-
tons In order hat the whole subject
may be presented to congress-, but
after a full consideration, for the rea-
sons | have given above, | favor a
leasing system and recommend it"
Water Power Sites.
Prior to March 4, 1909, there had
been, on the recommendation OF the
reclamation service, withdrawn from
agricultural entry, because they we're
regarded az useful for power sites
which ought not to be disposed of as
agricultural lands, tracts amounting
to about 4.00U. 900 acres. The with
.drawals were hastily made and In
cluded a great deal Of land hat was
not useful for power sites. They were
Intended m tnolnAa thA noWnr aifnc
on 20 rivers In 9 states. Since that
time 3,475,442 acres have been re-
stored for settlement of the original
1000, 900 because they do not con-
tain power sites; and meantime, new
Withdrawals have been made which,
with other restorations based upon
field examination, result In withdraw
ais at present effective of 1918, 1856
acres on vacant public land and 202,-
1877 acres on entered public land, or a
total of 1,420,5 53 acres. These with
draWals made from time to time v
all the power sites included in the
first Withdrawals and many more, on
151 rivers and in II states. The dis
position of these power sites involves
one of the most difficult questions pre-
scented in carrying out practical con-
%servation.
THE subject Is one that calls for
new legislation. 1t has been thought
that there was danger of combination
to obtain possession OF all the power
sites and to unite them under n
control. Whatever the evidence of
this, or lack of 1t, at present we have
had enough experience to know that
combination would be profitable, and
the control of q great number OF pow
Or at will within certain sections.
However this may be. It II the
plain duty Of tho government to see
to II that in the utilization md devel.
opnent Of all this immense amount
Of water power. conditions shall be
imposed that will prevent %sxtortion-
ate charges, which are the usual 40
compartment Of monopoly.
THE question Of conservation Ii
not q partisan one, AID i sincerely
hope that sven in tho short time Of
the present session consideration may
be given to those questions which
have now been much discussed, and
that action may be taken upon them"
Alaska-
with reference 10 the government
of Alaska, / have nothing to add to
the recommendations ! made In my
last message on the subject. | am
convinced hat the migratory eharac-
ter of the population, its unequal dis
tribution, and it's snallness of num-
Der, which the new census shows to
enormous expanse of the territory,
make 1t altogether impracticable to
give to those people who are In
Alaska today mt may not be there a
year hence, the power to elect a leg
islature to govern an immense ter
ritory to which they have relation so
little permanent"
Pensions.
THE uniform policy of the govern
ment in the matter of granting pen
sions to those gallant and devoted
men who fought to save the life of
the nation in the perilous days of the
great civil war, has always been OF
the most liberal character. Those
men are 10 rapidly passing away.
The best obtainable official statistics
show that they are dying at the rate
of something over three thousand a
month, and, in view of their advanc-
ing years, this rate must inevitably in
proportion, rapidly increase. To the
man who risked everything on the
field Of battle to save the nation in
the hour of it's direst need we owe a
debt which has not been and should
not be computed in a begrudging or
~parsimonious spirit"
Bureau of Corporations.
Referring to the report of the COM
missioner of corporations, the presi-
dent says:
THE commissioner finds a condi-
ton in the ownership of the standing
timber of the United States other
thar the government timber that calls
for serious attention. The direct in