The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-30

I
ton, where state action can best serve
this purpose; and ] am no less en-
phatically in favor of cordial and
hearty cooperation between the nation
and the states where their duties are
identical or develop.
If there is one thing which is more
| unW1se than another. it is the crea-
ton by legislative. by executive. or by
| Judicial action of a neutral ground in
| which neither the state nor the nation
has power, and which can serve as a
place of refuge for the lawless man,
| and especially for the lawless man of
great wealth. who can hire the best
| legal counsel to advise him how to
keep his abiding place equally distant
from the uncertain frontiers of both
state and national power.
The Open Range.
ST am here at the invitation of the
Colorado Live Stock association. and
| desire to express my appreciation of
| their steadfast stand for decency and
progress in the handling of public
lands and national forests. They have
met and overcome the unrelenting op-
position of some of the most influential
stock men of the state; they have won
because they have been right. want
| to express also my appreciation Of the
work of the American National Live
| Stock association. 1t has been one of
| the really important FORCES working
| toward effective railway regulation,
| while its support of the policy of fed
| eraI range control has given it a large
| place in national affairs. AS an old
| time stockman, realize that the pres
ent order Of things on the open range
| can not continue, and that the sure
| way to protect the range itself, pre-
vent the increase of big outfits. pro-
| mote the equitable use of the grazing
| lands, and foster genuine homestead
1 - Il -
range system of range control some
| what similar to that now in effect on
i the national forests.
| Whatever system of range control
may be adopted in detail. there are
| two things it must not do. 1t must
man by requiring him to spend more
money for fences than he can afford,
and it must leave every acre that can
be settled by bona fide homesteaders
| freely open to such settlement.
| I do not believe that single acre
of our public lands should hereafter
pass into private ownership except for
the single purpose of homestead set
Element, and I know that the stock
| men stand with me in their desire to
remove every obstacle from the path
of the genuine homesteader, and to put
every possible obstacle in the pathway
of the man who tries to get public
lands by misrepresentation or fraud.
|
| agricultural lands. 1t is at least equal
| w necessary on the mineral lands. 1t
would be a calamity. whose baleful
| effect on the average citizen we can
scarcely exaggerate, If the great stores
of coal and other mineral fuels still
owned by the people of Alaska and
| elsewhere should pass into the unregu-
| lated ownership of monopolistic cor
porations.
The Forest Service.
| You progressive stockmen have
stood heartily by the conservation
movement: and with you have stood
has enemies because it is effective.
whom large credit is due. such as the
lumbermen in Washington and Ore
gon, the irrigators in California, and
| the supporters of the country life
movement in and around Spokane I
want to make my acknowledgements
| in particular to the Colorado Forestry
association, which has supported the
| forest work of the government with
many others throughout the west, to
such unselfish zeal. The forest service
Some of it's best work has been met by
the bitterest opposition. For example,
| it has done a real service by blocking
the road against the grabbers of water
power, and again by standing like a
| rock against the demands of bogus
mining concerns to exploit the nation
| al forests. 1 have always done my
| best to help the genuine miner. I be-
| lieve that one of the first duties of the
government is to encourage honest
mining on the public lands But it is
equally important to enforce the law
| firmly against that particularly dan
| gerous class which makes its living off
| the public through fraudulent mining
| schemes.
Much of the opposition to the forest
service, like much of the opposition to
conservation, takes the form of direct
misrepresentation. For example, the
cry is often heard that the national
| forests inclose great areas of agricul-
tural land which are thus put beyond
| the reach of settlement. This state
ment seems plausible only till the facts
are known. In the first place. con-
gress has specially provided that what
any national forest shall be open, I'M
der proper safeguards, to HON estead
settlement. And in the second place,
when the opponents of conservation are
| of inclosed agricultural land on the
ground and in the presence of ex-
perts instead of in speeches in a hall,
| they fail.
! The Reclamation Service.
1.-THE National Irrigation congress is
| to hold a session in the city of Pueblo
late in September. I am keenly sorry
that could not have accepted the
| invitation to be present I must, how
ever, be in the east at that time. But
since can not be present then to
express my keen, long-he1d and deep
felt interest in the reclamation of
| arid lands by the federal government,
I desire to do so now. There is no
more effective instrument for the MAX
| ing of homes than the United States
reclamation service, and no govern
ment bureau while I was president
had reached a higher standard of eff
| cheney, integrity and devotion to the
| public welfare
Like the forest service, the reclama-
/ ton service has clashed with certain