The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1910-01-19
URGES CONSERVATION OF
THE NATIONS RESOURCES
President Taft Sends Special Message to Con.
gress Recommending Prevention of Land
Frauds, Control Of Water Power, Fos-
tering Of Soils and Kindred Subjects
to legislation to meet conditions or
emergencies as they arise.

emergencies as they arise.
Properly to Classify Lands.
One Of the most pressing needs in
the matter OF publicland reform is
that lands should be classified accord
ing TO their principal value use. This
ought to he done by that or department
whose force is best adapted to that
work II should be done by the inter-
Tor department through the geological
survey. Much Of confusion. fraud. and
contention which has existed in the
present has arisen from the lack or
an official and detrrminative classifi
cation of the public lands and their
contents.
II Is now proposed to dispose Of ag-
ricultural lands IS such and at the
81 me time to reserve for other DISPOSE
tion the trea sure of coal. oil. aShphal-
tum. natural gas and phosphate con-
tanned therein. This may be best ac-
cornpIiShed bv separating the right
to mime from the title TO the surface.
giving the necessary use of so much or
the latter as may he required for the
extraction of the deposits. The sur
face might he disposed OF as agricul-
tural land under the general aCricul-
tural statutes while the coal or other
minpraI could he disposed of by lease
on = ROYALTY basis. with the provisions
requiring 4 certain amount or develop
ment each year: and in order to pre-
vent the use and ceSsion of said lands
with others OF similar character so as
to constitute 4 monnpoly forbidden by
law the lease should contain Suitabl
provision SubiectIng (" forfeiture the
interest OF persons participating in
such monopoly. Such law should ap-
plv to Alaska as well to the United
States.
Statute Difficult to Frame.
IT is exceedingly difficult to frame
a statute to retain government control
over a property to he developed by
private capital in such a l..anner as
to secure the governmental purpose
and at the same time not brighten
away the investment Of the necessary
capital Hence. it may be necessary
by laws that are really only expert
mental to determine from their prac-
tical operation what is the best
method of securing the result aimed at
The extent of the value of phosphate
is hardly realized. anu with the need
that there will be for 1T as the years
roll on and the necessity for fertiliZ-
ing the land shall become more acute.
this will he a product which will prob
ABLY attract the greed of monopolists
Public Land Along Streams.
With respect to the public land
which lies along the streams Offering
opportunity to convert water power
into franSmiSSihle electricity. another
Important phase of the public land
question is presented There are val
uahl. water power sites through all
the public land states. The opinion
is held that the transfer of sovereignty
from the federal government to the
territorial governments as they become
states included the water power in
the rivers except so far that owned
10
think il necessary to go into discussion
OF this somewhat mooted question OF
law 1t seems to me sufficient to say
that the man who owns and controls
the land along the stream from which
the power is to be converted and trans
mitted. owns land which is indispens-
able to the conversion and use of that
power. cannot conceive how the
power in streams flowing through pub
lie lands can he made availa BILE at all
except by using the land itself as the
site for the construction of the plant
by which the power is generated and
converted and securing right of way
thereover for transmission lines. IN
der these condition. if the government
owns the adjacent land-indeed. il the
government is the riparian owner-it
may control the use % the water power
by imposing proper conditions on the
disposition Of the land necessary in the
creation and utillZation or the water
power.
Value Of Water Power.
The development IN electrical appli-
ances for the conversion of the water
power into electricity TO be transmitted
long distances has progressed so far that
il is no longer prob!ematlcal, but II is
certain inference that in the future the
power of the water falling in the streams
TO large extent will take the place of
natural fuels. In the disposition of the
domain already granted. many water
power sites have come under absolute
ownership. and may drift into one own
erShip so that all the water power under
private ownership shall be a monopoly.
IT. however. the water power sites now
owned by the Government-and there are
enough of them-Shall be disposed OF to
private persons for the investment of
their capital in such a way as to prevent
their union for purposes of monopoly
with other water power sites. and under
conditions that shall limit the right of use
to not exceeding thirty years with renewal
privileges and some equitable means of
fixing terms OF rental and with proper
means for determining reasonable grad
uated rental. il would seem entirely pos
sible to prevent the absorption of these
most useful lands by A power monopoly.
As long as the government retains con-
troll and can prevent their improper union
with other plants. competition must be
maintained and prices kept reasonable.
Soils Must Be Conserved.
In considering the conservation OF the
natural resources OF the country the fea-
ture that transcends all others. including
woods. waters. minerals is the soil of the
country. Ii is incumbent upon the gov
eminent TO foster by all available means
the resources Of the country that produce
the food of the people. To this end the
of the soils of the country
should be cared for with all means at the
governments disposal Their productive
powers should have the attention of our
scientists that we may conserve the new
soils. Improve the Old soils. drain wet
soils. ditch swamp soils. levee river over
flow soils. grow trees on thin soils. pas
lure hillside soils. rotate crops on all
soils. discover methods for cropping dry
land soils, find grasses and lesumes for
all soils. feed grains and mill feeds on
the farms where they originate. that the
soils from which they come may be en-
riched.
4 work of the utmost Importance to in
form and instruct the public on this chief
branch of the conservation OF our re-
sources is being carried on successfully
in the department Of agriculture: but il
ought not 10 escape public attention that
state action in addition to that of the de-
partment of agriculture (as for instance
in the drainage of swamp lands) is es-
ssntia! IL the best treatment of the soils
=. the manner above indicated.
The act by which. In semi-arid parts Of