Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1910-12-09
R. 4. BALLINGER'S
ANNUAL REPORT
Many Subjects Touched Up
on Directly Affect Welfare
of New Mexico
ALL PROBLEMS OF TODAY
Much Space Is Devoted to Dis
cussion of Public Lands
Questions.

"HH"''i itlOlt' JH9l lh"NG ptbiit- Sti-
retary Ballinger, of the Department of
the Interior, devotes a large amount
OF space to public land problems. AT
ter reciting the history OF the public
domain and giving statistics to show
that there is now remaining unappro-
priated and unreserved 711,9SG, 400
acres OF public land in continental
United States ana Alaska the Secre-
tary says:
The homestead bill for granting
free homes to the landless settler be-
came a national question in 1852, and
ten years later it was written into
law and approved by Abraham Lin
coin, after a previous veto by Presi-
dent Buchanan in 1860. on the ground
that Congress did not have the power
to make a donation of public lands
to settlers or to the states. Here
policy. OF this policy President John
son, in his annual message in 1865,
said THE homestead policy was es-
tablished only after long and earnest
resistance. Experience proves its
wisdom. The lands in the hands of
the industrious settlers, whose labor
creates wealth and contributes to the
public resources, are worth more to
the United States than if they had
been reserved as a solitude for future
purchasers"
For nearly forty years the statutes
have declared that all valuable min
eral deposits in lands belonging to
the United States, both surveyed ano
unsurVeyed, are to be free and open
to exploration and purchase and the
lands in which they are found to oc-
cupation and purchase by citizens of
the United States and those who have
declared their intention to become
such. Rich deposits of precious met
ais in the Pacific states and terrific
ries have been discovered and locat-
ed under these general mining laws
and have been operated for many
years. Granting defects in the laws,
they have accomplished their pur.
pose in causing the mineral resources
to be developed and have thus con-
tributed enormously to the wealth of
the nation. 1t is hardly reasonable to
believe that any material change will
be made in these laws or of the meth
cd of disposal of the lode and placer
claims of the mineral regions. Here.
as in the settlement laws, the govern
ment's liability has had its reward in
the material prosperity of the people,
and while abuses have existed, they
can not be charged so much to the law
as to eVasions of the law.
Today's Problem.
Heretofore, as will be seen. it has
been the policy of Congress to dispose
of the public lands to those who were
disposed to make the best use of them
none of which were disposed of with
a view TO securing revenue for gov
ernmental support. Even the coal
lands were sold at nominal figures.
and until few years ago they were
not entered even at that figure, except
where market facilities made the land
salable for their product.
Under more conservative theories
the question now is of saving the rem.
nant of the public lands from monop.
or misuse without abandon
ing the old policies OF encouraging de-
velopment The highest productive
use of these lands is the concern Of
the people. The methods of securing
this use are the concern of national
and state governments.
By the constitution the Congress is
made the steward of the public do
main and for its stewardship it is re-
sponslble to the people. The execu-
tive can move only as directed or au-
thorized by Congress in selling or
otherwise disposing of this national
estate; therefore all questions relat.
ing to change from the existing stat
us or of policy over this estate re-
sides alone in the legislative branch
OIL the government, and all popular
movements looking to the reformation
OF our land system must of course be
addressed to the Congress. Conse-
quently the movement to conserve the
national resources in this national es-
tate of lands-that is, to secure the
wisest ALI most lasting benefit to the
nation in their use-is matter with
which Congress must deal.
New or amendatory legislation re.
Spectlng our public lands, should be
direct, simple, effective, and relate
to the proper form of dis
position of the withdrawn lands-wa.
ter power sites, oil lands, coal lands.
and rights of way over public lands.
As has been shown, the unappropri-
ated public lands of the public land
states and territories amount to about
712,000,000 acres, and, as compared
with the private lands in these vari-
Gus states, are a small percentage of
the territory thereof, and the federal
government should not undertake or
assume the entire burden of the con-
servation of the natural resources of
the states in which they are situated,
for it has been demonstrated that the
states are capable of taking care of
these questions in large measure,
as is shown by the legislation effectu-
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