Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1910-01-15
Asks That Congress Give COnsidera-
ton to Annual Report of Secre-
tary of the Interior.

forms initiated by my distinguished
predecessor were the vigorous pros
ecutions of land frauds and the
bringing to public attention OF the
necessity for preserving the re-
naming public domain from further
spoilation, for the maintenance and
extension of our forest resources,
and for the enactment Of laws
amending the obsolete statutes
SO as to retain government control
over that part of the public do
main in which there are valuable
deposits of coal, oil and phosphate,
and in addition thereto, to preserve
control, under conditions favorable
to the public, of lands, along the
streams in which the fall of water
can be made to generate water to
be transmitted in the form of cleo
tricity many miles to the points
of its use, known as water power
| sites.
Investigation into violations of
public land laws and prosecution
of land frauds have been vigorous
ly continued under my administra-
ton, as has been the withdrawal
of coal lands for classification and
valuation and the temporary with
: holding of power sites.
Since March, 1909, temporary
Withdrawals of power sites have
been made on 1872 streams and
those Withdrawals therefore cover
229 per cent more streams than
were covered by the Withdrawals
made prior to that date.
The present statutes, except so
far as they dispose of precious met
ais and purely agricultural lands.
are not adapted to carry out the
modern view of the best disposi-
ton of public lands to private own
ership, under conditions offerins
on the one hand, sufficient induce
ment to private capital to take
them over for proper development
with restrictive conditions and on
: the other hand, which shall secure
to the public that character 81
control which will prevent mo.
nopoly or misuse of the lands o,
their products.
Of hn
the interior to withdraw from the
operation of existing statutes tracts
OF land, the disposition of which
> under such statutes would be detri
: mental to the public interest, il
not clear or satisfactory. Thi'
power has been exercised in th'
interest of the public, with tn
: hope that congress might affirm th
action of the executive by law
: adapted to the new conditions.
Unfortunately congress has no
: thus far fully acted on the recon
mendations of the executive an
= the question as to what the execu
: tive is to do is, under the circum
: stances, full of difficulties.
;, seems to me it is the duty of con
. gress now, by statute, to validat
:, Withdrawals which have been mad
II by the secretary Of the interior an
!, president and to authorize the SCI
Z retary of the interior temporarily t
, withdraw lands pending submis
i sion to congress of recommends
i, tions as to legislation to meet tn
- conditions or emergencies as the
- exist
# One of the most pressing need
If in the matter of public land r,
form is that lands should be cla
Mt sified according to their princip;
IN done by that department who's
e. force is best adapted to that worl
r 1t should be done by the interit
a. department through the geologic
o. survey. Much of the confusio
TO fraud, and contention which hi
to existed in the past has arisen fro
or the lack of an official and determi
at ative classification of the publ
A. lands and their contents.
n 1t is now proposed to dispose
agricultural lands, as such, and
re- the same time to reserve for 9th