The Montgomery tribune., 1910-09-09

deep interest TO PRESIDENT laltS S au-
dress today. The chief executive
spoke substantially as follows:
Congress
Conservation as an economic and po-
Eitical term has come to mean the preser-
walton of our natural resources for
economical use, so as to secure the great
est good to the greatest number.
The danger to the state and to the peo-
Hple at large from the waste and dissipa-
Tton of our national wealth is not one
which quickly impresses Itself on the peo-
5Die of the older communities, because Its
most obvious instances do not occur in
their neighborhood, while in the newer
part of the country the sympathy with
expansion and development is so strong
chat the danger is scoffed at or ignored.
Among scientific men and thoughtful OBJ
servers, however, the danger has always
been present; but it needed some one to
bring home the crying need for remedy
of this evil as to impress itself on the
public mind and lead to the formation Of
public opinion and action by the repre-
-sentatives of the people Theodore Roose-
welt took up this task in the last two
years of his second administration, and
we'll did he perform it.
AS president of the United States
Aave. as it were, inherited this policy,
and rejoice in my heritage. l prize my
high opportunity to do all that an eX-
-ecutive can do to help q great people
Sealize a great national ambition. For
conservation is national. 1t affects every
man of us, every woman, every child
What can do in the cause l shall do
mot as president of a party, but as presi-
dent of the whole people. Conservation
lis not a question of politics, or OF fac
ations, or OF persons. 1t Is question that
affects the vital welfare of all of us-of
t,All 1l,t Nfa pl,s1
y urge that no good can come from meet
Ings of this sort unless we ascribe to
Irbose who take part in them, and who
are apparently striving worthily in the
cause, all proper motives, and unless we
Iudicially consider every measure or
method proposed with a view to its effec-
rtiveness in achieving our common pur-
pose, and wholly without regard to who
proposes 1t or who will claim the credit
for Its adoption. The problems are OF
very great difficulty and call for the
.;ealmest consideration and clearest fore
sight Many of the questions presented
have phases that are new in this coun-
try, and 1t is possible that in their solu-
Ttion we may have to attempt first one
way and then another. What I wish to
emphasize, however, is that satisfac-
tory conclusion can only be reached
promptly II we avoid acrmony, imputa-
vtIons of bad faith, and political contro-
versy.
The public domain of the government
of the United States, including all the
scessions from those of the thirteen states
that made cessions to the United States
and including Alaska, amounted in all to
about 1900, 600 acres. OF this there is
1ieft purely government property out
aside of Alaska something like 700,000 900 OF
acres. OF this the national forest re-
serves in the United States proper en-
brace 144, 600, 900 acres.
ha divide nv disrn
heads of ~ agricultural lands; (2) min
erel lands-that is, lands containing
s,metalliferous minerals; (3) forest lands
20 coal lands; (5) oil and gas lands; anC
30 phosphate lands.
Agricultural Lands.
Our land laws for the entry of agricul
&ural lands are now as follows:
The original homestead law, with th
Requirements of residence and cultivation
for five years, much more strictly en-
forced than ever before.
The enlarged homestead act, applying
ito ponirrigable lands only, requiring fiv
years residence and continuous cultiva
lion of one-fourth of the area.
",The desert-land act, which requires o.
the part of the purchaser the ownershi
,of a water right and thorough reclcma
ytion of the land by irrigation. and tn
payment OF sl.25 per acre.
The donation or Carey act, under whic
Nthe state selects tne ldnu ana prOVlue
72Gor it's reclamation. and the title vests
the settler who resides upon the land an
,ruitivates 1t and pays the cost OF tn
reclamation.
The national reclamation homestea
Eaw, requiring five years residence an
s'rultivation by the settler on the land Il
irrigated by the government, and paymer
My him to the government OF the cost
the reclamation.
The present congress passed bill
great importance, severing the ownersh
OF coal by the government in the grour
from the surface and permitting hom
stead entries upon the surface OF u
Hand. which, when perfected, give II
tsettler the right to farm the surfac
while the coal beneath the surface is r
tanned in ownership by the governme
and may be disposed of by 1t under 9th
Haws-
There is no crying need for radical r
sEorn in the methods of disposing of VIII
are really agricultural lands. The pre-
~ent laws have worked well. The e
Ifarged homestead law has encouraged Il
successful farming of lands in the sen
.srid regions.
Reclamation.
T8y the reclamation act fund has be-
-Sreated OF the proceeds of the pub
.zands of the United States with which
,osnstruct works for storing great bodi
suf water at proper ailtuues lroH wiic
Hzry suitable system OF canals and ditc
ses, the water is to be distributed over [
suzxid and subarid lands Of the governme
so be sold to settlers at price sufficie
30 pay for the improvements. Primari
ytfe projects are and must be tor the Il
rprovement OF public lands. Incidental
vwhere private land 10 also within rea
az the water supply, the furnishing
cost or profit of this water to priva
owners by the government Is held by I
federal court of appeals not to be
s1surpation Of power. But certainly d
ought not to be done except from 81
pius water. not needed for governmt
land The total sum already accnmu
-ted In the reclamation fund Is s6o,z
-z5s22, and of that all but $64s1 ,s5bS4
zAeen expended. 1t became very clear
congress at its last session, from
statements made by experts, that th
80 projects could not be promptly co
.pieted with the balance remaining
~<tt tho ft,ndu If<alv IN accl