Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-01-15
PRESIDENT TAFT I'M REcoMMEM>
DATIoNs ON SUBJECT OF NAT
uRAL RESOURCES URGED THE
PROMPT ENACTMENT OF LAWS
WILL TREAT OTHER
SUBJECTS LATER
WATERWAYS AND RECLAMATION
QUESTIONS TO BE TREATED I'M
SUBSEQUENT MESSAGES; FOR
EsTRY FEuD NOT MENTIONED.

ES ny FEuD NOT MENTIONED.
Washington, D. c., Jan. 14.-Presi-
dent Taft's special, conservation mes
sage was delivered to the house soon
| after that body convened today.
| Practically all the members present
remained in their seats and followed
the reading carefully When the read
ing was concluded a roar OF applause
arose from the Republican side and
several Democrats joined in the dem
onstration of approval. Representa-
tive Mondell of Wyoming, chairman OF
the house committee on public lands,
declined to stand sponsor for the pres
ident's bills designed to carry out his
| program for the conservation of
natural resources. He offered to In
troduce the measure ''by request" but
the proffer was declined. The message
in full is as follows:
To the Senate and House of Repres-
entatives:
In several departments there Is pre-
sented the necessity for legislation
| looking to the further conservation of
our national resources, and the sub
| ject is one Of such Importance as to
lrequire more detailed and extended
| discussion than can be entered upon
| in this communication. For this rea-
son, | shall take an early opportunity
to send a special message to congress
on the subject Of the Improvement of
| our Waterways; upon the reclamation
and irrigation OF arid, semiarid and
swamp lands; upon the preservation
of our forests and the reforesting Of
suitable areas; upon the reclassifca-
tion of the public domain with view
OF separating from agricultural settle
ment mineral, coal and phosphate
lands and sites belonging to the gov
ernment bordering on streams suit
able for the utilization of water pow
er.
Former Methods Were Lax.
In 1860 we had a public domain OF
1,055,911 ,2SS acres. We have now 73I,-
564,0S1 acres, confined largely to the
mountain ranges and the arid and
semi-arid plains. We have, in addition,
368,035,975 acres of land in Alaska.
The public lands were, during the
earliest administrations, treated as
national asset for the liquidation of
the public debt and as a source OF re-
ward for our soldiers and sailors. Lat
er on they were donated In large
amounts in aid Of the construction of
! wagon roads and railways, In order to
open up regions in the west then al
most inaccessible. All the principal
land statutes were enacted more than
a quarter of century ago. The home
stead act, the presumption and timber
culture act, the coal land and the min
ing acts were among these. The rapid
II iCr nf fhn 1i1 Inv Inr
the early statutes, and the lax meth
DDS Of distribution prevailing, due,
think to the belief that these lands
should rapidly pass into private own
ership, gave rise to the impression
that the public domain was legitimate
prey for the unscrupulous, and that it
was not contrary to good morals to
circumvent the land laws. This prodi-
gal manner of disposition resulted in
the passing of large areas of valuable
land and many Of our national re-
sources into the hands of persons who
felt little or no responsibility for pro-
noting the national welfare through
their development. The truth is that
title to millions of acres of public
lands was fraudulently obtained, and
that the right to recover a large part
of such lands for the government long
since ceased by reason of statutes OF
limitation.
The New Conservation Idea.
There has developed Of recent years
a deep concern in the public mind
respecting the preservation and prop.
er use of our natural resources. This
has been particularly directed towarf
the conservation of the resources OF
the public domain.
The problem is how to save and
how to utilize, how to conserve and
still to develop; for no sane person
can contend that it is for the common
good that natures blessings are only
for unborn generations.
Among the most noteworthy reforms
initiated by my distinguished prede-
cessor were the vigorous prosecution
of land frauds and the bringing to pub.
lie attention Of the necessity for pre-
serving the remaining public domain
from further spoilation, for the main
tenance and extension of our forest
resources, and for the enactment OF
laws amending the obsolete statutes