The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1910-09-02

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handicap 8 exclude ths snaall a. -
{ for rencss thaA Is can x0oiS q { e
must teAvs every 4ers .nsN Ia n 6 yet
tied BY bona-fde homGStead orss freely
open 70 such settlement.
FL. do not believe that q single are Of
our public lands should hereafter PASS
INTO private ownership except for the
single purpose Of homestead settle
ment, and I know that the stockmen
stand with me in their desire fos "a re- :.
move every obstacle from the path OF
the genuine homesteAder. and TO put
every possible obstacle In the NathWAS
Of the man who tries to get public
lands by Misrepresentation or fraud.
This 10 absolutely necessary on the
agricultural lands. It is at least equal
iy necessary on the mineral lands. It
would be q calamity. whose baleful ef-
feet on the average citizen we can
scarcely exaggerate. II the great stores
Of coal and other mineral fuels still
<vned by the people in Alaska and
elsewhereA should pass into the unregu-
lated ownership Of monopolisttc cor.
porations.
The Forest Service.
You progressive stockmen have stood
heartily by the conservation move
ment, and with you have stood many
others throughout the West, to whom
large credit is due, such as the lum-
bermen in Washington and Oregon. the
irrigators in California, and the sup
porters Of the country life movement
in and around Spokane. want to
make my Acknowledgements in partic-
ular to the Colorado Forestry associa-
ton. which has supported the forest
work of the government with such un-
0n1a oh
enemies because it is effective. Some
of it's best work has been met by the
bitterest opposition. For example, it
has done real service by blocking
the road against the grabbers of water
power. and again by standing like
rock against the demands of bogus
mining concerns to exploit the national
forests. l have always done my best
to help the genuine miner. I believe
that one Of the first duties of the gov
eminent Is to encourage honest mining
on the public lands. But it is equally
important to enforce the law firmly
against that particularly dangerous
class which makes its living of the
public through fraudulent mining
schemes.
Eiuch Of the opposition to the forest
service. like much of the opposition tc
conservation, takes the form of direct
Misrepresentation. For example, the
cry is often heard that the national
forests inclose great areas Of agricul-
tural land which are thus put beyond
the reach Of settlement This state
ment seems plausible only till the facts
are known. In the first place, congress
has specially provided that whatever
agricultural land there may be in any
national forest shall be open, under
proper safeguards, to homestead set
Element And in the second place, when
the opponents Of conservation are ask
ed to point out the great stretches of
inclosed agricultural land on the
ground and in the presence of experts,
instead of in speeches in hall. they
fail.
Reclamation Service.
The National Irrigation Congress is
to hold session in the city of Pueblo
late in September. am keenly sorry
invitation to be present. I must how
ever. be in the East at that time. But
since I cannot be present then to ex-
press my keen. long-held and deep-felt
interest in the reclamation of arid
lands by the federal government, I
desire to do so now. There is no more
effective instrument for the making of
homes than the United States Recla-
nation Service. and no government bu-
reau while was President had reach
ed higher standard of efficiency, in
tegrity and devotion to the public well
fare
Like the Forest Service. the Reclama-
don Service has FLASHED with certain pri-
vate interests. and has had to pay the
penalty Of its service to the, public in the
form of bitter opposition from those with
whose profit 1t has interfered. The cry
has been raised against 1t that the gov
eminent must not do for its citizens at
less cost what private interests are ready
to make them pay for at higher prices,
NOW, believe fully in the private de-
velopment of irrigation projects which the
government cannot undertake. There is
a large and legitimate field for such work,
But the essential thing is to make homes
on the lands. not to enable individuals to
profit from the necessities Of the men who
make those homes There .is no more
warrant for objecting to the reclamation
OF arid lands by the government than
there would be to protest against the gov
eminent for patenting agricultural lands
directly to the actual settler, instead of
through middleman, who could make
profit from the transaction. The men who
assert themselves at the cost Of the COM
munity instead Of by service to the COM
munity we have always had with us, and
doubtless we always shall. But there is
no reason why we should yield to them.
The Reclamation Service has not done 90,
and that is the chief reason for the 1t.
tacks upon 1t.
I don't think that there is one among
you who is a better and more thorough,
going westerner than am. There has
been no support given to the conserva-
ton policies so welcome as that which
came from the west, and none In the
west more welcome than that which came
from Colorado. There are men and or
CARNATIONS in Colorado. and mention
Delta In particular. whose support Of the
conservation policies has been Of the
greatest value to the Nation. It has not
always been an easy thing for them to
stand for what was right. to stand for
the real ultimate good as against the
seeming temporary good: but they have
stood for. 1t steadily nevertheless.
From the standpoint of conservation
the east has wasted much Of its own
superb endowment; and as an American,
as a lover of the west. hope that the
west will profit by the casts bitter les
son. and will not repeat the mistakes Of
the east. The east has wasted its re-
sources. It suffers from the effect Of the
waste. which now puts 1t at q disadvan-
tage compared to the west and It is
sorry. Most Of the capital and very
many Of the men now attempting to
monopol'ze your western resources are
from the east. The west should learn