The Prescott daily news., 1910-08-29

Necessary on the mineral lands. IT would be calamity. whose baleful ef- feet on the average citizen we car 'c+rcelN cxaggerate. if the great stores of coal and other mineral fuels still owned bN the people in Alaska and
 l5cwherc should pass into the unregu- '" ed ownership of monopolistic corpora tions.
 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- permen In Washington and Oregon the irrigators in California, and the sup porters of the country lifa movement in and around Spokane 1 want to make ny acknowledgements in partic- ular to the Colorado Forestry associa- ton, which has supported the forest work Of the government with such un- selhsh zeal The forest service has enemies because it is effective Soma Of Its best work has been met by tho bitterest opposition. For example. 1t has done a real service by blocking the road against the grabbers of water power, ana again by standing like . rock against the demands of bogus mining concerns to exploit the national forests have always done my best to help the genuine miner I believe that one of the first duties of the gov ernment Is to encourage honest mining on the public lands. But 1t Is equally important to enforce the law firmly against that particularly dangerous class which makes its living of the public through fraudulent mininR sch emes
 Much of the opposition to the forest service nke much of the opposition to to b misrepresentation. For example. the cry Is often heard that the national forests inoloss great areas of agricul- tural land which are thus put beyond the reach of settlement. This state- nent seems plausible only till the facts are known. In the first place, congress has specially provided that whatever sgricuitural land there may be in any national forest shall be open. under proper safeguards, to homestead set tiement' And in the second place, when the opponents of conservation are ask Vu 10 point out the great stretches of inclosed agricultural land on tho ground and in the presence of experts. instead or In speeches in a hall. they fail.
 Reclamation Service.
 The National Irrigation Congress is to hold session in the city of Pueblo
 
 that l could not nave accented ina invitation to be present. l must how ever, be in the East at that time. put since 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 ussire 10 do so now. There is no mora ehee'lNe instrument for the making of homes than the United States Recta- nation Service. and no government bu- reau while I was President had req ch eu higher standard of efficiency. tn- teyrity and devotion to the public well fare.
 Like the Forest Service. the Rsclama. uoa Service has clashed with certain pri- Nate interests. and has had to pay tho penaity or It's service to the public in the Ao' I'll ot outer opposition from those with whose profit It has interfered The cry hes been raised against 1t that the gov. ernment must not do for its citizens at q less cost what private interests are ready 10 make them pay for at higher prtces NOW, l believe fully in the private Ae- veiopment of Irrigation projects which the government cannot undertake There ta large and legitimate field for such work. put the essential thing s to make homss 'n shs lahos not to enable individuais to proht from the necessities of the men who make those homes. There is no more warrant for objscting to the reolsp, ation oi arid lands by the Government than mere would be to protsst against tho rov- sfnment for patsntiag agricultural landa ,ireetiy to the actual settler. instsad oi 'hrouSh middlemAn. who could maks a Pront rom the transaction The men who lsser. themselves at the cost of the com. nunity instead of by service to the com. nunity ws have always had with vs ana ioubtless we alWays ahalI p,,H th... s.