Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1910-09-09
STANDS STRONGLY
FOR CONSERVATION
President Taft's Address Before
Congress at st. Paul.
DANGER IN CONTINUED WASTE
Chief Executive Outlines Plans Which
He Believes Should Be Adopted
Statistics Make Speech Com
prehensive TO Hearers.


speech before the National Con-
seryation congress here today. Sub
stantially it was as follows:
Gentlemen of the National Conservation
Congress:
conservation as an economic and po-
utical term has come to mean the preser-
vat,on 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-
nle at large from the waste and dssipa-
ton of our national wealth is not one
which quickly impresses itself on the peo-
ple of the older communities. because it's
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
that the danger is scoGed 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 a remedy
of this evil so 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
well did he perform it.
As president of the United States I
have as it were, inherited this policy.
and l rejoice in my heritage. l prize my
high opportunity to do all that an ex-
ecutlve can do to help a great people
realize a great national ambition. For
conservation is national. 1t affects every
man of u.s. every woman, every child
What I can do in the cause / shall do
not as president of a party, but as presi-
dent of the whole people Conservation
Is not question of politics. or of fac
tons or of persons. IT is a question that
affects IT, vital welfare of all of us-Of
our children and our children's children.
urge that no good can come from meet
ings of this sort unless we asCribe to
those who take part in them. and who
are apparently striving worthily in the
cause all proper motives and unless we
tudicially consider every measure or
method proposed with a view to its effec-
tveness in achieving our common pur-
pose and wholly without regard to who
proposes it or who will claim the credit
for its adoption. The problems are of
very great difficulty and call for the
camest consideration and clearest fore
sight Many of the questions presented
have phases that are new in this coun-
try, and it is possible that in their solu-
ton we may have to attempt first one
way and then another. What l wish TO
emphasize, however is that q satisfac-
promptly If we avoid acrimony, imputa-
tons of bad faith. and political contro-
Fersy
The public domain of the government
Of the United States, including all the
cessions from those of the thirteen states
that made cessions to the United States
and including Alaska. amounted in all to
about 100000. 900 acres. OF this there is
left as purely government property out
side of Alaska something like 100000 600 of
acres. OF this the national forest re-
serves in the United States proper en-
brace IA, 100000 acres. The rest is largely
mountain or arid country, offering some
opportunity for agriculture by dry farm
Ing and by reclamation. and containing
metals as well as COAL phosphates. oils,
and natural gas Then the government
owns many tracts of land lying along the
margins of streams that have water
power, the use of which Is necessary in
the conversion of the power into cleo
tricity and it's transmission.
! shall divide my discussion under the
heads of % agricultural lands; ~ min
eral lands-that is, lands containing
metalliferous minerals; go forest lands;
% coal lands; Co. oil and gas lands; and
W phosphate lands.
Agricultural Lands.
Our land laws for the entry of agricul-
taral lands are now as follows:
The original homestead law, with the
requirements of residence and cultivation
Tor five years, much more strictly en-
forced than ever before.
The enlarged homestead act, applying
10 nonirrigable lands only, requiring five
years residence and continuous cultiva-
uon Of one-fourth of the area.
Inc desert-land act which requires on
Inc part Of the purchaser the ownership
OF a water right and thorough reclama-
uon Of the land by irrigation, ana the
payment Of SIPS per acre.
Jhe donation or Carey act under which
the state selects the land and provides
Tor Its reclamation. and the title vests in
tHe settler who resides upon the land and
eAaVates it and pays the cost of the
Reclamation
The national reclamation homestead
Jaw. requiring five years residence and
c"uFaton by the settler on the land if
.s%Jed by the government. and payment
uE MIN to the government of the cost Of
me reclamation.
me present congress passed a bill Of
great Importance. severing the ownership
" CoaI by the government in the ground
I.oth the surface and permitting home
's@a entries upon the surface of the
.aI'a' which, when perfected give the
setter the right to farm the surface
','ie the coal beneath the surface is re-
e.4aea in ownership by the government
S'.1 may be disposed of by it under other
.-Aere Is no crying need for radical re-
I'm IN the methods of disposng Of what
really agricultural lands The pres
- laws have worked well The en-
aeeo homestead law has encouraged the
-ccessful farming of lands in the semi
- ~ regions. OF course the teachings OF
80 80 agricultural department as to how
.Hse subarid lands may be treated and
~ son preserved for useful culture are
-, ne very essence of conservation, Then
SerFauon Of agricultural lands is
In the reclamation of arid lands
4l34 gation and ! should devote few
- rs 10 what the government has done
Is doing in this regard
Reclamation.
IE me reclamation act fund has been
leo OF the proceeds OF the public
,r ,l-s Oh the United States with which to
~ - et works for storing great bodies
h. ,ater al proper attitudes from which
=. suitable system of canals and ditch
as -,T water is to be distributed over the
- ana subarid lands Of the government
- sod 10 settlers at price sufficient
Say ior the improvements. Primarily
- f+v3ects are and must he for the i'm