Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1910-04-14
Land Conservation Measure Is
Considered important by
President.
IS OPPOSED BY WESTERNERS
Democrats Hope to Elect Successor
to James Brock Perkins In New
York-Senators Are Against
Proposed Treaty with
Liberia.

walton measures will be beset by
many difficulties, but finally they may
see the light of passage. One of the
bills as prepared authorizes the presi.
dent to withdraw from the public do
main any lands which he may deem
advisable in order to protect the
peoples interest. Many of the west
ern senators and representatives and
goodly number of those from the
east oppose this measure as putting,
as they think, too much power into
the hands of the chief executive.
1t will be recognized at once that
the reasons back of the desire to pass
this legislation have for their basis
the wish to find a way to prevent val
liable water sites and mining lands
from passing into the hands of per-
sons who intend eventually to turn
them over to the uses of corporations,
which on once securing control might
make millions out of property which
has cost them comparatively little,
and would then be in legal position
which would bulwark them against
any attempt to force them to pay the
original owners, the people, any lease
money.
Only Two Bills Have Chance.
1t was supposed when congress first
came together that several conserva-
ton bills Of different kinds would be
introduced and that the president
would insist that all of them be
passed. The length of the presidents
program and the lackadaisical way
in which congress has gone at the
work of the session make 1t seem GER
tain now that only two conservation
measures have any real chance of pas
sage this year. One of them is the
withdrawal bill of which mention has
just been made, and the other is the
measure which looks to the separation
| of the surface lands from the mineral
lands which may lie underneath in or
der that different methods of dispo-
sing OF each may be found. In the
second conservation measure the idea
is to secure means by which the gov
eminent can lease the right to de-
velop mines while disposing of the
surface lands for agricultural pur-
poses in any way that may seem best.
While the extreme west and north
west have been markedly progressive
along the lines of the Roosevelt en-
deavor," 1t is nevertheless true that
in conservation matters the former
| president did not have the entire SYM
pathy and support of men who stood
by him upon all other matters of pub
lie policy to which he gave his adher-
ence. President Taft is most insist
ent that law which will give him
and succeeding presidents the power
to withdraw public lands when it
seems necessary shall be passed at
this session. He is constantly refer
ring to the subject when the senate
and house leaders visit him in the
| White House and he is telling them
that this bill must go through in vir-
tually the form in which it was drawn
He is trying hard to win the north
west to his views.
Involves BaIlinger Trouble.
1t is perfectly easy to understand
why Mr. Taft is so anxious that this
particular piece of legislation shall go
on the statute books in the form in
which it has been sanctioned by him
and by the attorney general and the
secretary of the interior. One of the
first acts of Secretary Ballinger was
to restore some of the lands which
had been withdrawn by his predeces-
sor, Secretary Garfield. Mr.. Ballinger
did not believe and does not believe
| today that Mr.. Garfield had the legal
4 authority to withdraw the lands.
AS soon as the new secretary of the
interior had restored a part of the
public domain which Mr.. Gorfield had
withdrawn, harsh criticism of the act
was made by the principal advocates
of the Roosevelt policies of conserva-
ton. Clifford Pinchot and others made
representations to President Taft, and
as result Mr.. Ballinger was com
| PEELED to withdraw some of the lands
which he had restored TO their former
status. It is needless TO say that the
secretary of the interior did this with
no very good grace, for by the act he
was compelled TO go in the face of his
own belief of the rights in the matter.
This difficulty over Withdrawals and
RESERVATIONS of the public domain add
ed Goals to the already hot fire of
controversy between Mr.. Ballinger.
Mr.. Pinchot of the forestry service
and some of the officials of the land
office and reclamation service.
/ Hope to Gain Another Seat.
i There has been great activity in the
Democratic congressional COMMITTEES
for the last few days. The members
are taking particularly sharp interest
in the outcome CT The special election
in the Thirty-second congressional dis
trict in New York state, where rep
resentative in congress is to be elect
ed to fill the vacancy caused by the
death Of Republican member, James
Breck Perkins.
The Democrats hope to carry this
western New Yek district, which in