The Tupelo journal., 1910-01-21
CONSERVATION OF
THE NATIONS RESOURCES
President Taft Sends Special Message to Con-
gress Recommending Prevention Of Land
Frauds, Control Of Water Power, Fos-
tering Of Soils and Kindred Subjects
to legislation to meet conditions or
emergencies as they arise.

to legislation to meet conditions or
emergencies as they arise.
Properly to Classify Lands.
One of the most pressing needs In
the matter OF public-land reform is
that lands should be classified accord
ing to their principal value use. This
ought to be lone by that or department.
whose force is best adapted to that
work. 1t should be done by the inter-
for department through the geological
survey. Much of confusion. fraud. and
contention which has existed in the
present has arisen from the lack OF
an official and deterhinative classif-
cation of the public lands and their
contents.
1t is now proposed to dispose of ag-
ricultural lands as such. and at the
same time to reserve for other DISPOSE
ton the treasure of coal, oil. ashphal-
tum. natural gas and phosphate con-
tanned therein. This may be best ac-
complished by separating the right
to mine from the title to the surface.
giving the necessary use OF so much or
the latter as may he required for the
extraction of the deposits. The sur
face might he dispOSed or as agricul-
tural land under the general aGricul-
turai statutes. while the coal or other
mineral could be disposed OF by lease
on a royalty basis. with the provisions
% =
ment each year: and in order to pre-
vent the use and cession of said lands
with others OF similar character so as
to constitute a monopoly forbidden by
law. the lease should contain suitable
provision subjecting to forfeiture the
interest OF persons participating In
such monopoly. Such law should APP
ply to Alaska as well as to the United
States.
Statute Difficult to Frame.
It Is exceedingly difficult to frame
n statute to retain government control
over a property to be developed by
private capital in such a manner as
to secure the governmental purpose
and at the same time not brighten
away the investment of the necessary
capital. Hence. 1t may be necessary
! by laws thai are really only expert
mental to determine from their prac-
teal operation what is the best
method of securing the result aimed at.
The extent of the value OF phosphate
is hardly realized. and with the need
that there will be for it as the years
roll on and the necessity for fertiliz-
ing the land shall become more acute.
this will be a product which will prob
IDLY attract the greed of monopolists.
Public Land Along Streams.
With respect to the public land
which lies along the streams Offering
opportunity to convert water power
into transmissible electricity. another
important phase of the public land
question is presented. There are val
uabl water power sites through all
the public land states. The opinion
is held that the transfer of sovereignty
from the federal government to the
territorial governments as they become
states. included the water power in
the rivers except so far as that owned
hv riparian nrnnripfOrS. 10 not
think it necessary to go into discussion
of this somewhat mooted question OF
law. 1t seems to me sufficient to say
that the man who owns and controls
the land along the stream from which
the power is to be converted and trans
| mitted. owns land which is indispens-
able to the conversion and use of that
power. 1 cannot conceive how the
power in streams flowing through pub
lie lands can be made available at all
except by using the land itself as the
site for the construction of the plant
bv which the power is generated and
converted and securing a right of way
thereover for transmission lines. I'm
der these condition, if the government
owns the adjacent land-indeed, il the
. government is the riparian owner-lt
| NAV control the use of the water power
by imposing proper conditions on the
disposition of the land necessary In the
| creation and utilization of the water
power.
Value of Water Power.
The development in electrical appli-
| ances for the conversion of the water
| power into electricity to be transmitted
long distances has progressed so far that
| If is no longer problematical, but 1t is a
| certain inference that in the future the
| power of the water falling in the streams
to a large extent will take the place of
| natural fuels. In the disposition of the
domain already granted. many water
power sites have come under absolute
| ownership. and may drift into one own
| ership, so that all, the water power under
private ownership shall be a monopoly.
If. however, the water power sites now
| owned by the goy~ernment-and there are
| enough of ~them-shall be disposed of to
private persons for the investment OF
their capital in such a way as to prevent
| their union for purposes of monopoly
| with other water power sites. and under
! conditions that shall limit the right of use
to not exceeding thirty years with renewal
privileges and some equitable means OF
fixing terms of rental and with proper
means for determining a reasonable grad
, uated rental. 1t would seem entirely pos
| sible to prevent the absorption of these
| most useful lands by a power monopoly.
AS long as the government retains con-
| troll and can prevent their improper union
with other plants. competition must be
| maintained and prices kept reasonable.
Soils Must Be Conserved.
In considering the conservation of the
| natural resources OF the country. the fea-
ture that transcends all others. including
woods, waters. minerals, is the soil OF the
country. 1t is upon the gov
| ernment to foster by all available means
the resources of the country that produce
the food of the people. To this end the
| conservation Of the soils OF the country
| should be cared for with all means at the
| governments disposal. Their productive
| powers should have the attention of our
| scientists that we may conserve the new
soils. improve the old soils. drain wet
| soils, ditch SWAMI soils. levee river over
| flow soils, grow trees on thin soils. pas
| ture hillside soils, rotate crops on all
| soils. discover methods for cropping dry
| land soils, find grasses and legumes for
all soils, feed grains and mill feeds on
| the farms where they originate. that the
soils from which they come may be en-
| riched.
A work of the utmost importance to in
| form and Instruct the public on this chief
| branch of the conservation OF our re-
sources is being carried on successfully
in the department of agriculture: but IT
ought not to escape public attention that
state action in addition to that of the de-
partment of agriculture las for Instance
in the drainage of swamp lands) is es-
sential to the best treatment of the soils
in the manner above indicated.
The act by which, in semi-arid parts OF