Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1910-09-08
CONSERVATION A DUTY,
DECLARES PRESIDENT TAFT
Members of National Congress at ST. Paul Find
Him Thoroughly in Accord with Their
Tdeas---His Speech.

AANHu AbuaNs AE NuANA tAtCuNANH
spoke substantially as follows:
Gentlemen Of the National Conservation
Congress:
Conservation as an economic and po-
1lucal term has come 90 mean the preser-
walton Of our natural resources FOR
economical use. so as to secure the great
eat good 70 the greatest number
The danger to the state and 20 the peo-
pie at large from the waste and dlssipa-
zion OF our national wealth is not one
which quickly impresses itself on the peo-
pie Of the older communities, because its
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
chat the danger Is scoffed at or ignored.
Among scientific men and thoughtful OBJ
servers, however the danger has always
been present; but 81 needed some one TO
bring home the crying need for a remedy
OF this evil so MS 10 impress itself on the
public mind and lead TO the formation Of
public opinion and action by the repre-
seatatives OF the people. Theodore ROgse-
welt took UP this task tn the last two
years % his second administration, and
vel did he perforTs H.
As president OF the United States
have, as IL were Inherited this policy,
and rejoice in my heritage. ] prize my
ecutvo can do to help a great people
realize great national ambition. For
conservation Is national. II affects every
iran Of us, every woman, every child.
What / can do IN the cause / shall do,
not as president Of A party but as presl-
sent OF the whole people. Conservation
s. u1t question OF politics, or Of fac
Ci9rs or OF persons. Il Is a question that
Affects the vital welfare of all OF us-Of
our children and our ChllIrens children.
urge that no good can come from meet
fuCs o. this sort unless We asCrlhc 70
those who take part "a them. and who
are apparently striving wo-;hily In the
cause. an proper motives. and unless we
tl-lC-ll.y consider every measure or
method proposed with a view 20 It's effec-
N-vs-ess lu achieving our common pur-
pose, and wholly without regard 20 who
PROPOSES % or who will claim the credit
for is adoption. The problems are OF
ve-y great difficulty and call for the
c---r,sss consideration and ClCarest fore
e.EcL Many % the questions presented
have phases that are new in this coun-
V-T- and Il is possible that in their solU-
Ron ws may have TO attempt first one
way ard then another. what 7 wish TO
Ila7Els.ze, however. IS that a satisfac-
tory conclusion can only be reached
promptly u we avoid acr!mouy. imputa-
tons o. bad faith. and political contro-
Nr-sy.
The public domain Of the government
Of the United States, including all the
cesg!Ous from those Of the thirteen states
that made cessioHs to the United States
and including Alaska, amounted in all to
about 1,sJo. 200 90 acres OF this there IS
left as purely government property out
side OF ALASKA something like 10000, 90 Of
acres. OF this the national forest re-
serves in the United States proper en-
brace li4, 10000 acres.
I shall divide my discussion under the
heads Of % agricultural lands: % min
eral lands-that is. lands containing
metallifer0us minerals; co forest lands;
a. coal lands; 90 oil and gas lands; and
f6) phosphate lands.
Agricultural Lands.
Our land laws for the entry OF agrlcul-
tursl lands are now as follows
The original homestead law, with the
requirements Of residence and cultivation
Tor I'VE years, much more strictly en-
forced than ever before
The enlarged homestead act, applying
TO nonirrigable lands only, requiring 1--WE
years residence and continuous cult!va-
zion OF one-fourth OF the area.
The desert-land act, which requires on
the part of the purchaser the ownership
OF water right and thorough recl-ma-
tion OF the land by irrigation, and the
payment Of d.25 per acre.
L
the state selects the land and provides
Tor It's reclamation, and the title vests in
the settler who resides upon the land and
culuvates It and pays the cost OF the
reclamation.
The national reclamation homestead
law, requiring five years residence and
cultivation by the settler on the land ir-
rtgated by the government, and payment
by him 10 the government OF the cost OF
the reclamation.
The present congress passed bill OF
great Importance, severIng the ownership
Of coal by the government in the ground
from the surface and permitting home
stead entries upon the surface OF the
land, which, when perfected, give the
settler the right TO farm the surface,
while the coal beneath the surface is re-
tained in ownership by the government
and may be disposed OF by 1t under other
Laws.
There is no crying need for radical re-
form in the methods OF disposlng OF what
are really agricultural lands The pres
ent laws have worked well. The en-
larged homestead law has encouraged the
successful farming OF lands in the semi
arid regions.
Reclamation.
By the reclamation act a fund has been
created OF the proceeds Of the public
lands OF the United States with which to
construct works for storing great bodies
OF water at proper attitudes from which,
by a suitable system Of canals and ditch
es, the water Is to be distributed over the
arid and subarid lands OF the government
20 be sold 70 settlers at price sufficient
20 pay for the improvements, Primarily,
the projects are and must be for the i'm
provement OF public lands. Incidentally,
where private land is also within reach
OF the water supply. the furnishing at
cost or proht of this water to private
owners by the government is held by the
federal court Of appeals not TO be a
usurpation of power. But certainly this
ought not 20 be done except from sur
plus water, not needed for government
land. The total sum already accumula-
ted In the reclamation fund is SEQ, u.s.
1852, and of that all but 50, 4g1, 1854 has
been expended. II became very clear to
congress az it's last session, from the
statements made by experts, that these
20 projects could not be promptly COM
7pieied with the balance remaining on
yhand or with the funds likely 90 accrue
IN the near future. II was found. more
over, that there are many settlers who
have been led into taking up lands with