The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1910-09-09
STANDS STRONGLY
FOR CONSERVATION
President Taft's Address Before
Congress at ST. PAU.
DANGER IN CONTINUED WASTE
Chief Executive Outlines Plans Which
He Believes shou,a Sc Adopted
Statistics Make Speech Com
~prcHersfve 70 Hearers.

speech GtlOTS the Na-IoAA CbE-
servEuon congress here today. Sub
stEntiAlly II vas q follows.
G-.ntlemsn Of the NG,lonL conservation
Congress
Conservation as 81 economic and pc
lt4cSl term hAE CONS 70 mean the PreEsr-
vEuor o. our natural resources fer
economical uEe. So as 70 secure thu great
est good 70 ne greatest number.
The dEnEry 20 the state and 70 the PEG
pie ~ large from The waste and siBRipR-
ton Of or nAuonGl wealth Ia not enc
which quickly luPrsssss Itself on the pee
pJs OF the older communities because is
most obvious Instances DO not occur II
their neiEhborhoo6. While IN the pswSr
part q the country the sympathy with
expansion and development 10 - strong
that the danger Is scof~d ~ Or ignored.
Among scientific men and thoughtful Oh
servers however, the danger has Always
been present: but II needed some one to
bring home the crying need for q remedy
Of this sytl 50 50 70 impress itself Sn the
public mind and lead 10 the formation Of
public opinion and action by the repre-
ssntAtves Of the people Theodore Rooss-
velt took Up this task in the lGSt tive
years OF his second administration, and
well did he perform IL
As president OF the United States I
have. az IL were, Inherited this policy.
and ! rejoice in my heritage. I p-isS my
nigh opportunity 10 do al thai al sI-
eoutive can do to help s. great people
realize a great national ambition For
conservation is national II Affects every
man OF IA, every omA every HID
What ! can do IN the cause I shall CO,
not Rs president OF 8 party, but an presl-
dent Of the whole people. Conservation
Ia ~ q wT4awgAnu - rENH#A-W 49, - Ean
tons, or Of persons. II Is & question that
affects the vital welfare OF AL Of us-Of
our children and our children's children.
I urge that no good can come from meet
ings Of this sort unless we RScrIbe TO
those who al part In them, and who
are apparently striving worthily in the
cause, all proper motives, and unless we
tudicislly consider every measure or
method proposed with q view 10 its sfIec-
tvsnsEs 10 achieving our common Pur-
pose, and wholly without regard to who
proposes II or who wiz claim the credit
for It's adoption. The problems are OF
very great difficulty Ind cali for the
calmest consideration and eleArest fore
sight Many Of the questions presented
"a phases that are new In this coun-
try, and 1t n possible that in their solu-
ton We may have 10 attempt first one
way and then another. What ! wish to
emphasize, however. Is that a sAtisf&c-
tory conclusion can only be reached
promptly II we avoid acrtmOny. imputa-
tons OF bad faith. and political cohtro-
verSy.
The public domain Of the
OF the United States. including al the
cessions from those OF the thirteen states
made eessions to the United States
and including Alaska, amounted In ali 10
about 1.So0. a00, OG acres. OF this there Is
left as purely government property out
side OF Alaska something like TD, c0. 900 OF
acres. on thia the national forest re-
serves In the United States proper en-
brace 14s,ooo.ooo acres. The rest 10 largely
mountain or arid country, Offering some
opportunity for agriculture by dry farm
Ing and by reclamation, and containing
metals an well as coal. phosphates, oils.
and natural gas. Then the government
many tracts OF Ian lying along the
margins OF streams that have water
power. the use OF which Is necessary in
the conversion OF the power int slec-
trlcity and it's transmission.
I shall divide my discussion under the
heads Of dl agricultural Lands; % min
eral lands-thzt is. and containing
metalhferous minerals; 90 forest lands;
"a coal lands: 60 oil n gas lands; and
CD phosphate lands.
EHEiCullufai L&noe.
Our land laws for the entry Of agricuI-
tural lands are now IA follows:
The original homestead law, with the
OF residence and cultivation
for nye years, much more strictly en-
forced than ever before.
The enlarged homestead act, applying
TO nonirrigRble lands only, requiring FIVE
years residence and continuous cultiya-
ton OF one-fourth OF the area.
The desert-land act. which requires on
the part OF the purchaser the ownership
Of a water right and thorough reclama-
ton or the land by irrigation, and the
payment Of his per acre.
The donation or Carey act. under which
the state selects the land and provides
for its reclamation, and the title vests In
the settler who resides upon the land and
1t and pays tho cost Of the
reclamation.
The national reclamation homestead
law, requiring five years residence and
cultivation by the settler en- the land IT.
by the government and payrssnt
by him to the government Of The cost OF
the reclamation.
The present congress passed \ bin OF
great Importance. severfng the ownership
OF coal BY the government I'm the ground
from the surface and perrnitting home
stead entries uDon the surface of the
land, which. when perfected, give the
settler the right 20 farm the srrfacs,
while the coal beneath the surface 10 re-
tanned In ownership by the government
and may be disposed OF by X under other
There Is no crying need for radical re-
form IN the methods of disposing OF what
really Agricultural lands. The pres
laws have worked well. The en-
homestead law has encouraged the
successful farming OF lands in the semi-
arid regions. or course the teachings Of
the agricultural department as to how
these subarid ands may be treated and
the soil preserved for useful culture are
OF the very essence OF conservation. Then
conservation OF agricultural lands IL
hown In the reclamation or arid lands
by irrigation and I should devote a few
words 70 what the government has done
and is doing IN this regard.
Reclamation.
BY the reclamation act a fund has been
created OF the proceeds Of the public
lands Of the United States with which 10
construct works for storing great bodies
OF water at proper attitudes from which.
a suitable systeM Sf canada and aitch-
es the water is To- be distributed over the
arid and subarid lands OF the government
to be cold 20 settlers at a rrfce snfncieaf
to pay for the improvements. Primarily.
the projects are and must be for the nm
proyement of public lands incidentally.
where private land fs also within reach
81 the wAtsr supply. the furnishins, At