The Forrest City times., 1910-04-15
TAFT INSISTS 0N
 WITHDRAWAL BILL
Land Conservation Measure Is Considered Important by
 President.
IS OPPOSED BY WESTERNERS
Democrats Hope to Elect Successor to James ereck Perkins in New York-Senators Are Against Proposed Treaty with
 Liberia


 Washington.-It is becoming sharp ly evident that the presidents conser- yation measures will be beset by many difficulties. but finally they may sec the light of passage One of the bills as prepared authorizes the presi- dent 70 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 a 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
 It will he recognized at once that the reasons back of the desire to pass this legislation have for their basis the wish to firS a way to prevent val uable 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
 Onry Two Bills Have Chance.
 It was supposed when congress first came together that several conserva- tion 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 ii7 which congress has gone at the work of the session make it seem cer- 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 or the surface lands from the mineral lands which may lie underneath in or der that different methods 0. dispo- sing of each may be found. In the second conservation measure the idea Is to secure means by which the gov ernment 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- deaFor. it is nevertheless true that In conservation matters the former president did net have the entire sym pathy and support of men who stood by him upon all other matters of pub Hc policy to which he gave his adher- ence. President Taft is most insist ent that law which wiN give him and succeeding presidents the power to withdraw public lands when 1t seems necessary shall be passed at this session. He is constantly refer rag 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- tuaily the form in which 1t was drawn lie is trying hard to win the north west to his views
 Involves 6allinger Trouble.
 It Is perfectly easy to understand why Mir. Taft is so anxious that this particular piece of legislation shall go on the statute books In the form in which 1t has been sanctioned by him and by the attorney general and the secretary of the interior One of the hrst acts of Secretary Ballinger was to restore some of the lands which xrrttl ly, I,. l,E. sor. Secretary Garfield. Mr Ballinger did not believe and does not believe today that Mir. Garfield had the legal authority to withdraw the lands
 As soon as the new secretary of the interior had restored part of the public domain which Mir. Gorfeld had Withdrawn. harsh criticism of the act or the Roosevelt policies of conserva- tion Clifford ?inchot and others made representations to President Taft, and as result MT Ballinger was com pelled 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 restorations of the public domain add ed coals to the already hot fire of controversy between MT. Ballinger MT. Pinchot of the forestry service and some of the officials of the land ofhce and reclamation service.