The San Francisco call., 1910-03-17
BALLINGfR SPEAKS
AGAINST RADICALS
Secretary of Interior Declares
Himself an Earnest Adv0-
cate of Conservation
Tells Minnesota Farmers That
Coal Deposits Will Last
for 1000 Years

ST. PAUL. March 1s.-Asserting thai
he is ''as earnest an advocate of wise
conservation as the most radical, but il
must be wise conservation to appeal tt
me-" Secretary of the Interior Ballingei
spoke today before the Minnesota con
servat ton and agricultural development,
congress.
Bailinger was greeted with applause
by the farmer delegates when he stated
that 1t was the object of the admins
tration to put homes into the hands oi
as many citizens as possible.
AT tomorrow mornings session James
J. Hin will speak on Conservation OF
Capital"
Delegates were present today from
all parts of Minnesota and from a num-
Der of neighboring states
ARCHBISHOP IRELAND PREsIDEs
Governor Eberhardt welcomed the
delegates and introduced Archbishop
ireland, who presided at the first ses-
sion.
The congress will continue four days
and several noted speakers are on the
prosram. including government experts
balilnSer declared himself out OF
sympathy with those radicals who fear
that all natural resources are being
future generations.
Our country" he said. sis the richest
OF all In natural resources. It's soil
It's minerals, it's coal, its iron. its gran
lte, Its limestone, its water power and
It's climate possess immea asara bic
wealth and. IL properly utilized, contain
sumelent resource to care for all prob
aple increase in the population of our
country in the years to come" He
said:
COAL ENOUGH FOR 1000 YEARS
While. the doctrinaires figure that
1ne coal deposits of the United
states and Alaska will be exhaust
ed IN period of about 100 years.
the fact is that, according to the
States a the close of 1908, only 0.4
per cent of the original supply of
coal had been exhausted. leaving
as the apparent supply still avail.
supply, or coal enough to last, as
some claim. for period of 1000
years.
After long Indifference on the
part of the people as to the pub
lie domain, a deep concern has sud
denly arisen respecting the rem
nant of the national estates, with
wholly exaggerated notion of what
should be done with 1t by the gov
ernment.
There is much talk about the
sources, and nebulous theories that
sound good to the ear, but are inn
possible of practical application to
existing conditions, are advanced.
Between the hysteria that exists
on the one. side and the tendency
to despoil the public domain on the
other, we will. it is hoped. be able
TO find the true policy of the gov
eminent.
PUTS BURDEN ON STATES
Ballinger expressed the opinion that
"a greater obligation rests upon the
states than upon the general govern
ment to inaugurate laws to prevent
waste in the utilization of national
resources" and added:
But we must not forget that we
are not through with the policy of
development. of building up new
communities and settlements, even
in far off Alaska. We have not
reached that period where we can
say the remainder of our public
lands shall be auctioned off to the
highest bidder to increase the reve-
nue. of the national treasury. They
must still be used tas inducements
to increase thrifty settlements and
provide new homes to landless set
tiers and TO promote commerce and
industrial pursuits in the most re-
mote regions of the west.
What the public domain needs to-
day is a speedy survey of all
adequate and scientific classifica-
tion of the remainder of the public
lands and such legislation as will
enable a determination of all pri-
vate entries and rights in the in
terest of the bona fide claimant
I without unreasonable delay. and,
above all. protection against the
monopolization or waste of our
natural resources.
HE CALLS LAW IMPRACTICAL
Ballinger declared that the present
laws and methods of disposal of de-
posits of COAL phosphates, oil and nat
ural gas. were utterly impractical, and
he added:
Inadequate method exists for
controlling or supervising hydro
electric power produced from power
plants installed on government
water power sites. No man or set
of men can comply with the pres
ent law and finance a coal mine on
the public domain on $40 acres of
land except under extremely ia
Yorable conditio ons.
The absurdity of the law in itself
invites fraud and indirect methods
of eyading it's provisions 1t is
hoped congress will furnish the
interior department with the neces-
sary machinery to guard safely
and properly the public interests
in their ultimate disposition.
COMMENTS ON INSURGENTS