Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-01-14
TAFT UPHOLDS
BALL|NGER IN
SPECIAL MESSAGE
Urges Congress to Pass Favor
ably ION Secretary's Sugges-
tiOns on Conservation Plans.
PINCHOT- CONTROVERSY
is BARELY REFERRED TO
Sounds Warning Against Land
Grabs and Appeals for Action
on Waterways Improvement.


WASHINGTON, Jan. 14.--President
Tafts special message on the con.
servation of natural resources was
read before Congress today.
Init the President supports the rec
concentrations of Secretary Ballinger
l and urges Congress to take favorable
Aaction on them at once. The full text
l3f the message follows:
lro the Senate and House of Represen.
/ tatives:
In my annual message l reserved tht
bubject of the conservation of our ma
eional resources for discussion in 6
lpecial message, as follows
In several departments there is pre-
scented the necessity for legislation
looking to the further conservation ol
ur national resources, and the sub
Jet Is one of such Importance as te
require a more detailed ana extended
discussion than can be entered upon
IN This communication. For that reason
: 9hall take an early opportunity tc
sc md a special message to Congress on
tho subject of the Improvement of our
Waterways; upon the reclamation and
irrigation OF arid seniarid and swamp
lands; upon the preservation of our for
ests and the reforesting of suitable
areas; upon the reclassification of the
public domain with a view of separat-
ing from agricultural settlement min
eral, coal and phosphate lands and
sites belonging to the government bor-
dering on streams suitable for the util-
tzatiqn of water power
In 1860 We had public domain OF
I055,91l, ,2SS acres. We have now 7S1,
354,oS1 acres. confined largely to the
mountain ranges and the arid and
semiarid plains. We have, in addition,
36S,0S5,935 acres of land In Alaska.
The public lands We're, during the
earliest administrations. treated as a
national asset for the liquidation of the
public debt apd as source of reward
for our soldiers and sailors Later on
they were donated In large amounts in
aid of the construction of wagon roads
and railways, III order to open up re-
slons In the West then almost mac
cessible. All the principal land statutes
were enacted more than quarter of a
century ago The homestead act. the
preemption and tmber-culture act, the
coal land and the mining acts were
among these. The rapid disposition Of
the public lands under the early stat
utes, and the lax methods of distribu-
ton prevailing, due, think to the
belief that these lands should rapidly
pass into private ownership, gave rise
10 the impression that the public do
main was legitimate prey for the un-
scrupulous, and that it was not con-
trary to good morals to circumvent the
land laws. This prodigal manner of
disposition resulted in the passing OF
large areas Of valuable land and many
of our national resources into the hands
Of persons who felt little or no respon-
sibility for promoting the national well
fare through their development. The
truth is that title to millions of acres
of public lands was fraudulently OBJ
tanned, and that the right to recover "a
large part of such lands for the govern
ment long since ceased by reason of
statutes of limitation.
Refers to Public Concern.
There has developed in recent years
a deep concern in the public mind re-
specting the preservation and proper
use of our natural resources. This has
been particularly directed toward the
conservation of the resources of the
public domain. A vast amount of dis
cussion has appeared in the public print
in generalized form on this subject,
but there has been little practical sug-
gestion. 1t has been easy to say that
the natural resources in fuel supply,
in Forests, in water power and in other
public utilities, must be saved from
waste, monopoly and other abuses, and
the general public is in accord with
this proposition. as they are with most
truisms.- The problem, however, is how
to save and how to utilize, how to con-
serves and still develop; for no sane
person can contend that it is for the
common good that natures blessings
are only for unborn generations.
Among the most noteworthy reforms
initiated by. my distinguished prede-
cessor were the vigorous prosecution
of land frauds and the bringing to
public attention of the necessity for
preserving the remaining public do
main from further spoliation, for the
maintenance and extension OF our for
est resources, and for the enactment
of laws amending the obsolete statutes
so as to retain governmental control
over that part of the public domain
in which there are valuable deposits of
coal, of oil and of phosphate, and, in
addition thereto, to preserve control
under conditions favorable to the pub
lie, of the lands along the streams in
which the fall of water can be made to
generate power to be transmitted in
the form of electricity many miles to
the point of its use, known as water
power" sites
The Investigations into violations of
the pubic land laws and the prosecu-
tion OF land frauds have been vigor-
ously continued under my administra-
ton. as has been the withdrawal Of
coal lands for classification and valua
ton and the temporary Withholding of
power sites.
Since March 4, 1909. temporary with
drawals of power sites have been made |
on 102 streams and these Withdrawals
therefore cover 229 per cent. more
streams than We're covered by the with |
drdwals made prior to that date.
The present statutes, except so far as !
they dispose of the precious metals and |
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