Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-15

federal government to the territorial gov
ernments as they become states, included
the water power In the rivers except 50 far
as that owned by riparian proprietors.
DO not think IL necessary to 20 into a dis
cussion OF this somewhat mooted question
Of law. II seems TO me sufficient to say
that the mar who owns and controls the
along the stream from which the power
is to be converted ana transmitted owns
land which Ia Indispensable to the conver-
Sion and use OF that power. l cannot con
oeive how the power IN streams flowing
through public lands can be made avail
able at all except by using the land itself
as the Bite for the construction Of the plant
by which the power IL generated and con-
verted and securing a right-of-way there
over for transmission lines. Under these
conditions, IL the government owns the
adjacent land-indeed, II the government
ia the riparian owner-it may control the
use OF the water power by imposing proper
conditions on the disposition of the land
necessary in the creation and utilization Of
the water power.
To Avoid Monopoly.
The development in electrical appliances
for the conversion Of water power into
electricity to be transmitted long distances
has progressed so far that IL lie no longer
pr~oblematieal, but II is a certain inference
that in the future the power Of the water
falling in the streams to a large extent
will take the place Of natural fuels. In
the disposition of the domain already
granted, many water power sites have
come under absolute ownership, and may
drift into one ownership. SO hat all the
water power under private ownership
shall be q monopoly. n, however, the
water power sites now owned by the gov
ernment-and there are enough of them
shah be disposed Of to private persons for
the investment Of their capital In such a
way as to prevent their union for purposes
Of monopoly with other water power sites,
and under conditions that shall limit the
right OF use to not exceeding fifty years
with proper means for determining a rea-
sonabie graduated rental, and with some
equitable provision for FIXING terms Of re-
newal, 1t would seem entirely possible
to prevent the absorption Of these most
useful lands by a power monopoly. AS
long as the government retains control
and can prevent their improper union with
other plants competition must be main
tanned and prices kept reasonable.
saving the Soil.
In considering the conservation OF the
natural resources OF tine country, the fea-
ture that transcends all others, including
woods, waters, minerals, Is the soil OF the
country. 1t Is M upon the govern
ment to foster by all available means the
resources Of the country hat produce the
food of the people. To this end the con-
servation of the soils of the country should
be cared for with all means at the govern
ment's disposal. Their productive powers
should rave the attention OF our scientists
that we may conserve the new soils, i'm
prove the old soils, drain wet soils, ditch
swamp soils, levee river overflow soils,
grow trees on thin soils, pasture hillside
soils, rotate crops on all soils, discover
methods for cropping dry land soils, find
grasses and legumes for all soils. feed
grain and mill feeds on the farms where
they originate, that the soils from which
they come to be enriched.
A work of utmost Importance to inform
and instruct the public on this chief branch
Of the conservation of our resources is be-
ing carried on successfully in the De-
partment of Agriculture, but it ought moi
to escape public attention that state action
In addition to that OF the Department OF
Agriculture las for instance in the drain
age Of swamp. lands) is essential to the
SYSe 'Ieae"t "a 'S S'H0 IA '"e ""
above indicated.
The act by which. in semi-arid parts OF
the public domain. the area of the home
stead has been enlarged from 100 to S2C
acres and has resulted most beneficislly in
the extension Of dry farming and in the
demonstration which has been made OF the
possibility, through a variation in the
character and mode OF culture, of raising
substantial crops without the Dresehce OF
such supply of water as has been hereto
fore thought to be necessary for agricul-
ture.