The daily sentinel., 1910-06-21
bORAHSTANDS
F0RWESTERN
RIGHTS

In vigorous speech, Senator
Borah of Idaho. one-third of whose
area is government reservations. dis
cussing conservation in the senate
yesterday. declared that the people
of the Western states could better at
tend to their local affairs than
bureau in Washington. In being de
prived of the use of their agricultural
lands. their mines and power sites,
they were denied equality which was
part OF Il states heritage. he charged.
Let us have an understanding.
he said. that any conservation policy
agreed upon must have as its basic
principle that of economic use and
development. These resources are
not to lie idle, imprisoned and un-
salable If you join with us in their
dedication to the economic use of
those who will develop them. We will
gladly join you in formulating a
policy of regulation and control which
will avoid useless extravaganza and
monopoly, in so far as it is possible.
Contending that it was a violation
of every principle of the constitution
to withhold power sites from the use
of the Western states, Mr.. Borah in
qured
III Illinois or Massachusetts, re-
ceives thousands or even millions OF
dollars as a revenue for their water
power and Idaho receives nothing,
but. on the other hand. pays millions
into the federal treasury. is there
equality among the states?" He said
that the contention that natural re-
sources in state belonged to all the
people of the United States was right
in theory but that in practice it was
utterly untrue.
"Our power sites do not in any
sense of the term belong to the people
of New England or New York" con-
/ tinued the senator. They are to be
utilized by those who make them
selves citizens of the state and join
with others in trying to build up a
commonwealth" He argued that it
never had been the theory of the gov
| ernment that these resources should
/, be utilized as revenue producing
proposition, but that they were for
the benefit of all the people But, "
he said. the people must come within
the state in order to avail themselves
of the use and benefit"
| Mr.. Borah said congress could not
promote conservation by treating
power sites, which to utilize was to
consume. AS to undeveloped natural
resources he said that after congress
had adopted laws to prevent waste
extravaganza and monopoly so as to
insure their economic and bona fide
use by the people, it was about as far
as the United States government
could 60 He added that as to timber
there always should be the encourage
ment and aid of reforestration. as
that was something that could be re-
produced.
Every water power site unused
locked up in idleness and inactivity
when there are communities to serve,
is subtraction from the sum of hui
man happiness and prosperity" he
continued. Every piece of land
which will produce the necessaries of
life dedicated by law to nonuse. in
corporated in reserve and denied to
settlement, is an extra burden upon
every man who buys the necessaries
of life. Every year in which thou
sands of feet of ripened lumber are
permitted to rot and fall in the re-
serves you are stealing something
! from the human race that belongs to
| II, and every year that the great coal
beds of the Pacific slope go unde-
veloped it costs this government its
extra millions to send coal around to
the Pacific, burdens every citizen in
that part of the country with eXorb-
liant freight charges and puts extra
millions into the hands of Eastern
coal companies who delight to see
this 90 on
Economic use and development
should be the basic and fundamental
principle of any conservation policy
agreed upon or Incorporated into
law" said Senator Borah.
These resources are not to lie idle.
imprisoned and unusable," he urged.
IF you join with us in that PROPOSE
tion, we will gladly join you in form
ulating a policy of regulation and
control which will avoid waste, ex-
| trava gance and monopoly as far as
possible. But upon policy of nom
use. of strangulation of the great
West we stop at the first call for
D To-. toll