The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1910-01-27
MESSAGE ON
CONSERVATION
Taft Urges Issuance of $780,
100000 in Bonds.
SOME NOTEWORTHY REFORMS
Importance of Conserving Water
ways, Forests, Public Lands Set
Forth By President Taft.

Washington. ID. c., Spccial.-Presi-
dent Taft last Friday sent to Con-
gress special message on Conserva-
ton Of our National Resources,
which. III part. is as follows:
, 10 the Senate and House of Rep
reSentativeS:
In my annual message | reserved
the subject Of the conservation of
our national resources for discussion
IN special message. as follows:
In several departments there is
presented the necessity for lcgisla-
ton looking to the further cOnserva.
ton of our national resources. and
The subject is one OF such Importance
! Is TO require n more detailed and eX-
sended discussion than can be en-
| tered upon i'll this communication.
For that reason | shall take an eallv
opportunity TO send n special mes
| sage to Congress on the subject of
.he Improvement of our WATERWAYS:
apon the reclamation and irrigation
Of arid. semi-arid and swamp lands;
lpon the preservation of our forests
and the re-forcsting of suitable
areas; upon the re-classifcation of
the public domain with view of
separating from agricultural settle
nent mineral. coal. and phosphate
lands and sites belonging to the gov
ernment bordering on streams suit
able for the utilization of water
power.
In 1860 we had a public domain
OF 1,O55, 5,911 ,28S acres. We have now
3l,3o4,Ool acres, confined largely to
the mountain ranges and the arid
and semi-arid plains. We have. in
addition, 36S,035,975 acres of land in
Alaska.
Noteworthy Reforms.
Among the most noteworthy re-
forms initiated by my distinguished
predecessor were the vigorous prose-
cutlon of land frauds and the bring
ing OF public attention of the neces-
slty for preserving the remaining
public domain from further spolia-
ton, or the maintenance and extern
sion OF our forest resources, and for
he enactment of laws amending the
'bsolute statutes so as TO retain gov
ernmental control over that part of
the public domain in which there are
valuable deposits of coal. of oil. and
OF phosphate, and. in addition there
to, preserve control. under conditions
favorable 10 the public. Of the lands
along the streams i'll which the fall
OF water can be made to general e
power TO be transmitted in the form
OF electricity many miles to the
point of its use, known as "water-
power' sites.
Land Frauds.
The Investigations into violations
Of the public land laws and the
prosecution of land frauds have been
vigorously continued under nv adj
minIsteratlon, as has been the with
drawd OF coal lands for classifica-
;ion anl valuation and the temporary
withholding of power sites.
Since March i. 1909. Temporary
Withdrawals Of power sites have
been made OF 1O2 streams and these
Withdrawals therefore cover 229
per cent. more streams than were
covered by the Withdrawals made
prior to that date.
Should Meet Conditions.
Inc present statutes. except so far
as they dispose of the precious met
ais and the purely agricultural lands.
are not adapted TO cary out the
modern view of the best disposition
of public lands to private owner
ship, under conditions Offering on the
one hand sufficient inducement TO
private capital to take them over for
proper DEVELOPMENT, with restrictive
conditions on the other which shall
secure to the public that character
OF control which will prevent a mon
opoly or misuse of the lands or their
products. The power of the Secre-
tary Of the Interior to withdraw
from the operation of existing sta
tutes tracts of land, the disposition
OIL which under such statutes would
be detrlmen al to the public interest.
is not clear or satisfactory. This
power has been exercised III the in
terest of the public with the hope
that Congress might affirm the ac
ton OF the Executive by laws adapt
ed to the new conditions. Unfor-
tunately, Congress has not thus far
fully acted on the recommendations
OF the Executive, and the question
as 20 what the Executive is TO do
is, under the circumstances, full of
difficulty. 1T seems to me that it is
the duty of Congress now. by a
statute, to validate the Withdrawals
which have been made by the Secre-
tary of the Interior and the Presi-
dent and to authorize the Secretary
of tne Interior temporarily to with
draw lands pending submission to
Congress of recommendation as to
legislation to meet conditions or
emergencies as they arise.
With respect to the public land