The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1910-09-08
PRESIDENT Taft's Address Before
congress at St. Paul.
oANGER IN CONTINUED WASTE
- executive Outlines Plans Which
70 s Believes Should Be Adopted
statistics Make Speech Com.
prehensive to Hearers

gentlemen OF the National co,ao.-.,.
| Congress: CONSERVATION
| conservation as an econouio o,,
ntlcal term has come to mean tho w. p
| '"''"l ol our natural resourcas -
er"'io"'cal use, go as to secure tho y,o,,
esr sood TO the greatest number
| me uahger to the state and To tb, TO-
PIE at large from the waste and d,ss',o
uun OF our national wealth is NOT ar,
Mncn quickly impresses itself on the mao.
-, 'i tHe oiuer communities because its
-. w, 'ous instances do not occur I'm
49,. ,eiS noorhood' while in the newer
ot we country the sympathy with
! eNpaholoh and development is so stron,,
| that the danger is scofIed at or i.,,,1.'',
among scientific men and thougbtr'I o}'
| servers, however, the DANCER hos oly,,,.,
oeeh present; but ii needed sona ono =,
DlHis nome the crying need for remedy.
VI thls eNll so as TO impress itself an tho
| puDllc mind and lead to the formation nr
public opinion and action bv the rerro.
sehtauVes of the people. Theodore Roose.
VeIt TOOK up this task In the last two
years of his second administration. and
well did he perform 1t.
AS president of the United States
nave. as II were, inherited this policy.
anu rejoice in my heritage. | prize NV
| - 'ff'' '"'I'tS 10 90 all That an eN-
| ecutlVe can do to help a great peonle
realize great national ambition For
conservation is national. 1t affects every
man of us, every woman, every child
! what ! can do in the cause | shall do
| not as president of party, but as presi-
ueht OF the whole people Conservation
Is not question of politics, or of fac
tons, or of persons. 1t is question that
anects the vital welfare of all of us-of
our children and our children's children.
l urge that no good can come from meet
| lngs of this sort unless we ascribe to
those who take part in them. and who
| are apparently striving worthily in the
| cause. all proper motives. and unless we
| judicially consider every measure or
| method proposed with a view to its effec-
tiveness in achieving our common pur-
| pose, and wholly without regard to who
| proposes II or who will claim the credit
| for its adoption The problems are of
very great difficulty and call for the
calmest consideration and clearest fore
| sight. Many of the questions presented
| have phases that are new in this coun-
try. and it is possible that in their solu-
ton we may have to attempt first one
way and then another What | wish to
emphasize however, is that a satisfac-
tory conclusion can only be reached
tons of bad faith, and political contro-
versy
The public domain of the government
of the United States, including all the
cessions from those of the thirteen states
that made cessions to the United States
and including Alaska. amounted in all to
| about l,S00O00,OoO acres, OF this there Is
left as purely government property out
side of Alaska something like 7OO,0OO,00O of
acres OF this the national forest re-
| serves in the United States proper en-
brace 100000 acres. The rest is largely
mountain or arid country, Offering some
| opportunity for agriculture by dry farm
ing and by reclamation, and containing
metals as well as coal, phosphates, oils,
and natural gas. Then the government
owns many tracts of land lying along the
margins of streams that have water
power, the use of which is necessary in
the conversion of the power into cleo
| tricity and its transmission.
shall divide my discussion under the
heads of ID agricultural lands; ~ min
eral lands-that is, lands containing
metalliferous minerals; CS) forest lands;
% coal lands; 90 oil and gas lands; and
| (6) phosphate lands.
Agricultural Lands.
Our land laws for the entry of asricul-
tural lands are now as follows;
The original homestead law, with the
requirements of residence and cultivation
for five years, much more strictly en-
forced than ever before.
The enlarged homestead act, applying
to nonirrlgable lands only requiring hVe
years residence and continuous cultiFa-
ton of one fourth OF the area.
The desert-land act. which requires on
tbe mart of the purchaser the ownership
of a water right and thorough reclaina-
tion of the land by irrigation, ana the
payment of Sl2j per acre, ~
The donation or Carey act, under whlch
the state selects the land and provides
for its reclamation and the utle Nests W,
the settler who resides upon the iahd anu
cultivates II and pays the cost OF '"e
reclamation, ,.,,,,ood
law, requiring five years res,uenoe " ~.
cultivation by the settler on the Iahn IT.
rirata1 nv the government and payment
hy him IN the government of the cost OF
the reclamation. I'm -
Tho nresent congress passed a bil OF
s,raat iiuuortancc. severng the ownership
Of coal bv the government IN tue E'u"""
from the surface and permitting ho'me-
staad entries upou the surface OF the
la,d which. when perfected, give 'h'
settler the right to farm the suiI"ce'
while the coal beneath the surface - 'e
taIned i'm ownership by the government .,,'i,.
and may be disposed Of by II uhue' "'''''
laws. 1900, ,,,. radical re-
,ai,,, "a, The methods of disposing OF wha'
ara rnolly agricultural lands me pres
ami laws have worked well, Inc en-.
| ta.,,,I homestead law has ENCOURAGED tie
''.7,,,,.,r,,l farming of lands In the sem