The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-09-05
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makes gift OF 16O acres to each set.
tier and home-builder who VIII occupy
improve, and cultivate his claim for
the period OF five years. OF all our
public land laws. this has. on the
whole, been the most bene1cient and
productive of the hest results, but
with all OF Its blessings It had one
defect | refer to the privilege of
Communication. This Is the privilege
of proving up and paying for the land
at $1.25 per acre prior to the i've
year period for final free entry. The
vice Of allowing a homestead entry
to he commuted. as stated. consists
In opening the door to the speculator,
who, In the space of fourteen months,
can secure title TO the land on scant
and temporary improvements and
| then move away and hold the land
for nero speculative purposes, leaving
the surrounding settlers to enhance
| the value of his land by their contlnu-
! ing and permanent improvements"
Touching on coal lands, Senator
| Nelson said;
IF the policy Of selling the land
| is TO be continued, provision should
BIO made TO protect the people-the
consumers-agalnst monopolios and
combinations In restraint OF trade
and against unreasonable and
exorbitant prices. Many good
men, however, who have given
tho subject great consideration
believe and favor a well-guarded sys-
tenn of leasing instead of sale Their
contention Is that under leasing sys-
tenn more careful and less wasteful
system Of mining will be pursued and
, that a better protection can thereby
be secured for the miner, the con-
sumer and the government. | am not
prepared to take issue with this con-
tention"
Mr.. Nelson spoke of tho recent ex-
ocutive order of President Taft with
drawing all coal lands in Alaska from
location. sale and entry This with
drawal by President Taft. he said.
was not doubt made in pursuance OF
recent legislation by congress and for
the purpose Of giving congress an ap-
portunlty 10 enact better and more
suitable coal land laws for Alaska
than those now In force, and that such
legislation is urgently needed.
The act OF March ,. 1871 (amended
1S9l). making provision for reclama-
tion OF arid lands by irrigation, has
largely proved a failure because the In
diyldual settler in many cases was
unable to defray tho cost OF bringing
water TO his homestead, the speaker
declared. He added
TN View OF the comprehensive char.
acter of the general reclamation act
of 1892. which makes due provision for
securing a water supply and provides
for limited homesteads under quail
fed homestead law, the desert law
referred TO. could well be repealed.
The federal reclamation system is
more certain and effective than recla-
nation by the individual In isolated
cases"
This act. he continued is more ef-
fective than the so-called Carey act OF
1894, and therefore, he said, II is not
advisable TO make any more grants
under it,
Alluding to forest reserves. Senator
Nelson referred in words of praise to
Clifford Pinchot. He said that there
was no systematic effort TO preserve
the forests until 1891 and again In
1897.
Under this legislation. nearly 20O.-
100000 acres or public lands In varl-
Gus states and territories. including
Alaska. have been withdrawn and set
apart Tor forestry purposes, and are
now embraced in our national forests,
and their administration and care
have been placed on a sound, work
able and safe basis through the initia-
ton, prudence and wisdom of our
great forester, Mr.. Ptnchot, who has
laid the foundation and is tho father
OF our forestry system. This legsla-
tlon and administrative action came
none too soon. Had there been more
delay. our timber lands. long before
this, would have passed into private
ownership and there would have been
nothing left for the government TO
conserve. No land legislation In re.
cent times has been productive of
such beneficial and far-reaching bless
ing as our forestry legislation. While
occasionally there has been a little
grumbling and friction on the part OF
settlers and cattlemen as 10 the ad-
ministratlon of the law IN some of its
details, yet IL can be fairly said. when
1t Is borne in mind that it is a new
system that has been initiated. that
there has been little, il any. valid
ground FOR serious criticism or com
plant The conduct Of a few over
Jealous forest rangers and OF a few
oVer-suenuous settlers and cattlemen
ought not to initiate against the value
and usefulness of the forestry system
as whole and N its entirety
The speaker expressed approval of
the withdrawal OF water power sites
from every form Of disposal under
land acts. Coming to the vexed point
as to the legality OF state or federal
control. he said that men versed In
the law held that while the federal
government has all the rights of u
riparian owner, the states control tho
actual water 1T seems to me" he
said, but perhaps / may err-that the
problem of developing and utilizing
water power In such cases can only
be properly solved by the cooperation
of tho state and federal governments.
The one owning the power site and
the other the water In the stream, it
strikes me that cooperate on in such a
case is essential and furnishes the
only practical solution"
From Utah County-Judge Alfred
SaXey OF Spanish Fork is In the city
visiting his son, his chief object be-
ing. rather, to mix with the Jayhawk.
ers at Glcnwood park, Mr. Saxey is
IL a.