The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-08-29

II Il ..s 49, III national affairs.
I do not believe that single acre Of
our public lands should hereafter pass
into private ownership except for the
single purpose Of homestead settle
ment, and know that the stockmen
stand with me in their desire to re-
move every obstacle from the path OF
the genuine homesteader and to put
every possible obstacle in the pathway
OF the man who tries to get public
lands by Misrepresentation or fraud,
This is absolutely necessary on the
AGRICULTURAL lands 1t Is at least equal
" necessary on the mineral lands II
would be a calamity whose balefui ef-
feet on the average citizen we can
scarcely exaggerate II the great stores
OF coal and other mineral fuels still
| owned by the people in Alaska and
elsewhere should pass into the unreg-
ulated ownership Of monopolistic cor
porations.
The Forest Service.
You progressive stockmen have stood
heartily by the conservation move
ment. and with you have stood many
! others throughout the west, to whom
| large credit Is due. such as the lum-
bermcn in Washington and Oregon,
the irrigators in California and the
supporters of the country life move
| ment in and around Spokane. l want
to make my Acknowledgements in par
| ticular to the Colorado Forestry asso-
citation. which has supported the forest
selfish zeal. The forest service has
enemies because 1t Is effective Some
of its best work has been met by the
bitterest opposition. For example, ii
| has done a real service by blocking
| the road against the grabbers of water
power and again by standing like
rock against the demands OF bogus
mining concerns to. exploit the nation
! al forests.
| the genuine miner. believe that one
of the first duties of the government
| is to encourage honest mining on the
| public lands. But 1t is equally impor-
| tant to enforce the law firmly against
that particularly dangerous class which
| makes its living OF the public through
| fraudulent mining schemes.
| Much o. the opposition to the forest
service. like much Of the opposition to
conservation. takes the form Of direct
! Misrepresentation. For example. the
| cry Is often heard that the national for
ests inclose great areas Of agricultural
| land which are thus put beyond the
reach of settlement
This statement seems plausible only
| till the facts are known. In the first
place, congress has specially provided
that whatever agricultural land there
may be in any national forest shall be
open. under proper safeguards. to
homestead settlement. and in the Sec
| ond place, when the opponents of con-
servation are asked to point out the
great stretches OF inclosed agricultural
| land on the ground and in the pres
ence Of experts instead Of in speeches
| in a hall they fail.
| The Reclamation Service.
The national irrigation congress is
to hold a session In the city of Pueblo
late in September. I am keenly sorry
that could not have accepted the in
vttation to be present. I must. how
ever. be in the east at that time. But
since I cannot be present then to ex.
| press my keen, long held and deep felt
interest in the reclamation Of arid
lands by the federal government / de
sire to do so now.
There is no more effective instru
| ment for the making Of homes than
the United States reclamation service
and no government bureau while
was president had reached a higher
standard Of efficiency. integrity and
| devotion t. the Dnhiic welfare.
PALLADIUM WANT ADS PAY