Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1910-01-14
TAFT RECOMMENDS $300OOOD0
FOR IRRIGATION PROJECTS
Conservation Message Sent to Congress Today and En-
bodies the Administrators Ideas on That
Important Subject.

Washington, Jan. 1l-Presiden
Taft's special message on conserve
ton on natural resources sent t
Congress today is as follows:
TO the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives:
IN my annual message | reserved
| the consideration of our natural re
| sources for discussion Of this mes
sage as follows:
In several instances there is pre-
sented necessity for legislation fol
looking to the further conservation O
our national resources and the sub
ject is of much importance asAto ne
cessitate more detailed and extend
ed discussion than can be entered up
on in this communication. For this
reason l shall take an early oppor
tunity to send a special message to
Congress on the subject of improve
ment of waterways; upon the recla-
nation and irrigation of arid, semi
arid and swamp lands; upon the pres
foresting suitable areas; upon the re-
classification of the public domain
with view of separation from agri-
cultural settlement, mineral, coal and
phosphate lands and sites belonging
to the government bordering on
streams suitable for utilization of
waterpower. -
I'm 1860 we~had a public dominion
of 1O,O55, ,9H,2SS acres. We have now
731, ,354s6S1 acres, confined largely to
the mountain ranges and the arid and
senni-arid plains. We have in addition
SOS, ,035, 1915 acres of land in Alaska.
The public lands during the past
administrations were treated as a ma
tional asset for the liquidation of pub
lie debt and a source of reward for
our soldiers and sailors. Later on they
were donated in large amounts in
aid of the construction of wagon
roads and railways in order to open
regions of the west almost inacces-
sible.
Land Frauds.
The present land statutes were en-
acted more than quarter of a cen
tury ago. The homestead act, the pre-
emption and timber culture act, ,the
coal land and the mining acts were
among these. The rapid disposition
of the public lands under the early
statutes and the methods of distribu-
tion prevailing, gave rise to the i'm
preston that the public domain was
legitimate prey for the unscrupulous
and that it was not contrary to good
morals to circumvent land laws. This
prodigal manner of disposition result
ed in the passing of large areas of
valuable lands and many of our natu-
raj resources into the hands of per-
sons who felt little or no RESPONSE
bility for promoting the national well
fare through their development. The
truth is, that title to millions of
acres of public lands was fraudulent
ly obtained and the right to recover
a large part of such lands for the
government long ceased by reasons OF
statutes of limitation.
There has developed in recent
years a deep concern in the public
mind respecting the public domain,
and the conservation of it's resources.
This has been particularly directed
toward the conservation of resources
Of the public domain
Conservation Problem.
The problem is how to conserve
and still to develop, for no sane per-
son can contend that it is for the
common good that natures blessings
are only for unborn generations.
Among the most noteworthy re-
forms initiated by my distinguished
were the vigorous prose
cution of land frauds and the bring
ng to public attention of the neces- !
sity of providing the remaining do !
nlnlon from spoliation, for the main
of our forest resources, and
sor the enactment of laws amending !
he obsolete statutes SO as to retain /
government control over that part of .
he public domain in whicn there are
deposits of coal, oil and
phosphate, and in addition thereto, to
preserve, control, under conditions
avorable to the public, of lands, along
he streams in which the fall of water
'an be made to generate power to be
transmitted in the form of electricity
many miles to the points of it's USE
Known as water power sites.
investigations into violations of
public lands laws and prosecution IF
and frauds have been vigorously con-
lnued under my administration, has
,een the withdrawal of coal lands for
classification and valuation, and the
emporary Withholding of power sites.
Since March 4, 1909, temporary
of power sites have been
made on 1O2 streams and these with
lrawals therefore cover 229 per cent
more streams than were covered by
he Withdrawals made prior to that
late. :,
"The present statutes, except SO far
IS they dispose of precious metals and