The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-30
SENATOR BoRAH's SPEECH.

Inc speech delivered al Twin fallS
Idaho. last evening by Senator Boral
is a straight and strong plea for sane
and practical conservation. Senator
Borah is in favor of conservation, as
everyone is. provided conservation shall
be conducted along lawful and service
able lines But u conservation that
forces settlers off the public domain
which dcprives the citizens of their
rights under the law to settle on and
use the public domain, is not the Amer
| lean idea of conservation; nothing OF
that kind has been known hitherto in
this Republic. Senator Borah was cspe.
cially vigorous in his showing that Con-
gress has been enormously wasteful of
the public domain areas IN all this
western country. 1t has granted lands
not by the acre, not by the farm, not
by the mile even, but by the thousands
Of square miles. An enormous percent
age Of all this Western region is COW
cred by land grants Of one kind or an
other. We are printing this morning a
diagram showing the conserved y area
of Idaho, being fully half of that State
not open to public settlement OF use.
The same is true of Oregon; the show
ing made recently there was that more
than half of the whole area of the State
is withdrawn from use in one form or
another, very largely by Congressional
land grants, and the Pinchot policies
would come along and withdraw what is
left
1T is IN odious, insupportable situa-
ton altogether, and Senator Borah de-
nounced il in fitting terms. He quoted
Mr. Roosevelt 8 declaration III his Den
vcr speech that conservation does not
mean the tying up of natural resources,
but the utilization of those resources
under such regulation and control as
Will prevent waste, extravaganza, and
monopoly. But right there is where
Roosevelt and Pinchot take separate
ways. Pincbot does not believe In the
present use of any part of the public
domain. He wants to withdraw it from
use and tie it up for an indefinite flu
ture.
One great and vexing point in this
whole matter is the misunderstanding
of the law as to the control of water
aside from rivers that arc navigable
streams, AS to navigable streams, of
course the Federal Government has eX-
elusive jurisdiction. AS to the ordinary
stream, however, such as is used for
purposes, the control of it and
of all such waters within the State, is
in the State. This has always been so,
and it is the law now And yet there
is q power given to the President to
water power sites from actual
use. This is done not by way of as
scrting any power in Congress over the
flow of water, for there is no such
power, and cannot be, since that power
rests exclusively in the States; yet the
sites are withdrawn because the Gov
crnment owns the land upon which the
must be that would con-
troll and utilize that water power. SO
the withdrawal of water power sites,
the conservation of water flow for pow
or, is assumed by the Federal Govern,
meut under Il subterfugc. 1t is whip
ping the devil around the stump to as.
sumo control over water power sites
simply because the Government owns
the land while failing TO have any right
of control over the water. In all the
Western States there is legislation COW
cring the water flow and the use Of the
water within the States for irrigation
purposes. Congress has never assumed
such control. and cannot now assume it;
and any attempt at such assumption
must be carried on as stated, by suhtcr-
Iugc, and simply through the ownership
Of the public domain, stretched to an
over the water that does not
in fact exist in the Federal Govern
ment.
We print Senator Borah S speech in
full this morning, and commend it to
the candid reading of the public as
frst-class exposition Of this general
question, SO far AS all the points GOV.
cred therein are concerned.