The Forrest City times., 1910-09-09
TAFT FIRM ERIE ND
 OF CCMSERVA TYON
His Address Before St. Paul Cooer7.s NJ as 10 His Position -Country's Duyf q. ooxuu.. Most ErphaticaLy.


 Conservation congress left his hear ers in no doubt as to his position. In pubstance his address was as follows: Gentlemen of the National Conservation
 Congress-
 Conservation as an economic and po- ntical term has come to mean the preser- yatlon of our natural resources for Economical use, as to secure the great sst good to the greatest number.
 The danger to the state and to the pso- ple at large from the waste and dissipa- hon of our national wealth is not one which quickly impresses itself on the peo- Die of the older communities. because its host obvious instances do not occur in their neghborhood, while in the newer part of the country the sympathy with bxpansion and development is so strong khat the danger is scoffed at or ignored. Among scientific men and thoughtful oh- Dervers. however. the danger has always been present. but 1t needed some one ts bring home the crying need for a remedy Of this evil so as to impress itself On the public mind and lead to the formation of public opinion and action by tho repre- tentatives of the people. Theodore Roose- relt took up this task in the last two years of his second administration, and fell did he perform it.
 AS pTeStuent or the united States I have, as 1t were inherited this policy. ind rejoice in my heritage. prize my hgh opportunity to do all that an ex- tcutive can do to help a great people realize great national ambition For conservation is national. It affects every man of us, every woman, every chila What l can do in the cause I shall do. not as president of party. but as presi- dent of the whole people Conservation
 
 Hons, or of persons It Is a question that CT U ze'e--e Of all of us-of a-f -ld aur chiidren's children
 sooe can come from meet a sort Haiess we ascribe ts take part In them, and vas tte 7s.F 11rtyinS worthiiy In the ef motives. and unless we f'tie'@ a5aer every raes sure or Aea ssd with s view to es1sc-
 7r hieving cur co1nme. 5..r- pose, ana waIU4.y without rezs res ts E 10 proposes it or who will claim the credit tof~lts adoption. The problems are of very grsar difficulty and call for the rsimtst consideration and dearest fore
 '' Many of the questions presented ."Nt p4as2es tha- arc AeN in this coun- Hys aad il Is possible that in their solu- u"h We may Have to attempt first one way and then another. What I wish to sniphasizs' however, Is that a satisfac- "t5 can only cs reaaisS
 zeir acrtuaay iinpat&- fs 2nd poAiticai sontro-
 lnsih of tho govern rrlent sl e s4 States, includnss all the setsi "a hose of the thirteen sgatea tlst eessions 10 the United sfates she &3ssks. amounted ia at aN acres. Of this thefs a ieit as purely government property out- sue or Alaska something like 7eo 900 Oo0 of acres Of this the national forest re- seENes h the United States proper em- brace IA 0oo,0oo acres.
 snail divide my discussion under the aeads of d agricultural lands; (2) min eFai iands-that is, lands containing na he'auferous minerals; (3) forest lands; W coal lands; (O oil and gas lands and & phosphate lands
 Agricultural Lands.
 ,- our and laws for the entry of agricui- sara4 lands are now as follows:
 Ahe original homestead law, with the seqorements of residence and cultivation Tor five years, much more strictly en- 'ofced than ever before
 , ne enlarged homestead act, applying ,,.! ~ gable lands only, requiring five sNs residence and continuous cultiya- 1on o or one-fourth of the area
 , ae desert-land act, which requires on ts part or the purchaser the ownership water right and thorough reclama- uon os the land by irr,gatien. and inc payment of H.25 per acre
 ., ne aonation or Carey act, under which s'e state selects the land and provides n 4's reclamation. and the title vests in Sas settler who resides upon the land and s.ilVates sstes It and pays the cost of the Reclamation.
 The national reclamation homestead 7tra ss f atIon by the settler on the land ir- hsa'ea oy the government, and payment Ii nm 10 the government of the cost of the reclamation
 me present congress passed a bill of sea' importance. severins the ownership eoa by the government in the ground .. @e surface and permitting home i. entries upon the surface of the ... which. when perfected. give the .,STt et the right to farm the surface, ,e .iiHe me coal beneath the surface is re- aseo n ownership by the government laws - Dy u oi'1ei o'Ns' ,oe 'ete IS no crying need for radical re- Y" ehe methods of disposing of what ..s really agricultural lands The pres iana# ia# have worked well. The en- ,Sasea s, homestead law has encouraged the ard regions.
 Reclamation.
 c,oe the reclamation act fund has been ,,.eSeed ,a of the proceeds of the public @a'is ca. oI the United States with which 10 ns ss'.sstuet works for storing great bodies b,. water at proper attitudes from which .. s1ttable system of canals and ditch ,r,5 ne water is to be distributed over the ,n ana subarid lands of the government to Sold to settlers at price sufficient tb RaS Tor the improvements. Primarily nrso P.ojeets are and must be for the im- Stt9Eeileht Of public lands Incidentally. of % pfivate land is also within reach co,4 e water supply, the furnishing at o,,., o' profit of this water to private ,s ,,s'efs by the Government is held by the nse,-i court of appeals not 10 be a %o,,.-,'on % patton of power. But certainly this rlns no, not 10 be done except from sur Ia, water not needed for government ,ss ne total sum already accumula- fsS aa a" The reclamation fund is s50 Z7S.- bas- ana of that all but se.4s1. .sb5. .34 has eo..-e expended. II became very clear to
 siess at its last session, from the