The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-03-17
WISE CONSERVATION,
SAYS BALLlNGER
He Scores "Idealiste conservatonists"
in Address at St. Paul Yesterday
Afternoon.

regarding The public domain and its dis.
position. The speech, according to re-
ports from Washington, had had the
personal o. X. Of President Taft
The greater portion Of the burden o.
conserving the natural resources Of the
country was laid BY Secretary Ballinger
az the doors Of the states. There has
been and is,' he said "a grossly exag.
gerated notion among some people, a.
to what the general government can DO
IN conserving the natural resources that
lie IN The deposits Of minerals and are
contained in the soils and the streams.
FOR the most part, they have passed into
private ownership and are under the
municipal jurisdiction Of the states
ANY national conservation policy
must be predioated on the policy af-
iecting the public domain since for the
most part tie states are sovereign with.
IN their own spheres Of jurisdiction.
Therefore, believe a greater obligation
rests upon the state than upon the m
tional government 70 inaugurate laws 20
prevent waste IN the utilization of nat
ural resources"
Referring 70 the duty Of the national
government. be frst regarded Il as essen
tial that the public domain be studied
and surveyed and III adequate ara sci
entiae classification Of the remainder Of
the public lands be made. He scored the
idealistic conservationists' heavily for
taekling the proposition without a
sound knowledge Of conditions
y grant you that such people are,
said the secretary. @for the most part
sincere. but their very sincerity gives
them such a vieor Of imagination and
prediction that It Is oftentime hard 81
combat their yanaries except through
practical demonstration Then To give
them their due, Sc said eThey have this
virtue. that they DO not let us forge
chat extremes often prove fruitful 81
sound reason TO those who may be over
optimistic
OF his own stand in the matter. See
Rotary Balinger saids q am as ardent
an advocate Of wise conservation as the
most radical bur it must be wise con
servation 70 appeal to me- Il must in
ply as full and free development 81 our
national resources Is is consistent with
our civilization and our ueeas. It may
mean The reservation from use for i'm
tied periods q certain q our deposits Of
coal. IF mineral oils and Gas Of phos
phate. 81 81 timber to protect against
the inofdinate greed Of men who wish
10 exploit Tire present with no regard for
TIE future Of tie general welfare and
when this becomes necessary & is IA
tional duty to make such reservations
out Of she public domain.
eBut We mast not forget that We are
not through with The policy Of develop
ment. Of building up new communities
and settlements even IN far-oH Alaska
we have not reached that period where
We can say the remainder Of our public
lands shall be auctiaaed Oh TO the hieh
ct bidder to increase the revenues ofi
the national treasury
Congress IS now struggling with the
problems relatin gto water power and 4
other measures designed to retain in the
government the power Of control and SUI
pervisionT
Discussing Alaskan matters. he con
tinued: @The known coal areas in pub \
lie ownership, where not appraised at +
their market value, are withdrawn from
entry awaiting classification and ap-
praisement, and all thu unentered or I'D
located coal lands IN Alaska are standing
under an absolute withdrawal act Of
1906, and not patent has ever been
issued to an acre Of coal land in Alaska.
IN fact nearly an the coal lands that
have been patented have been obtained.
not as coal lands, bnt under the gaise
If some other form Of entry, a. aeri-
cultural. timber Of stone etc. No man
or Set Of men can comply with the pres
sut laws and finance 4 mine on the public
iomam "a $40 acres Of land. except i'm
Ter extremely favorable conditions. The 1
lbsurdity Of the law IN itself, has IN
sited fraud and indirect methods Of egad
ng ts provisions.
'.It i likewise Impractical to secure
i'll Or gas lands, or phosphate lands, un-
Ter the general mineral laws and in an II
-hese cases there is no power Of control
,r ability ID the department to prevent
monopoly iii the sole Of the deposits
yhen title IS once secured thereto
Awaiting remedial legislation from Con
ress, al known areas Of public lands
ontaining these deposits ARE under tenn
iomry Withdrawals from private entry
ind it is hoped that Congress viii fur
lish the interior departments with the
necessary machinery to safely and prop
rly guard the public interest Ia their III
innate disposition