The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1910-09-09
STANDS STRONGLY
FOR CONSERVATION
President Taft's Address Before
Congress at St Paul.
DANGER IN CONTINUED WASTE
shief Executive Outlines Plans Which
He Believes Should Be ADOPTED
Statistics Make speech Com
prehensive 10 Hearers.

taft delivered his long-expected
ipeech before the National Con-
lervation congress here today. Sub.
kantially It was a. follows:
Gentlemen OF the National Conservation
Conservation a. an economic and po-
otical term has come to mean the preser-
ration Of our natural resources for
economical use. % as to secure the great
ut good to the greatest number.
The danger to the state and to the peo-
Die at large from the waste and dissipa-
don Of our national wealth Is not one
which quickly impresses itself on the peo-
pie OF the older communities, because its
most obvious instances do not occur In
their neighborhood, while In the newer
part Of the country the sympathy with
expansion and development IL 30 strong
mat the danger II scoffed at or ignored.
Among scientific men and thoughtful OBJ
servers, however. the danger has always
been present; but It needed some one to
Bring homo the crying need for q remedy
u this evil SO as to impress itself on the
sublic mind and lead to the formation OF
public opinion and action by the repre-
ientatives Of the people. Theodore Roose-
relt took up this task In the last two
Tears Of his second administration, and
we'll did he perform It.
As president OF the United States
ave. as It were. inherited this policy,
and rejoice in my heritage. prize my
high opportunity to do all that an ex-
scutive can do to help q great people
realize great national ambition. For
conservation II national II affects every
nan Of NJ. every woman, overy child.
What can do In the cause shall do,
1ot as president Of party. but as presi-
lent OF the whole people. Conservation
. not . question Of politics. or of fac
Inn No. ~ t.
Affects the vital welfare of all Of us-of
sur children and our children's children.
I urge that no good can come from meet
ngs Of this sort unless we ascribe to
those who take part in them, and who
are apparently striving worthily in tho
:ause. all proper motives. and unless We
1udicially consider every measure or
method proposed with a view to its effec-
dveness in achieving our common pur-
pose. and wholly without regard to who
proposes II or who will claim the credit
for Its adoption. The problems are of
very great difficulty and call for the
calmest consideration and clearest FORE
sight. Many OF the questions presented
have phases that are new In this coun-
try. and 1t Is possible that In their solu-
ton we may have to attempt first one
way and then another. What I wish to
emphasize, however. In that a satisfac-
tory conclusion can only be reached
tons of bad faith, and political contro-
versy.
The public domain Of the government
Of the United States, including all the
eessions from those OF the thirteen states
that made cessions to the United States
about l.soo. 1000 acres. OF this there Is
left as purely government property out
side of Alaska something like 700. 900 900 Of
acres. OF this the national forest re-
serves in the United States proper en-
brace 100000 acres. The rest is largely
mountain or arid country. offering some
opportunity for agriculture by dry farm
Ing and by reclamation. and containing
metals as well IS coal. phosphates. oils.
and natural gas Then the government
owns many tracts OF land lying along the
margins OF streams that have water
power. the use of which Is necessary In
the conversion OF the power into cleo
tricity and Its transmission.
I shall divide my discussion under the
heads of ~ agricultural lands: CD min
eral lands-that Is. lands containing
metalliferous minerals: 90 forest lands:
10 coal lands: 90 oil and gas lands; and
90 phosphate lands.
Agricultural Lands.
Our land laws for the entry Of agricul-
tural lands are now a. follows:
The original homestead law. with the
requirements Of residence and cultivation
for five years. much more strictly en-
forced than ever before.
The enlarged homestead act. applying
to nonirrigable lands only. requiring five
years residence and continuous ealtiva-
ton OF one-fourth OF the area.
The desert-land act, which requires on
thu part OF the purchaser the ownership
OF q water right and thorough reclama-
tion Of the land by irrigation, and the
payment Of N.2s per acre.
The donation or Carey act. under which
the state selects tho land and provides
tor its reclamation. and the title vests In
the settler who resides upon the land and
cuitivates II and pays the cost of the
reclamation.
The national reclamation homestead
law. requiring five years residence and
cultivation by the setter on the land ir-
rigated by the government, and payment
BY him to the government OF the cost OF
the reclamation.
The present congress passed o bin of
great importance. seveping the ownership
Of coal by the government In the ground
from the surface ana permitting home-
stead entries upon the surface OF the
land. which. when perfected. give the
settler the right to farm the surface.
while the coal beneath the surface IL re-
tanned In ownership by the government
and may b disposed Of by II under other
laws.
1Hefe - NO Crying nceu rOf RADICAL TO-
form In the methods ef disposing OF what
are really agricultural lands. The pres
ent laws have worked well. The en-
iarged homestead Law has encouraged the
successful farming OF lands in the semi
arid regtons. OF course the teachings OF
the agricultural department as to how
these subarid lands may be treated and
the soil preserved for useful culture are
Of the very essence OF conservation. Then
conservation OF agricultural lands In
shown In the reclamation OF arid lands
by irrigation and should devote a few
words to what the government has done
and Il doing In this regard.
Reclamation.
By the reclamation act . fund has been
created Of the proceeds OF tho public
lands of the United States with which to
construct works for storing great bodies
of water at proper attitudes from which.
by a suitable system OF canals and ditch
es. the water II to be distributed over the
arid and subarid lands Of the government
to be sold to settlers at q price sunlcient
to pay for the improvements Primarily,