Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-01-14
Says Six Feet is Deep
Enough for Mississ-
ippi Channel.
SAME AS IN EUROPE
Aims to Show in General Way
That Roosevelt Policies
Are on Top.

Washington, Jan. .14.-RepresentatlVe
MondeII of Wyoming, chairman of the
house committee on public lands, has
declined to stand sponsor for the pres
ident's bill designed to carry out his
program for the conservation of ma
tlonal resources. He offered to intro
kduce the measures "by request" but
Z the proffer was declined.
Republicans Applaud.
Washington, Jan. IA. President
Taft's special conservation message
was delivered to the house soon after
that body convened today. Practically
all members present remained in their
seats and followed the reading care
fully. When the reading was conclud-
ed a roar of applause arose from the
Republican side and several democrats
xjoined in the demonstration of ap-
provaL
Text of Message.
The presidents message in full fol
lows:
To the Senate and House of Repre-.
sentatives: In my annual message
reserved the subject of the conserva.
L
cussion in a special message. In 1860
We had a public demain of 1,055 911,-
2SS acres. We have now 731, ,354. .0S1
acres, confined largely to the noun
tain ranges. and the arid and senf-l
arid plains. We have in addition $685..
045,975 acres of land in Alaska. There
has developed in recent years a deep
~
the preservation and proper use of our
natural resources. This has been
practically directed toward the con-
servation of the resources for the
public domain. The problem is how
to save and how to utilize, how 10 con-
serve and still develop, for no sane
person can contend that it is for the
common good that natures blessings
are only for unborn generate
Started by Roosevelt.
Among the most notewort-y y re1crn
initiated by my distinguished prc2e
Scessor were the vigorous prosecutor
of land frauds and the bringing L
public attention the necessity for
preserving the remaining public do
main from further spoliation, for thF
maintenance and extension of our for
est resources and for the enactment of
laws amending the obsolete statutes 81
as to retain governmental control over
that part of the public domain il
which there are valuable deposits Of
coal, of oil and of phospha and, in ad-
dition thereto, to preserve control III
der conditions favorable to the use
of the lands along the streams in
which the fall of water can be made
to generate power to be transmitted
in the form of electricity many miles
to the point of its use as WATERPROOF
er" sites. The Investigations into vio-
lation OF the public lands and the pros
ecution of land frauds have been Wig
orously continued under my admins
tration, as has been the withdrawal OF
coal lands for classification and valu-
alton and tho Temporary Withholding
Of power sites.
Many Sites Withdrawn.
Since March 4, 1909, temporary with
drawals of power sites have been made /
on 1e2 Streams and these Withdrawals |
therefore, cover 229 percent more |
streams than were covered by the |
Withdrawals made prior to that date.
The present statutes except so far /
as they dispose of the precious metals /
and the purely agricultural lands are .
not adapted to carry out the nodern 1
view of the best disposition OF public /
lands to private ownership under con-
ditions offering on the one hand suf-
dcient inducement to private capital I
to take them over for proper develop
ment with restrictive conditions; on the
other, which shall secure to the public
that character of control which will
prevent a monopoly or misuse of the
lands or their products.
The power of the secretary or the
interior to withdraw from the opera
tions Of the existing statutes tracts of
land, the disposition of which under
such statutes would be detrimental to
the public interest, is not clear or sat
isfactory. This power has been exer-
cised in the interest of the public with
hope that congress might affirm the
action of the executive by laws adapt
ed to the new conditions. Unfortun-
ately, congress has not thus far fully
acted on the recommendations of the
executive, and the question as to what
the executive is to do is, under the cir
cumstances, full Of difficulty. 1t seems
TO me, that it is the duty of congress
nov', by a statute, to validate the with
drawals which have been made by the
secretary of the interior and the presi-
dent and to authorize the secretary OF