The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1910-01-15
PRESIDENT TAFT
ON CONSERVATION

Washington, Jan 14-President
Taft's special message conservation
OF natural sent to congress
today is as follows:
ITO the senate and House of Repre-
sentatives;
In ny annual message | reserved
the S bject of the conversation of our
natural resources for discussion in a
special message as follows:
In several departments there is
presented the necessity Tor legislation
looking to the further conservation of
our natural and the subject
is one of suca Importance as To re
quire n more detailed and extended
discussion than can be entered Hpon
in this communication. For this rea
son, | shall take an early o~pportunitH
TO END a special message to congress
on the subject of the Improvement
of our waterways; upon the reclana-
ton and irrigation of arid, semi-arid
and swamp lands; upon the preserva-
ton of our forests and the refo-esting
of suitable areas; upon r classi-
fcation of the public DOMAIN vita a
view of separating from agricultural
settlement, mineral, coal and phos
phate lands belonging TO the govern
nent bordering on streams suitable
for the utilization of water power.
In ISL we had a public domain OF
1,055, 911,2SS acres. We have now
731, 354, OS1 acres, confined largely To
the mountain ranges and the arid and
seni-arid plains. We have Ia add
ton, 3GS,0S5.975 acres of land in Alas
ka.
The public lands were, during he
earliest administrations, treated as a
national asset for the liquidation of
public debt and source of reward for
our soldiers and sailors. Later on
they were donated in large amounts
in aid of the construction of wagon
roads and railways in order to ope1
up regions in the West then almost
inaccessible.
The principal land statutes were
enacted more than a quarter of a cen
furry ago.. The homestead act, the
presumption and timber culture act
the coal land and the mining acts
were among these. The rapid dispo-
sition of the public lands under tne
early statutes and the Lax methods OF
distribution prevailing due, | thing to
the beltef hat these lands should rap
idly pass into private ownership. gave
rise to the impression that the public
domain was legitimate prey for the
INSCRIPTIONS. and that il was not con
trary to good morals to circumN mt
land laws. This prodigal manner or
disposition resulted in the passage Of
large areas of valuable lands and ma
nv OF our natural into the
hands of persons who felt little or no
responsibility for promoting the ma
tional welfare through their develop
ment. The truth is that title to mil
lions of acres of public lands was
fraudulently obtained. and that the
right to a large part of such
lands for the government long since
ceased by reason Of statutes of limita-
ton.
There has developed in recent
years a deep concern in the public
MIND r~espectin the preservation and
proper use of Cur natural
.arhis has been particularly direct
ed toward the conservation of re
' sources of the public domain The
problem In how to save and how &c
utilize. how to conserve and still &c
develop: for no sane person can con
tend that 1t is for h common good
ts,at natures blessings are only fol
unborn generations
aAmong m most noteworthy r
forms Initiated by my distinguished
predecessor were the vigorous prose
crtion Of land frauds and the bring