Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1910-09-08
President Tait's Address Before
AAa Congress- at St. Paul.
DANGER IN CONTINUED WASTE.
CHIEF Executive Outlines Plans Which
HI Believes Should Pc Adopted
statistics Mako speech Com
prehensIve TO Hearers.

speech before the National Con
oervatiOn congress here today. Sub
otantialiy It was as follows:
ientienen Of the National Conservation
Congress:
Conservation a. an economic and POI
nItical term has come to mean the preser-
walton OF our natural resources for
economical use, 10 AZ to secure the great
est good 10 the greatest number.
The danger to the state and to the peos
pie ct large from the waste and dlsSpa-
ffon efHour national wealth IL not one
which quickly impfesses itself on the peo-
pie OF the older communities, because its
most obvious Instances do not occur ~
their neighborhood, while in the newer
part OF the country the sympathy with
expansion and development IL 30 strong
that the danger IL 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 home the crying need for Q remedy
Of this evil 80 AZ 10 Impress itself on the
public mind and lead to the formation Of
public opinion and action by the repre-
ssntatlves Of the people Theodore Roose-
welt took up this task In the last two
years OF his second administration, and
well did he perform II
AZ president OF the United States
have, ~ 1t were, inherited this policy,
and rejoice IN my heritage. prize my
high opportunity to do all that an ex-
ecutiye can do to help d great people
realize great national ambition For
conservation 10 national II AFFECTS every
man Of un, every woman, every child,
What can do In the cause ! shall do,
not as president of party, bat a. pAesl-
dent OF the whole people Conservation
% not q question Of politics, or Of fac
4i0ns, or Of persons II IL a question that
! aniects the vital welfare Of all Of ps-of
our children and oAr chlldren'B children.
4 urge that no good can come from meet
lhgs Of this sort unless we ascriba to
those who take part In them, and who
ara apparently striving worthily In the
cause all proper motives, and unless we
1udicially consider every measure Or
method proposed with a view 10 ita eifec-
alveness in achieving our common pur-
pose. and wholly without regard to who
proposes II or who viii claim the credit
for it3 adoption The problems are Of
very great dificulty and cail for the
calmest consideration and clearest fore
sight. Many OF the questions presented
have phases that are now IN this coun-
try, and II 70 possible that IN their solu-
ti0n we nay~,have 10 attempt first one
way and then another. What wish to
emphasize however. Is that aatisfac-
tory conclusion can only be reached
promptly II we avoid acrimony, imputa-
tions ot bad faith, and political contro-
vergy. M
N The public domain Of the government
\ or the United States including all the
cesslons from those Of the thirteen states |
J. that made cesslons 70 the United States |
and including ALASKA, amounted In all to |
about 1,S00o00D00 acres. OF this there Is
left as purely government property out
aidp Of Alaska something like 100 100000 OF
ncres. OF this the national forest re- |
serves In the United States proper en-
brace 14l,00O000 acres. The rest Is largely |
mountain or arid country, Offering some
opportunity for agriculture by dry FARM |
1ng and by reclamation, and containing |
metals as well as 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
ericity and lis transmission.
shall divide my discussion under the
heads Of % agricultural lands; C2) min |
eral lands-that is, lands containing |
netalliferous minerals; tS) forest lands:
% coal lands; t5) oil and gas lands and |
90 phosphate lands.
Agricultural Lands,
Our land laws for the entry OF agrlcul-
tural lands are now as follows:
The original homestead law, with the !
requirements Of residence and cultivation I
for 1--WE years, much more strictly en-
forced than ever before,
The enlarged homestead act, applying (
% nonirrigabIe lands only, requiring Ave !
years residence and continuous cultlya- I
iion OF one-fourth Of the area.
The deaeft-land act which requires on
the part Of the purchaser the ownership 4
o. a water right and thorough reclama-
1ion Of the land BY Irrigation, and the
+, payment Of Q,2S per acre.
The donation or Carey act under which I
the state selects the land and provides
for ~ reclamation, and the title vests In I
the settler who resides upon the land and 4
culllpates Il and pays the cost q tho
reclamation.
Tbs national reclamation homestead
law requiring 1--WE years residence and
cultivation By the settler on the land IT.
FiRated BY the government and payment I
~ him to the government q the cost Of
lhe reclamation.
The present congress passed a bin Of
great Importance, sevorlnr the Ownership
81 coal By the government n the ground
nom the surface and permitting home
stead entries upon the surface Of the
land, which, when perfected. give The
Ntltler the right 70 farm the surface
while the coal beneath the surface i NJ
laIncd IN ownership BY The government
and may b disposed Of By Il under other
lava
Thers 10 no crying need Tor radical ~
form Ia the methods Of dllposing OF what
are really agricultural ianda The pres.
ent laws have worked wen, The en-
larTcd homestead law has encouraged ths
guccestful farming Of lands IN ihl seml-
arid regions. o. course The teachings o.
Ihe AGRICULTURAL Harnrtnnnf A. 10 how