Norwich bulletin., 1910-01-15
PUBLIC LANDS THEME FOR TAFT
 Out of Re HasF to Any Stu Jpt

gross:
 To the Senate and House of Repre-
 sentatives:
 In my annual message I reserved
 the subject of the conservation of our
 national resources for discussion in
 special message. as follows:
 --In several departments there is
 presented the necessity for legislation
 looking to the further conservation of
 our national resources. and the sub
 ject is one of such importance as to
 require a more detailed and extended
 discussion than can be entered upon
 in this communication For that req
 son l shall take an early opportunity
 10 send a special message to congress
 on the subject of the Improvement of
 our waterways; upon the reclamation
 and irrigation of arid semiarid and
 swamp lands; upon the preservation
 of our forests and the reforesting of
 suitable areas; upon the reclaSsitca-
 ton of the public domain with a view
 of separating from agricultural set
 tlement mineral, coal and phosphate
 lands and sites belonging to the gov ernment bordering on streams suitable for the utilization Of water power"
 In 1860 we had a public demaiD of
 1.O55-911. .2SS acres. We have now T3I.354.O 4.OSl acres confined largely to the mountain ranges and the arid and seniarid plains We have in addition BUS. .035.975 acres of land in Alaska.
 The public lands were during the earliest administrations treated ass national asset for the liquidation of the public debt and as a source of re- ward 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 open up regions in the west then al- most inaccessible All the principal land statutes were enacted more than a quarter of q century ago. The home stead act. the pre-emption and timber culture act. the coal land and the min ing acts were among these The rapid disposition of the public lands under the early statutes and the lax meth ods of distribution prevailing, due, I think. 10 the belief that these lands should rapidly pass into private own ership. gave rise to the impression that the public domain was legitimate prey for the interruptions and that 1t | was not contrary to good morals to circumvent the land laws This prod i iga1 manner of disposition resulted in | the passing of large areaseof valuable | land and many of our national re- | sources into the hands of persons who | felt little or no responsibility for pro noting the national welfare through | their development. The truth is that titles to millions of acres of public lands were fraudulently obtained and that the right to recover a large part of such lands for the government long since ceased by reason of statutes of limitation.
 Great Public Concern.
 There has developed in recent years c deep concern in the public mind re- specting the preservation and proper use of our natural resources. This has been particularly directed toward the of the resources of the public domain The problem is how to save and how to utilize, how to and still develop. for no sane person can contend that 1t Is for the common good that natures bless ngs are only for unborn generations.
 Among the most noteworthy reforms initiated by my distinguished prede- -eSscr were the vigorous prosecution of snd frauds and the bringing to public attention of the necessity for preserv- ng the remaining public domain from further spoliation. for the maintenance md extension of our forest resources md for the enactment of laws amend ng the obsolete statutes so as to retain control over that part of he public domain in which there are valuable deposits of coal, of oil and of phosphate and. in addition thereto. to preserve control under conditions fa- 7orable to the public of the lands along be streams in which the fall of water ,sn be made to generate power to be transmitted in the form of electricity many miles to the point Of its use. Inown as water power sites.
 The Investigations into violations of he public land laws and the prosecu- ion Of land frauds have been vigor- 'usly continued under my administra- ion. as has been the withdrawal of '~al lands for classification and valua- aon and the temporary withholding of bower sites.
 Since March 4, 1909, temporary of power sites have been made on 1O2 streams. and these with irawsls therefore cover 229 per cent more streams than were covered by he withdrawals made prior to that late
 The present statutes, except so far IS they dispose of the precious metals ind the purely agricultural lands. are lof adapted to carry out the modern Tiew of the best disposition of public "a nds to private ownership under con- iiuOns offering on the one hand sufi- -ient fnducement to private capital to take them over for proper develop nent. with restrictive conditions on the other which shall secure to the public that character of control which will prevent monopoly or misuse or he lands or their products.
 The power of the secretary of the Interior to withdraw from the opera ion of existing statutes tracts of land. the disposition of which under such statutes would be detrimental to the public interest. Is not clear or satis- factory This power has been exer- -ised in the interest of the public.