The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-11-17
SHAFRoTH's SOUND VIEWS.

sHAFRoTH' SOUND VIEWS.
1t is good TO see that Governor Shat
roth of Colorado. in his address before
jthG Transmississippi Congress, spoke
out boldly in opposition To the bogus
conservation policies which have unfor'
tunately fastened themselves upon the
government as an affective relic OF the
Roosevelt Pinchot administration. Those
conservation policies tend to rctard the
| development of this western country, to
the building M of monopolics. aud TO
the enhancement Of the prices of every
thing pertaining to pressing needs, the
free production of which is headed off
by these policies
Governor Shafroth pointed out that
the leasing of the natural resources
means that the lands and values so
held by the National government will
be forever exempt from taxation. But
the perpetual exemption from taxation
of vast areas in any State rs restrict
i've. and may be destructive, to the de-
velopment of that State. When large
areas arc Withdrawn for the purpose of
forests, the forestry reserves being, in
fact, mostly for grazing privileges and
not for forests ut all. and when there
is withdrawn further large areas for
the preservation of water powers, which
means the prevention Of the develop
mcut of those powers. and when other
large areas are withdrawn for coal, oil,
and other purposes, the States are
robbed for the benefit of the public
treasury. and the communities arc de-
priycd of the liberty and use Of tho
natural resources around them.
But all this is Il total departure from
the practices Of the government from
the very first, under which precedents
the country has been developed at a
rate and TO the advantage of the ma
tion such as no like area was ever de-
velopcd before in the history Of the
world. Then. all Mt once, Just as the
final portion Of the country. that which
is most difficult to redeem, is to be
used by the enterprise Of the American
people, and its reduction to civiliza-
tion and use is imminent. there springs
up conservation idea To prevent the
development Of this region, and to
head off the people from doing what
other pioneers aud settlers have habit,
ually done under the laws and the ex-
press invitation Of the Nation from
the foundation Of the Republic.
And what is TO be gained by this
change of policy. this reversal Of the
invitation of the government to the
people TO take held and develop the
natural resources of the country7 Moth.
ing. except few dollars to the Ma
tjonal Treasury. and those dollars which
the treasury may receive will be COM
psratively few when sized up beside
the dollars which Will 20 into the
pockets of government officials who
arc called in TO enforce this unprece-
dcntcd and miscallcd conservation pol.
lev.
Governor Shafroth spoke in deserved
contempt of the bills introduced in Con.
ercss aud advocated bv the followers
of Mr.. Pinchos to impose royalties
upon power generated by falling water,
and to lease the oil and phosphate lands
and the coal and mineral mines upon L
rental basis PAYABLE into the treasury
of the United States. He pointed out
that no other country has ever taxed
its natural resources in that way that
our own country has never done it, and
he held that it is unfair TO begin to
do it now. Ii Is unjust TO call upon the
States OF the West TO pay into the Fed
eral treasury a tax TO allow the re-
sources to be developed.
There is no getting away from the
logic and force of tins presentation by
Governor Shafroth, What he advocates
is precisely in line with the practice
OF the government from It's foundation.
and he injustice Of the change IS so
evident 10 any one who will take pains
TO think on the matter, that there can
be no two opinions about the wrong
fulness of the RooscvcltP Pinchot con
servation faddisms.