Semi-weekly herald., 1911-04-20
CONSERVATION MAD.

It would seem that our noble rulers
ct Washington have gone mad on the
subject Of conservation. If all the
land which is being withdrawn from
the public domains as coal land is
really and truly coal land then those
who have been worrying about what
would happen when the coal supply
became exhausted have had their wor-
ry ali in vain for there is coal enough
in the country to last for several mil
liens of billions Of years and that is
longer than the most optimistic of US
expect to live.
Regarding the recent withdrawal of
q million and a half acres in New
Mexico Francis A. House has, in the
Denver Times Of the 18th, the follow
ing to say:
Our bureaucratic overlords at
Washington are still busy "conserv-
ing" the natural wealth Of the west
ern states. Another kingdom of over
100000 acres of land that is grave
u suspected Of containing rich coal
deposits has just been added to the
governments reserves in New Mex
leo. Geological experts are known to
b. Classifying land in every public
land state. We are informed that
their work is highly scientific and re-
markAbly successful. That it must
be so is clearly demonstrated by the
incessant Withdrawals from entry.
These men know their business. They
realize that they must get results.
There IL keen rivalry among them for
conservation" honors. They utilize
both their theoretic knowledge and
their highly developed imagine ton in
their trips Of discovery.
Only eight months ago they "classi-
fed" 2s,00O,O00 acres in Montana as
coal land. 1t is now intimated that
"the coal tonnage Of that area is al
most Incredible" Focus your optics
on that word almost" It's a most
accommodating constituent of bureau
cratic English. 1t covers multitude
of conversational fancies and fcllies.
Exactly S0,007,6Ss acres of coal
land have SO far been withdrawn. Up
ia Alaska 30 much Of this dangerous
soil has already been classified" that
it costs $3.50. to run = locomotive for
. distance Of twenty-five miles. The
railroad companies are just burning
money there. As for the common rur
o. people, all they can do il to store
up extra supplies of fat in their anat-
omy for uses of internal combustion
during the arctic days Of winter. How
ever, there's no need to waste sym
pathy on them. They had no righI
to 60 to Alaska in advance of "clas.
sifcation." If anybody in that terri.
tory dares to display sufficient
nerve" to make an entry, he is forth
with considered an undesirable citizen
In Utah, Wyoming and Idaho they
are Classifying" phosphate lands. UI
to the hour of going to press, 2,54s, ,O4t
acres have been set aside for future
ages. Everything is being reserved
for posterity. Too bad that SO many
OF US committed the indiscretion OF
coming into this world ahead Of the
time of economic salvation, according
to the apocalyptic visions of Pinchot
and Fisher.
The trifle of S,7s6,572 acres is
thought to be guilty of containing oil
and gas. II the land really contains
these elements, there should be plenty
OF light fifty years from now on the
strange vagaries of bureaucratic leg
islation in the early part Of the twen-
tieth century. In addition to this, L.
403,045 acres have been put In ad-
ministrative storage, because they arc
believed to be available for water
power sites
How is all this going to end? Is
the time near when additional millions
Of acres will be Withdrawn because
they ars suspected of being almost
in crsdibly rich for farming purposes
It Il not at al impossible. Soil con-
tanning an extra high percentage Of
humus, or volcanic ash, or nitrogen,
should not be left open TO entry by
homsstsadrs. All opportunities to &C.
ouirs an excessive amount Of easy
nlonsy should b rigorously done away
viii. Our wsstsrn farmers Of the
vnIIsys aind plains are leading too sy-
hnsit3e : HE the way It Il. They
uIherN b forced to bsstir themselves
IIl,ees nsssstieally. Hard work =