Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1912-02-07
NEW LAWS NEEDED
PRESIDENT ASKS IMMEDIATE AT.
TENTION TO WANTS OF
PUBLIC DOMAIN.
MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL
Legislation in Interest of Alaska Is
imperative - Homestead Laws
Need evlsing-Leasing Law Rec
ommended-Would Probe Cost of
Living.

ommended-WouId Probe Cost of
Living.
Washington, Feb 2.-The presidents
special message on the work Of the in
terror department was read to congress
today.
There is no branch of the Federal
Jurisdiction which calls more Imperative
ly for immediate legislation than that
which concerns the public domain, and
especially the partrof that domain which
Is in Alaska.
The progress under the reclamation act
has made clear the defects of its limita-
TONS which should be remedied. The
rules governing the acquisition of home
steads, of land that Is not arid or semi
arid, not we'll adapted to the perfect
ing of title to land made arabic by gov
eminent reclamation work.
l concur with the secretary OF the In
terror in his recommendation that, after
entry Is made upon land being reclaimed,
actual occupation as a homestead OF the
same be not required until two years aft
er entry, but that cultivation of the same
shall be required, and that the present
provision under which the land Is to be
paid for In ten annual installments shall
be so modified as to allow a patent issue
for the land at the end of five years
cultivation and three years occupation,
with a reservation of a government lien
for the amount OF the unpaid purchase
money. This leniency to the reclamation
homesteader will relieve him from occupa-
ton at a time when the condition of the
land makes it most burdensome and diff
ficult, and at the end of five years will
furnish him with title upon which he
can borrow money and continue the i'm
provement of his holdings.
1 also concur in the recommendation
of the secretary of the interior that all
of our public domain should be classified
and that each class should be disposed
of or administered in the manner most
appropriate to that particular class.
The chief change, however, which ought
to be made, and which 1 have already
recommended in previous messages and
communications to congress, is that by
which government coal land and phos-
phate and other mineral lands containing
Observation-Disclosures minerals, shall be
leased by the government, with restric-
tons as to size and time, resembling
those which now obtain throughout the
country between the owners in fee and
the lessees who work the mines, and in
leases like those which have been most
successful in Australia, New Zealand and
Nova Scotia. The showing made by In
designations into the successful working
of the leasing system leaves no doubt as
to its wisdom and practical utility. Re
quirements as to the working of the mine
during the term may be so framed as to
prevent any holding Of large mining prop
critics merely for speculation, while the
royalties may be made sufficiently low,
not unduly to increase the cost of the
coal mined, and at the same time suffl-
cient to furnish a reasonable income for
the use of the public i'm the community
where the mining goes on In Alaska,
there is no reason why a substantial in
come should not thus be raised for such
public works as may be deemed neces-
sary or useful
There Is no difference between the rea-
sons which call for the application of the
leasing system to the coal lands still re-
tanned by the government in the United
States proper and those which exist in
Alaska
1 am not in favor of government owner
ship where the same certainty and eff
cheney of service can be had by private
enterprise, but I think the conditions
presented in Alaska are of such char
acter as to warrant the government, for
the purpose of encouraging the develop
ment Of that vast and remarkable terri
tory to build and own a trunk line rail-
road, which 1t can lease on terms which
may be varied and changed to meet the
growing prosperity and development of
the territory
For some years past the high and stead
lily increasing cost Of living has been
matter of such grave public concern that
I deem it of great public interest that an
international conference be proposed at
this time for the purpose of preparing
plans to be submitted to the various gov
ernments, for an international inquiry in
to the high cost of living, its extent,
cause. effects, and possible remedies. 1
therefore recommend that, to enable the
president to invite foreign governments
to such a conference, to be held at Wash
ington or elsewhere, the congress provide
an appropriation, not to exceed $20,000 to
defray the expenses of preparation and
Of participation by the United States
The magnitude and complexity of mod
ern industrial disputes have put upon
some of our statutes and our present
mechanism for adjusting such differences
~-where we can be said to have any
mechanism at ala strain they were
never intended to bear and for which
they are unsuited. What is urgently need
ed today is a re-examination of our laws
bearing upon the relations of employer
and employee and a careful and discrim-
mating scrutiny of the various plans
which are being tried in several of our
own states and in other countries. This
would seem to be the first natural step
in bringing about an adjustment of these
relations better suited to the newer con-
ditions of industry.
My attention has been called to the in
Justice which is done in this country by
the sale of articles in the trade purport-
ing to be made in Ireland, when they are
not so made. and 1t is suggested that the
Justice of the enactment of a law which,
so far as the jurisdiction of the federal
government can go, would prevent
continuance of this Misrepresentation to
the public and fraud upon those who
are entitled to use the statement in the
sale of their goods. 1 think 1t to be
greatly in the interest of fair dealing,
which ought always to be encouraged by
law, for congress to enact law making
1t a misdemeanor, punishable by fine or
Imprisonment, to use the mails or to put
into interstate commerce any articles of
merchandise which bear upon their face
a statement that they have been manu-
featured In some particular country when
the fact is otherwise.