The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-02
President Taft Urges More Care
by the Government
HE FAvORS A U. S. RAILROAD
President Would Then Lease This Rail-
road on Terms to Meet Needs of the
Territory--Would Have Commits
sion Form Of Government.

Taft to-day sent to Congress his prom
ised message on Alaska and the pub
lie domain in general. In urging the
construction OF government railroad,
commission form of government and
other needed legislation for the far
away territory, President Taft declared
there was nothing in the history OF the
United States which afforded such just
reason for criticism as the failure OF
the federal government to extend the
benefits of its fostering care to Alaska.
IL am not in favor of government own
ership where the same certainty and etfi-
cheney of service can be had by private
enterprise" said the president, but /
think the conditions presented in Alaska
are of such character as to warrant
the government, for the purpose OF en-
couraging the development of that vast
and remarkable territory, to build and
own trunk line railroad, which it can
lease on terms which may be varied
and changed to meet the growing pros
perity and development of the terri
tory"
President Taft said there was little
likelihood that the Morgan Guggenheim
interests would open up railroad under
the present conditions in Alaska.
The president would have commits
sion form of government for Alaska,
one half of the commission to be elect
ed and the other half appointed by the
president.
A leasing system was proposed by the
president for government coal and phos-
phate lands in Alaska, as well as in
the United States.
The reclamation laws of the United
States should be modified, in the opin-
lou of the president so that home
steader might be granted patent at
the end of five years of cultivation and
three years of occupation. The presi-
dent also would relieve homesteaders
from the requirement of occupation at
time when the condition of the land
would make it burdensome and diff
cult.
Following a suggestion of Secretary
of the Interior Fisher, President Taft
declared in his message, that the con-
troll of waterpower sites should remain
in the national government rather than
be turned over to the states. He would
have the sites disposed of by direct
lease from the government, the rental to
be used in improvement of its stream
and for the benefit of the local commu
nifty where the power site was located.
The president would give to the states
the right to regulate the rates at which
the converted power was sold.
1.-THE proper disposition of waterpow-
or sites has been one of the most Sc
rious subjects discussed by conserva-
tionists. President Taft believes that
the leasing system he now suggests is
the best solution of the problem; that
it would mean honesty of administra
ton and the prevention of abuses which |
a monopoly of absolute ownership in
private persons or companies would make |
possible.
The Message.
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives:
There is no branch Of the federal
jurisdiction which calls more impera-
lively for immediate legislation than
that which concerns the public domain
and especially the part of that domain
which is in Alaska. The report of the
secretary of the interior, which is
transmitted herewith, and the report
TO him of the governor Of Alaska set
out the public need in this regard with
great force and in satisfactory detail.
The progress under the reclamation
act has made clear the defects Of its
limitations which should be remedied
The rules governing the acquisition Of
homesteads of land that is not arid or
semiarid are not well adapted to the
perfecting of title to land made arabic
by government reclamation work.
I concur with the secretary Of the
interior in his recommendation that,
after entry is made upon land being
reclaimed, actual occupation as home
stead of the same be not required I'M
til two years after entry, but that Gull
tivation 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 modi-
fed as to allow a patent to issue for
the land at the end of FIVE years cul-
tivation and three years occupation,
with a reservation of a government
lien for the amount of the unpaid pur-
chase money. This leniency to the
reclamation homesteader will relieve
him from occupation at a time when
the condition of the land makes 1t most
burdensome and difficult and at the
end OF FIVE years will furnish him with
a title upon which he can borrow
money and continue the improvement
of his holding.
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 par
ticular class.
The chief change, however, which
ought to be made and which have al
ready recommended in previous mes
sages and communications to congress
Is that by which government coal land
and phosphate and other mineral lands
nonmetalliferous minerals
shall be leased by the government, with
as TO size and time, re-
sembling those which now obtain
throughout the country between the
owners in fee and the lessees who work