The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-01-05
ADDRESSED A CROWD WHICH
PACKED THE THEATRE AT
BLOOM lNGTON.
DISCUSSED PUBLIC DOMAIN
Declaring the Disposition Of Our Min
eraI Resources Especially and Un-
til Recently Our Forests Was
Shameful Chapter of Nation.

Bloomington, H. Jan. J.-Senator
LaFollette addressed a packed theatre
here today. Asking the Indulgence of
the audience, he said laughinGly: II
am all battered up and scarcely able
to get thing through this old head
of mine" He then entered into dis
cussion of the encroachments of the
public domain, saying:
1T is a matter of nOtOriety, dis
graceful notoriety, that corporations
have been enabled during the last few
years to exchange, within the limits
of their grants, lands of little or of
no value, at least, of no present sell
ing value, for timberlands of enorm-
ous value 1t has been possible with
in the last few years to put through
congress legislation permitting such
exchanges.
is it to be maryelled that the peo-
pie of the country have walked up to
"A realization of their betrayal and de-
mand some check upon those called
upon to serve them who serve instead
of their own interests and that of 9th
ers, and who betray the public
In beginning, Senator LaFollette
said, "originally the public domain of
the United States amounted in round
numbers 1.400,O0O,O00 acres. OF this
amount nearly all of the original do
main available for agriculture and the
greater part of our mineral wealth
outside of Alaska has been disposed
of, amounting in round numbers to
more than 7OO,OOO,00O acres. OF this
amount individuals and corporations
have acquired more than 81 100000
acres. Out of the 571 100000 acres
disposed of to individuals and corpor-
ations there have been acquired
throug the exercise of the homestead
right only 115,000,000 acres. The rail
roads and other corporations had be
slowed uron them by congressional
grants, without any return whatever
to the government, in round numbers
l23,000000 acres.
In addition to that there has been
conferred upon the railroads by state
grants lands heretofore granted by
the federal government to the several
states increasing the total grant to the
railroads, in round numbers, to 19O,-
100000 acres of land-enOugh to make
the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin. And
the government, through its executive
departments, has sold at mere NOM
inal price in round numbers, 1872, 2,000,,
600 acres
The speaker said that had the policy
of leasing, abandoned completely by
the government in 1S45, been contin-
ued and applied to our coal, iron, oil
and copper lands, and lands contain
ing previous metals with suitable pro
vision and control, the revenue from
that source alone would today be al
most sufficient to defray all of the eX-
enses of our national government
And what is more important, the
trusts and monopolies which now ex-
list and threaten the welfare of all of
our people would not have been pos
sible.
The status of 1873 as to coal lands
provided for the sale of known Goa:
lands at not less than $40 per acre,
If more than Is miles from completed |.
and not less than $40 per |
acre for lands within u miles of a
railroad.
Under this act an individual could .
not acquire more than 100 acres.
But an association of individuals
might acquire as many times 160
acres as there were persons in the
association. not exceeding, however,
$40 acres in all.
The act made it perfectly flea:
hat while the land might be sold for
lot less than $40 per acre in the ore
,ase. and not less than 500 per acre
n the other case, that it should be
sold for its full value.
Consider what happened, how that !