The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-01-31
THE PIONEER AS A CRIMINAL.

We have advcrtcd hitherto TO the
practice under the conservation policies
introduced by MI Pinchot Of consider.
inc every pioneer. every ono who wishes
10 settle upon the public lands, as 4
trcspaSscr, pcriuer, and criminal
whose efforts At reducing the land TO
Il useful purpose must bc withstooI at
all hazards. law or no law.
In former times the pioneer, the first
settler, was held TO have been bcue-
factor TO his country. the father of the
community; bc has been held in high
honor and respect. Now, however, We
see by the illustration and practical
enforcement OF the Pinchot ideas that
We have been all wrong hitherto in
honorlng tho pioneers. We should, on
the contrary. dcnounce them as public
robbers and pcriurers. That is the mod
ern conservation idea, and in accord
ancc with it we should, in place of hon.
oring those pioneers, eXccrate them
and dcuounce them AS persons who have
stolen the public heritage, and who
were deserving Of prosecution and in
carceration in the penitentiaries.
All this is the logical and direct Sc.
quence of the Pinchot argument and of
the rigid conservation ideas, The pub
lie domain belongs to the public, aG.
cording TO that idea, and any one VINO
undertakes to get any of it for himself
is .thlcf. Accordingly, the Pnchot Of
ticials have pursued their policies TO
an cXasperating extent, so much so
that the whole Western region is being
aroused in opposition to the scanda.
lous ideas and tactics pursued under
the name of conservation. Senator
Borah recently made powerful speech
in .,hc Senate in opposition to those poll.
cics and the practices under them We
took occasion upon receiving the tcle.
graphic report of that speech. 10 com
mend Senator Borah s position, and TO
enforce further our own criticism of
those policies as made for number
Of years past. We find tha.t the Port.
land Oregoniau has similar ideas to our
own on this question, and take pleas.
nre in reproducing its editorial com.
meuts upon Senator Borah s speech I'm.
der the head of Prosecuting the Set.
tier" as follows:
Senator Borah's protest against the per-
s'"utlon Of the settlers on the public
domain could not have oyerstatcd tL..
facts no matter how strong tho lam
OF thc land fraud trials and Of the con
scrratton campaign in the East IS tho
general assumption that every man ip
the West who tries TO secure title lc
q piece OF public land Is, by that very
'act. thief. liar and perjurcr 10 he
bounded by special agents and foresi
rangers until lie hicS TO Canada There
ne is welcomed shown every confidence
which his own good faith merits, anC
given title To land without any Of thc
eNaspcraiing and humiliating conditions
70 which he Is subjected in the United
States.
Even il the land laws were admins
tered only in exact accordance with thei
terms and with only a. much regar.
TOT justice 10 tho settler as ,hoy per
MT. they would he ovcrcxactinE
piece or land which must no part
cleared of heavy timber and thick bruS'
before he can begin To make IL pTodul.
n living for him and his family n n,
absents bimsclf more than ccr,ali
length OF Time 10 earn q living else
where during this period OF prcpa ration
Spe'lal agent is ~ his heels and hf
must endure a contest which NAV ono
In The forfeiture of his claim. H. brie;
II hc remains on mis- homestead hc VIII
starNc. VI he goes away 10 avoid star
TdtioH, he loses the homestead
But Ills position aggravated Ey th-
iuauE"r iu which the law is admits
tered. So convinced arc tho cnuSorya
tonists N the East who laNo long agt
wasted their shsrN of the public domain
MAT every Western settler is = prlms
'a"ic thirf and pcrlUrcr, that tho into-
rior Department L. driven by migEu!deG
publ" opinion To- keep tho West swarm
Ing With special agents. The one ido-
of these men IS 10 mako = record bv
i.'rriug up tic settler ~ every turn of
the legal road Their ndelity 10 duty
Us measured not hy The ninuDcr or set
llcIs WHO are making homes u tue