The daily sentinel., 1912-04-18
|THERE'LL BE No HOMESTEAD BILL
OR A GOOD ONE UNLESS COLORADO
ORDERS NE TO QUIT, SAYS TAYLOR
Colorado Congressman Declares Demands Of Secretary Fisher
Would Make Conditions Infinitely Worse No Re-
lief for Eastern Part Of the State.
Sentinel Special Service.

Sentinel Special Service.
Washington, Apr. 1S.-Represent-
ative Edward T. Taylor of Colorado,
acting head of the public lands
committee of the house and the lead
ing member of the conference COM
mittee now considering the final
draft of the homestead bill, today
outlined the differences between the
measure he supports and that in
sisted upon by Secretary of Interior
Fisher.
The congressman is convinced that
If the demands of the secretary are
incorporated the law would be in
finitely worse than 1t is now and
do any relief. In discussing the sit
uation. the congressman says:
IL started out to liberalize and hui
mamie the homestead law somewhat;
and the demands of the secretary
would make the law 10 times worse
than it is at present.
Five Things Demanded.
The secretary demands five
things:
"First-That all minerals of ev-
cry kind shall be reserved to the
government for all time.
"Second-That all water power
possibilities. including rights of way
for transmission lines. shall be re-
served to the government and such
portions of the land as necessary
shall be surrendered for that purpose
at any time.
"Third-That all merchantable
timber be reserved. Almost any kind
of a tree would be merchanta BILE tim
ber
"Fourth-That progressive cult
yation and improvements shall be re-
quired; one-sixteenth first year. one
eighth second year and one-quarter
third year, which is impossible for
o poor man.
"Fifth-The law shall not apply to
the 320-acre homesteads, or to the
reclamation homesteads.
Only One Concession.
The only concession which he is
willing to make is that the law may
apply to existing 160-acre homestead
entries. So that If We accepted his
demands the people of eastern Color
ado would get no relief.
The 320-acre dry farmers want to
prove up in three years and they
want the cultivation acreage reduced
from so to 40 acres, and If We yield
to Fishers demands we get neither
of those provisions.
THE present law is better than
the law would be If we are compelled
to accept Mr.. Fishers amendments.
For one. | will not accept those
amend ments unless the citizens OF
Colorado emphatically instruct me to
do so.
so far as / am concerned, and II
| am not put off of that conference
committee, there will either be no
bill or there will not be law that
is worse than the present law.
Il am getting a deluge of letters,
petitions and kilograms on this sub
ject from all over the West | can
not possibly answer them individu-
ally. From Colorado, the eastern
portion of the state. where there is
no mineral or timbed or water pow
er, they are willing to accept a con-
ditional surface, title in order to Sc
cure the three-year homestead. But
they do not realize that the secretary
is unwilling to have 1t apply to them.
Even If should agree to the surface
title amendment they would get no
benefit out of the law,
Want Absolute Title.
THE people from practically all
the rest of the west insist upon hav
ing an absolute title to their land
and would rather wait five years
than to take merely surface condi-
tional right. Unless the President
pulls off Fisher or Colorado pulls
me off the chances are the deadlock
will continue.
But congress has emphatically
and Overwhelmingly decided in favor
of the three-year homestead PROPOSE
ton, and the three-year homestead
law is coming-if not at this session.
at the next. And | do not believe
that il is at all necessary for us to
yield to the Pinchot ultra-conserva-
tionists' theories and accept limited
titles that will make all kinds of com
plications and litigation and be
nuisance forever.
"If we now accede to these restric-
tions in the homestead law. then they
will at once demand the same re-
garding the desert land law and all
other kind of entries.
These Pinchoites are trying to
put everything that they can conceive
of into federal leasing proposition.
They now have hearing set for their
bill providing for Withholding from
entry and for longtime leases on all
the remaining public domain,
II object to Colorado being treated
as federal province or insular pos
session. and | think that a perpetual
federal exploitation of our country
would be hundred times worse than
any possibility of the monopoly which
they are so loudly bowling about"
Watch stopped last night? Needs
cleaning. Take 1t to Stong's. He