The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1913-10-31
BITTER ATTACK
ON LAND LAWS
REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT FERRIS
CRITlCIzES SECRETARY OF IN
TERROR AT TULSA.

sailing the United States land laws
and criticising Secretary of the In
terror Franklin X. Lane Congress
man Scott Ferris of Oklahoma, the
chairman of the house committee on
public lands, created a sensation at
last nights session of the Interna-
tional Dry Farming Congress.
The tariffs, the trusts and the cur
rency questions cannot rise to the I'M
portance of the work of the dry farm
ing congress-" declared Congressman
Ferris.
Our land laws" he continued. are
in many respects crude, irTecOnCilable
inefficient, without uniformity, con-
fusing to the brain of the settler i'm
possible of Interpretation by the lay
man and a iargon of Inconsistencies
that retard progress and development
Most Of our so-called land laws are
simply a confusing mass of executive
orders, rulings. interpretations and de-
cisions made by various bureau chiefs
and clerks in the various ramiiicatiOns
Of the various interior departments.
During my service in congress We
have had four secretaries of the in
terror. They We're Bal!inger, Gar
field, Fisher and Lane.
The views of the four men have
differed in policy, on questions of
law, on questions of construction,
while the poor confused homesteader
and miner suffered from these con-
fiicting rulings to an extent almost
greater than he could bear. Many
of these decisions are actually OBJ
structive to the settlement of the
lands of the west and a blight on
the development of the unbounded
resources of nation that is richer
than we know.
In Maze Of Conjecture.
'On the question of the management
of our public lands and the minerals
that slumber beneath them the last
two national administrations have
been wandering in a maze of coniec-
ture which is bllghting to both east
and west.
IF large areas of land have heen
withdrawn by the government for
mineral purposes and there is no
mineral present, surely the lands
should be restored so that the home
builders can cultivate it and they
shall serve the proper function allot-
ted them by nature.
There are times in the lives of
men and political parties when We
must protect ourselves against our
friends. Real conseryationists ard
real conservation of our natural re-
sources are our friends. The conser-
yationists who believe in a policy of
non-use, a policy of bitter opposition
to everything progressive, stubbornly
opposing well regulated use and de-
velopment Of our boundless resources,
are in my Judgment a school Of pa
triotic thought perhaps, but without
real first hand information as to the
true conditions that prevail.
Some Of the laws of congress and
many of the rulings of the depart
ment seem to be made on the theory
that We do not need the sturdy pio-
neer.. To this no thoughtful man will
subscribe"
Congressman Ferris remarks were
greeted with loud applause from the
dry-farmers.
Officers Are Elected.
Resolutions changing the sessions
of the congress from annual to BIZ
ennial affairs and asking for large
appropriation from the United States
government were prepared by a COM
mittee last night and will be presented
to the congress today.
The International Congress of Farm
Women elected officers Wednesday
Mrs Belle Won Dorm Harbert, of Man
zanola, Colo, was reelected president,
while Mrs. John T Burns, of Tulsa,
was reelected secretary
II J. Waters, president of the ag
ricultural college of Kansas. was un-
an'mously elected president of the
congress. 10 succeed W. r. Mother
well, of Canada o. D. Hunt of Tulsa
was elected first vice-president. The
second and third vice-pres dent, re
srectiyely, are II. VI. Bainer of ANA
r'llo, Tex. and Alfred VI. Atkinson, of
Bozeman, Mont.
Plans have been completed for a
formal reception tonight for Governor