The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-08-25
MIR. LANE GETTING RIGHT.

NIX. LAM GEI IING hlGf11.
Secretary Lane Of the Interior De
partment, being a Western man, is nat
urally able to appreciate the Western
views on conservation, reclamation OF
public lands, and on various questions
that affect this mountain and coast
region, that have seemed to be beyond
tho grasp Of Eastern politicians and
statesmen. There seems to be some
thing about the Eastern atmosphere
that narrows the vision, and that shuts
off any view not entirely within the
range of Eastern policies. Even so
great man as Daniel Webster was not
ashamed to declare his indifference
with regard to the Oregon country, and
to say that the United States had no
use for the ragged mountains and arid
plains of all that western region. There
was even opposition before that to the
great Louisiana purchase, which was
forced by trans-Allegheny sentiment, as
against opposition from the conserva.
tive and reluctant Atlantic slope.
The West has had to contend with
that limited Eastern vision heretofore,
and has suffered from the restricted
views of the East in many ways. But
Secretary Lane is capable of broader
vision, and in some respects, at least,
he is showing the results of his moro
enlarged views. 1t is true that the re-
cent sale Of timber In North Idaho
does not show much iberality In that
case the Government gets S750.000 for
the "ripe' timber on a reserve, but
the people Of that vicinity will be
obliged to buy that timber and pay the
bill, The dealers who have bought the
timber from the Government will not
only compel their customers to pay
back to them the $750,00o, but they
will charge a percentage on that, so
that the people who buy the timber
for their own use will probably have
to pay double that on account of the
money which the Government receives
This is something that the Government
never did in the times Of the great
settlement of the country, some forty
and fifty years ago, to recent times
1t is decidedly unfair procedure
against the people who are settling UP
this Western country, which is the
hardest to settle and develop of any
ever undertaken in America. And the
injustice of IT, according to precedent,
and the wrong economic policy involved
in 1t, would seem to be so clear that
no one would wish TO afflict the set
tiers of these Western regions by such
unprecedented and impolitic exactions
and over,charges, if he understood this
matter.
STILL the Portland Oregonian, which
is staunch friend to the West, anG
an opponent of the chief conservatism
faddisms, has leading editorial com.
mandatory Of Secretary Lane. which
we are glad to republish, and glad
TO believe that it is 4 forerunncr of
coming light upon all these questions
which so vitally affect ali the mountain
and the coast country. That editorial
is as follows:
Secretary Lanes expressions OF opinion
II
| have met him In Portland show that he
| fully realizes the difficult work which lies
before him. lie has made clear his pur-
pose to steer clear OF the extreme con-
| seVation policy which excludes settlers
irOm the public domain and Of the unrea-
Sonaely suspicious attitude towards set
| TIERS which has the same effect Ha Is
friendly TO the actual settler. who proves
| his good faith by cultivaiing his land, but
ne VIII show no consideration for The
speculator who takes homestead either
| as "A dummy for some person or corpora
| ton or with tile purpose Of selling at an
! enhanced value without complying with
| the law.
His greatest difficulty in thus discrIm-
| mating between settler and specuIa tor
comes In dealing with recla ma ton pro-
| jects, The Government has Invested
! many millions la watering great areas
and must recoup from the settlers the
| original cost and the expense OF main
! tcnancc, that II may escape an annual
| drain and may have funds for other
! reclamation work But many OF theae
| improvements. through miscalCula ton OF
! engineers and from other causes. have
| cost much more than the original esti
mate and the settler finds himself sad
died with a much hea vier annual main
! terauce charge than he anticipated.
Some men Ia entire good faith settled on
| irrigated and with Insufficient funds TO
carry them through the iirst unproductive
year or two. They nnc they cannot pay
| 10" charges thoy arc IN danger OF losing
| an they have spent and they cry for re-
lief. Some pretended settlers went on