The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-02-03
ANTI PRESERVATION MOVE.

walton of natural resources is one thing
and that reservation. withdrawing those
resources from use, is quite another
thing. And so it is. The West is in
favor Of all practical, fair, aud reason
able conservation, In fact, any one
cause in proper conservation is found
the perpetuation Of natural resources
and the utmost utility with respect to
tnem. But withdrawing tho natural re-
sources of the country from use is an
oppression upon the settlers. reversal
Of the policy OF redeeming and settling
the country which has been the distin~
gushing feature Of the United States
from the first. Reservation as applied
has The effect OF Withdrawing from use
the coal deposits OF any gwen region
for example and confirming the monop
oily in those who in former years OBJ
tanned title to coal lands. So far, there.
fore, from being a popular or reason
able proposition, the withdrawal of coal
lands, in confirming monopolies and al
lowing of their control Of supply and
prices, is directly opposed TO the prin-
ciple upon which the sherman antitrust
law was framed. The Government g
policy in thus withdrawing coal lands
is, therefore, mistaken one, and OPP
pressiye upon the country.
No less so is the policy of creating
large forest reserves which, in fact, arc
not forest reserves at all, but merely
grazing areas for the most part, having
no relation to the conservation Of wa
ter or the holding Of the SHOWS There
have been no surveys nude which es
ia blish lines which would inclose prop
er forest reserves. The whole matter
has beer guess work. having little TO
do with the actual facts or with the
contours or surface OF the country. But
upon those immense forest reserves
every influence (short Of actual resist
ance) Of the forestry service il brought
to bear to prevent the location of home
steads or the opening of mines. To be
sure, the law expressly reserves the
right Of homesteading and of prospect
ing for mines, but it is hard for lone
prospector or lone homesteader to
fight the adverse influences Of the bu-
reaucrats.
Again, the withdrawal Of these vast
tracts Of land, keeping them out Of set
tlement, and depriving the State OF the
right To tax such lands, is hardship
upon those States. The State of Utah
has very largo proportion OF its area
withdrawn from use or possession by
various sorts of reservations Tho State
Of Oregon has more than half Of its
area thus withdrawn in the form of req
eryatioDs or land grants. 1t is clearly
| unjust to the State to hold those lands
away from settlement and to deny the
settlers the right to avail themselves
Of the natural resources that surround
them 1T is, in fact, illegal for the
most part, and II is illegal also for the
government OF the United States TO un-
dertake to control water powers upon
non -navigable streams; and yet, the
law is disregarded in these activities OF
the bureaus and their officials, and we
arc getting TO be about as bureau.rid-
den people as are the Russians.
1t is accordingly with good deal Of
satisfaction that the people of the West
will read the dispatch in yesterday S
mornings Tribune which shows that
| Senator Borab Of Idaho is active iu try
ing to devise some means for release
, of the people Of this Western country
from tho tyrranies Of the bureaucratic
service. He objected to the agreement
] TO vote next Thursday on so-called
/ Connecticut river dam bill The Con.
necticut river is for portion Of its
! length at least. navigablc stream. and
! if the proposed dam is TO be built upon
/ the Davigable part Of that river, Con
/ gress would have jurisdiction, as it does
not have jurisdiction of the streams all
/ through this mountain regiou, these
being non nayigable. Senator Borah, in
making his objection, said he wanted
time to perfect an amendment with a
Wow 10 "prOcure for the citizens OF the
West some relief from the conservation
SYSTEM and he continued, "I am told
this bill adopts policy as to conserva.
ton. The West does not object to the
conservation which has preserved the
resources but it does want relief from
the conservation that has tied up deycl-
opment of the Vest = That is precise.
~ the point in controversy. Settlers op