Arizona republican., 1914-03-15
Estimate of the Net An nual Proceeds of Charges Accruing to This State if the Pending Kent Bill is Enacted
HIGHLY PROBABLE
 IT WILL BE PASSED
Mr. Heard Speaks of It's Hearing Before House Public Lands Committee. President Wilson Believ- ed to Favor Measure

Dwight E. Heard, who returned l Friday from Washington, where he had been in attendance at the hear ing of the public lands committee of the House relative to the grazing bill introduced by William Kent of Cali fornia, and providing for the federal regulation and control of the public grazing lands, yesterday made the following statement relative to this very important measure:
 The committee on public lands of the House is justly regarded as one of the most important committees in Washington It has d membership of about twenty largely chosen from western states; the chairman of the | committee, Mir Scott Ferris, Of Okla homa, is man of marked ability and handled the hearing with excep- l intention to give everyone d square i deal that at the close of the hear l ngs, which lasted four days. all the witnesses joined in testimonial to the chairman in appreciation of his courtesy and fairness.
 MT Carl Hayden is an exception i ally active and efficient member of 1 this public lands committee and he, as well as Senators Ashurst and Smith. treated the visiting stockmen ! with every courtesy and showed a disposition to see that they got the 1 fdirest of hearings. Senator Ashurst personally attended q number of i these hearings.
 i At the first hearing Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Galloway appeared in support of this really 1 great constructive conservation meas ure, and presented letter from 1 Secretary of Agriculture Houston in | general appI oval of the bill. but of 1 fering certain amendments, all Of 1 which were accepted by the stock men
 1 While this question of substituting some system of intelligent control of the public grazing lands that bene- ficial use may be substituted for the l cussion for many years, this is tho first time that the sheepmen and cattlemen have been united in sup i port of the principle involved Among the sheepmen who testified were Mr. l $. w. Mcclure, secretary of the Ma | tional Wool Growers Association: | MT Selway, from Montana. and MT. Levi Young, of this state. who is in- terested both in sheep and cattle.
 At the start it was evident that certain members of the committee had the opinion that the small stockmen were not in favor of the lease law. but when such men as Mir J. NJ. Xiii han of Colorado, president of q Colo rado cattle growers association of over three hundred members. whose average holdings are but 40 head 1 strongly advocated the measure, as 1 did many other small stockmen. this
 fear of the committee was overcome
 and at the close of the hearing il
 vas very evident from the attitude of the majority of the committeeman that the witnesses had convinced
 them not only of the justice of the
 measure and the great need of the
 same, but furthermore has showr iconclusively that the small men would be benefited by the operation ot
 this bill fully as much as if not more than the big men, and that there was
 an earnest disposition on the part ol
 the stockmen to thoroughly protect
 the homesteader. Several clauses
 were suggested to the bill whicf
 would give the homesteader nor,
 complete protection. and after con-
 ference with the stockmen, and ir
 their behalf, l cheerfully accepted
 these suggestions
 MT. Harvey B. Ferguson. repre
 sentative from New Mexico on tn,
 committee of public lands, argued eloquently that the only solution nj
 the range problem was the passage
 of his $40 grazing homestead bill, but the various witnesses showed conclu.
 slvely that while the Ferguson bil
 might be of little value in some few
 communities, that it would have bul
 little effect in the vast area involved in the grazing lands.
 The tremendous importance O
 this general leasing measure become.
 evident when we realize that the pub.
 lie lands involved embrace an area o
 nearly 350,000,000 acres. or nearl,
 one-fifth of the total area of tn,
 United States, and that there ar, now graZed on these lands abou
 12,000,0O0 head of cattle and 35,000.
 900 head of sheep. It is readily seer lthat if by intelligent methods of reg ulation this vast area of grazing Ian,
 can be made to produce more mea that the vital problem of the higl , cost of living has been materially an,