The daily sentinel., 1914-03-31
CONG. TAYLOR
MAKES REPORT
ON OUR LANDS
Western Colorado Statesman
Shows That Conservation
Should Open up Lands.
Sentinel Special Service.

Sentinel Special Service.
Washington, March 81 The re-
port of Congressman Edward r. Tay-
lor regarding entries of public lands
has just been made public.
This report shows number of in
teresting statistics regarding the set
tlement OF our own public domain
and the movement of American farm
ers to Canada. II shows that some-
thing will have to be done to stop
that movement.
In the report OF Mr.. Taylor it is
pointed out that during the fiscal
year ended June 80, 1913, only .
l02 final desert land entries were
made in the United States. During
the same period there were only %
pre-emption entries, 737 final min
eral entries, &c coal land entries and
perhaps fewer than 500 entries un-
der what is known as the isolated
tract law.
1t is pointed out that the land laws
or Canada permit young men Is years
old or more to make entries of public
lands and this provision, the report
argues, has been responsible to a
considerable degree for the immigra-
tion OF young American farmers to
Canada.
The testimony of William J..
! White, agent and representative of
! the Canadian government, in charge
of advertising to attract settlers, be-
| fore the lobby investigation commit
tee of the senate is given to Illus
4 trate the extent of this immigration
| to Canada. White testified that the
number of Americans moving to Can
ada during the fiscal year ended
June 80, 1918, was 141 900, and that
the average for the last five years has
been about 100000 annually. He
testified that 100000 Americans
have moved to Canada within the
past ten years. The concluding lang
uage of the report follows:
Those 100000 American citizens
who have expatiated themselves for
a home were farmers and young men,
the best citizenship of this country,
and their loss to our country is be-
yond the possibility of estimation
They are the kind of people we most
need at this time. With our agri-
cultural productions decreasing at a
terrific and alarming rate. as com
pared with our increase in popula-
ton; with our high cost OF living
still getting higher. with our $685.
S9l, ,020 acres OF unappropriated and
unreserved public domain. besides
165 100000 acres OF forest reserves,
ALL of which Is producing compare
lively nothing and costing millions of
dollars year to supervise, 1t would
seem that it is time to change some
what our public land policy and to
allow at least the agricultural por-
tions of this land to go into private
ownership and be used for the homes
of our citizens and the production
of agricultural crops.
at is not only colossal financial
blunder, but an outrage against the
present generation, to hold all of that
imperial domain in idleness for fu-
ture generations, when every town
ship of cultivated land increase the
wealth of the state 100000 year.
1.-The most beneficial use is the
only kind of conservation that should
be practiced by our government. 1t
Is not conservation of agricultural
lands to make no use of them. except
for grazing purposes. and to keep
them in the same barren state in
which they have existed for thou
sands of years. Let US cease driving
good American citizens to Canada for
land. Let us give our people a home
on our public domain and welcome
them to an abiding place under our
own flag