Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1915-03-20
BORAH WANTS
LANDS RELEASED
Can See No Reason for Driving
Homeseekers to Canada.
Idaho Needs Them.

only thing that prevented the pas
sage of the administration s conser-
vation bills at the recent session OF
congress, and the defeat of these bills
can be directly attributed to the fill
buster on the shipping bill. AT the
noXt session, however, the conserva.
tioa bills will be brought to the front
and, under pressure from the White
House, doubtless will be passed.
This will not be accomplished with
out fight, however, as several west
ern senators have determined to
make an effort TO have the leasing
bills radically amended in order that
the states may benefit to a greater
extent than under the bills as they
. and and few western senators
intend, if possible, to defeat the
leasing system. 1t is conceded, gen
orally, that Notwithstanding western
opposition, there Will be votes e.
nough to shove through the leasing
oils in some form or other.
1t is difficult to ascertain just eX-
actly what the administration wants
in the way Of conservation legisla-
tion. During the second, or long ses-
sion of the Sixty-third congress, a
series of bills was introduced in the
house, approved by the administration
and rushed through under the gag
rules and over the protest of western
members. Only the Alaska coal
leasing bill passed the senate. When
at the short session, the senate COM
mittees got to work on the bills that
came over from the house, substantial
were adopted in commit
tee, and the amended bills were re-
ported in shape far more accep-
table to western senators than in the
shape in which they passed the house.
Again it was announced that the a.
bills were as the administra-
tion would have them. So that the
administration stands committed at
this time to two radically different
sets of bills for the development of
water power, for the leasing of coal,
oil and phosphate lands, for the reg
ulation of water power development
on navigable streams and the radium
bill yet to be considered by a sen
ate committee.
1t is the manifest purpose of west
ern senators to build up support a.
mong their eastern colleagues, in the
nope of forcing still further conces-
5ions from the administration in the
matter of conservation legislation.
Senator Borah of Idaho, who is op-
posed to the administration bills as
hey stand, started the crusade for
eastern cooperation i'm a speech de-
ivered recently in Philadelphia. InI
hat speech he sought to give his
audience something of the western
and in doing so, said
Pennsylvania has 2S,880, $40 acres
within her borders. | n 1910 she had
| population OF 7,665,111. In 1912 she
lad a total assessed valuation of a.
oout $6,474, 22759S. This gives an
dea of her great wealth as a state
md an indication of how you have
1ullt up this commonwealth.
In Idaho we have a territory with
irawn from use or private entry and
led up as forest reserves, 17712,660
Lcres, considerably more than half of
rour great state. Nearly 83 per cent
If our entire state is withdrawn from
'ntry and use. We cannot tax it and
;annot impose upon it any of the
BURDENS of state government We
must, however, enforce the criminal
avs of the state over that entire a.
ea. The other IS per cent Of the
tate must pay the burdens of the en-
ire 100 per cent. Would you people
It Pennsylvania like to experiment
With that proposition?
During the past five years more
han one hundred thousand American
itizens have each year passed into
)anada to acquire homes and home
teads, They are Of that class of
nen who constitute the best there is
n American life because they are
tate builders, pioneers in the devel-
,pment of new countries, and will in
he end furnish food for the great
centers Of the United
,tates.
Il assert that the seventeen million
cres withdrawn as forest reserva-
ions in my state at least five mil
Ion acres Of 1t would, If permitted