The Delta independent., 1916-02-11

inhuo ihNVANOup Anu lTONiuSu uNtucI,
That nothing in this Act shall be held
or construed to withdraw the lands
from, or prevent their location, entry,
and disposition under any of the appli-
cable publicland laws. Aa
Now. what want to know is
whether or not that bill meets with
your approval? And I also want to
know whether or not it meets with
the approval of the County Commis-
sioners and the Business Mems Asso-
Citations and citizens generally, of your
three counties. 1 may not be able to
pass 1t even with your united support;
but know it will be impossible to
pass 1t IL you are very much divided
upon the subject. And even II / can
pass the bill, it may not be in this
exact language. AS you know, all leg
slation-especially in Congress-is a
result OF compromise. When there
are about 10000 bills and resolutions
introduced in each Congress, and only
about two percent of them ever be-
come laws. you can readily realize
that person is in big luck to ever
pass any bill. Moreover, with 435
Representatives and sc Senators. no
one can ever have anything just ex-
actly the way he would like it-not
even the president of the United
States.
However. I believe I can pass this
bill IL you people are unitedly in favor
Of 1t. And I may say II l can get the
Interior Department and Agricultural
Department and the Public Lands
Committee to agree upon some fair
and reasonable measure. ! may possi-
bly, pass some general bill covering
the entire public domain of the United
States. before this Congress closes.
have during the past two or three days
F. Potter. the Associate Forester, who
has charge OF all these grazing mat
ters. in all the Forest Reserves. and
he. speaking for the Forest Service
and Agricultural Department, is un-
officially and informally heartily in
favor OF this kind of legislation. and
he would like to have me make this
bill. with some notifications. a gen.
eral law and put II on as an amend
ment to the 640-acre homestead bill
But the trouble about that is that
the Forest Service and the big cattle
and sheepmen want the Jurisdiction
transferred from the Interior Depart
ment to the Agricultural Department,
and do not believe Congress would
approve of that. even II the Interior
Department would approve of it. Be-
sides. the Agriculture Department,
Forest Service. and American National
Live Stock Association and think
the National Wool Growers Associa-
tion, also all want a clause in the
bill as follows:
Providing that violation OF the
rules and regulations so prescribed.
tby the Secretary of Agriculture)
shall be considered. and is hereby
made. misdeanor under the statutes
have not agreed to that. because
! have never liked that kind OF legis-
lation. know Congress has passed
some laws of that kind. and possibly
there may be circumstances that justi-
fy II. But am old-fashioned enough
to still believe that federal criminal
laws ought to be enacted by Congress
instead of Department officials. and
be general and definite so everybody
may know Just what they are. instead
of authorizing petty federal officials
to carry the criminal law around under
their hats and declare whate-e- they
feel to be misdemeanor and proceed
to put people in Jail for not obsying
whatever they say is criminal law.
also want to say to you that I
law OF this kind could he passed at this
time. My observation and judgment
is that aside from the Influence of
the American National Live Stock
Association. whatever that may be,
there is no general sentiment in Con-
gress at present in favor of regulat-
ing and changing fees for the use OF
the entire general public domain. out.
side OF the Forest Reserve, as Secre-
tary Lane said to me. there will nec,s'
sarily have to be enough grazing
charge made to cover the cost of ad.
and II pass this little
bill for you stockmen, you will be re
quired to pay such fees as are necos.
sary to defray the expenses: that is.