El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-12-13

The situation is much the same
Farmers Opposed Reform.
IL is notable. too, that back in the
forties and Gfties the farmers Of the
middle west opposed this land reform
movement on the ground that IL would
produce too many farmers, and SO
lower the prices OF farm products
And they are opposing land reform on
the same ground today This shows
how little the main centers OF inter
est in the country have altered in half
a century. The chief difference in the
political outlook is caused by the
growing strength and confidence of
labor.
me propaganda carried on By
Evans. Greeley and their associates
finally resulted In the passage in 1852
Of the homestead law. which was
Z signed by Abraham Lincoln. ana
I which embodied the general prin-
ciples upon which we have acted In
/ the disposal OF our public lands ever
since.
This law did not really embody
! the principles for which Evans and
. Greeley had fought al all Il gave
. the hOmesteacer the right 10 sell his
land, and in fact opened up an era
Of enormous speculation and much
fraud Subsequent acts enabled men
20 take Up also timber, stone. coal
and mineral lands. There was a time
L120 acres Of government land in his
own name under various laws Also,
after residing for a short time on
piece Of land. man could sell a
release. TO someone else All OF this
made 10 easy for individuals to ac-
quire great areas OF agricultural,
timber and mineral lands. which they
held for speculative purposes.
Nevertheless. the homestead law
did much good for the time being. II
ed q
ton and fraud. II also enabled many
bona fide settlers TO obtain valuable
farms In a clumsy and Wasteful
way Il provided that outlet for sur
plus national energy which was go
badly needed
Imperfeetions Realized.
About 1850 it began 70 be realized
even BY congress that our homestead
laws were less than perfect, and they
were modified. but by that time much
Of the damage had been done. Nearly
all Of the good agricultural land had
already passed into private owner
In 1900 began the last epoch in the
story OF the national lauds-that o.
conservation Theodore Roosevelt
was notable leader Of the conser
walton movement. and his strongest
claim TO the gratitude OF the Amer
ican people rests upon his work as a
conservatiOnist- AS a result OF this
movement the national forests have
been set aside, assuring the people OF
an adequate timber supply. and OF
splendid free Fairgrounds for all
time The western coal lands have
been kept In the hands OF the gov
eminent and viii be developed BY a
leasing system under government su-
pervision- The great natural re-
sources Of Alaska have been kept
under government control 70 a con
siderable extent
Thus the problems OF coal and tim
Der have been in measure solved.
At least, these resources have been
safeguarded- u Is the agricultural
lands which present the greatest and
the most difficult problem. Only the
great organized power OF govern
ment seems TO be able TO convert our
remaining arid swamp and cut-over
lands into productive farms Ths
individual settler cannot begin 10
contend with the task The labor de-
partment urges that this necessary
work OF reclamation be done as soon
as possible 50 that opportunity may
be substituted for unrest.