El Nuevo mexicano., 1920-03-04

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BY Congressman Behigno G. Herman
dez OF New Mexico, IN the house OF
representatives. "Wednesday, Februr
airy H.,
The house Ii committee Of the
whole house on the state Of the
Union had under consideration the
bill III. Il. 12272) making a~pproprla-
tons for the department Of agricul-
ture for the fiscal year ending June
80, 1921.
Mr.. Hernandez: Mr.. Chairman. I
move to strike out the last word.
desire to make a few observations In
connection with the national forests.
There has been a good deal Of dis
cussion in connection with the forest
service.
When the federal government in
stalled its system Of national forests
out IN the public-land states. it was
done in accordance with a law passed
by congress, not at the behest Of the
people Of the states where these for
ests are located, but on the recon-
mendation Of a certain gentleman
who wanted to install a system OF
conservation. / am in sympathy with
the spirit Of conservation Of our ma
tionaa resources. | believe pur TIM
Der should be conserved. / believe
1t should be saved to q certain de-
gree. but Mr.. Chairman and gentle
men, we have gone conservation mad
on this proposition. Like other busi-
nesses in which the government has
embarked. this service is top heavy.
They are spending more money tina
they ought to spend IN conserving
these national They en-
ploy more people than they ought tol
employ. (Applause.) The idea Of
conserving our timber and all these
things is right. 1t is a good idea,
but whenever you go to leasing these
lands. then you drive the settlers
away from those states. When this
system Of issuing permits for graz
ing purposes in the national forests
was Installed, il was said that II was
going to be In the interest Of the
small stockmen. What has been the
result? The result has been that the
large cattle owners and sheep OWN
, ers are the ones who are asking LOT
these additions to the national TOT
ests. II does not encourage the set
thing OF these lands In any ~ me
homestead forest act OF 1906 IS AZ
most a dead letter today. | know
that by experience. live within
the Carson national forest in New
Mexico. / own several hundred acres
az land within that FOREST and out
side Of it. They talk about the ax-
pense. Nobody out there asks tnat
those expenses be incurred. We are
,erfectIy willing to take the public
domain and manage It ourselves with.
out running in debt.
cEDE 70 STATES
II YOU want to get rid OF that ex-
pense. you can do it very easily. III
these puhlic lands are a liability to
the government, and they have been
4 liability 50 far, turn them over to-
the respective states and we Will
handle them.
Gentlemen talk about conservation
81 this, that, and the -othef, but
those OF us that live within these for
els feel that we are paying a rea-
sonahie Zee for the privilege that We
get fOr grazing now, and 70 arbitrar-
nv raise those Lees at this time would
be an injustice. i IN behalf o. my
constituents, feel constrained 70 enter
my earnest protest against It. Fur
thermore, Mr.. Chairman. we are try
ing to devise ways and means @
lower the high cost OF living an
along the line and have been trying
10 curb b~rofiteering BY enactin@ sneh
legislation as viii serve that purpose
and here the COMMITTEES on aHfle&
tura and forestry bureau are enga8
inx II The very thing we are trying
ia stop. The proposition 70 raise ar
bitrarily the grazing fees AZ this
time. REGARDLESS or the agreements o.
Understandings that exist between the
bureau and the national Forest
strikes me ike q clear case Of an
effort 10 profiteer on the part Of the
government. alleging that commercial
rates Tor grazing on private lands are
hleher than those BY the bureau III
~ wsnt to tighten the burdens Of
those that raise beef and mutton ana
b~y.rroducts or the lnduatry Or the
riock-raiein9. We cortainly DO not
want 10 make charges Tor the rrlt
peres 81 grazing treble of what thayf
nov are. These people have % meet
federal. state, ard othr taxe. TIE
81 fnnning sad mNnnNtn&
ihcif burinesn have doubted the last
lhree wears. aud while pic44 iort
shnfr uroduefa hMva Increased tnat IN
erense rersslniy does not justify ~
unreasonable charge foT gfatinx.
LEASING system Of ne aaeniefea ena
-wrnrr1rlef rrbiir lands ~ his fime
wonsd ~ ny Indarn4uk hafe 9 teu
denry 10 neinra ne EFeNgh q ~
eral 81 sh9 ~puAfipiAnf siete& vi
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