The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1921-06-12
Who Should
Own the Remaining
Public Domain?

ttonttutfcd from Page Five
Is unjust and unfair. together with the
non-taxablo indian reservations and
forest reserves, although the forest
reserves DO refund back to the county
IN which they are situated a part OF
their receipts. for roa and school
purposes. These forest reserves. In
dian reservations and unappropriated
public domain constitute a very large
per cent-about 20 per cent-of the
area OF New Mexico. II Is non-taxable.
The balance OF h LANE and the citi-
zens thereof nave to bear the expense
ana pay the taxes for state and fed
eral and county governments. They
have TO build the a across those
pubic lands or n~on-taNable property.
and they have IA maintain schools and
courts n all other form OF gov
eminent. the result being that "A heavy
burden Of taxation must either all
on those taxpayers this so per cent
OF the land that Is taxable-or we
must do with inferior schools and in
ferior roads and Inferior government.
! believe that " these IS 600
acres OF public domain should be
ceded 10 the state. and handled by
the state. u should be leased on a
sane, a just and equitable basis for
the purposes to which they are best
adapted, which In my judgment at
the present time IN for grazing, II they
are ut FOR anything.
Present Costs Too High.
But u In essential 20 the stockmen
OF this state that the cost 20 the stock
men for these landa should be care
fully studied. carefully weighed and
a Just rental arrived at before Il Is
created. The present state lands
think were rented too high and sold
too high. | think they were rented
and sold 10 the stockman AT a inns
when his business was at the peak
OF ~ prosperity n at a very much
higher level than n normal level and
al a lime when he saw his ranges be-
ins endangered by the $40 acre home
saw hia investment being wiped out
from under him and probably years
OF labor, ana he was driven by the
dangers OF the situation 10 acquire
more land and In paying higher prices
and values than his business iusiifiea.
Now the remaining public domain,
n u ~ put In the hands OF the state.
should be leased by the stockmen II
IL IL ~ for that purpose, with a rental
or a sale price Commensurate with
the returns that II viii yield, and !
mink That b experience we have
had IN New Mexico with our own
state lands would make IL practical
and possible to arrive at a fail and
lust basis Of rental for these lands.
The idea IL TO get them on a prOduc-
tive basis, whore they are being in
creased IN value rather thar being
destroyed as at present. Give each
stockman better control OF his ranr.
n'sd particularly lea each acre OF land
bear its just aud fair proportion OF
the burden u taxation. road construc-
lion, court costs. and 30 forth, which
"" are called upon to meet, and /
believe u can be- better done by being
c"ded TO the state and being handld
by the state land office thar from any
other source or any other way.
Time Ia Gct Action.
This j. a very vital question - tho
stockmen. and { believe Furthermore
that the time h more nearly ripa now
when this can be- accomplished than
ever has been heretofore. think
Washington has ever looked al this
vast area of public domain as a place
10 BE- held for the benefit OF home
atcnderH where every citizen OF our
10000 600 could ave n home OF 100
acres, " he would come and take IL
M and make a happy living for him.
~elf and his family. hin that tim.
~ over don't think that GEO acres
WIZ be anything more than "a deiuaion
ana q snare and disappointment for
a homesirnder who tries 90 do this.
but all this land does have some value
ns n grazing proposition, ~ properly
conserved aud properly handled. and
J think n can De- more efficiently aud
more economically and better ham
died BY our state land office than by
a federal or by any other agency
inrld"ntally, our state lands are nd-
minihtfrcd at an expense not 10 go
coed Z or , or 9 per cent OF the total
lnrome; whereas the expense of
handling he public domain a. We
know now undcr the department Of
th" int"rior or general land office.
creates a deficit every year; In other
; w"ldH " costs more than 700 pr cent
q" handle d lands. The forest re-
serves DO not cost quite that much.
The state leases BY the acre and I
; thinh the lease ~ the acre h more
! satisfactory % the stockman. II In.
wolves lea restTlctioas. he has more