Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-22
The HQskin Letter 81 ' + R:1a
DIR NATIONAL T A

, claimed: 10000, 600, 900 tons of coal;
5000. 100000 barrels of petroleum
and shale oil; waterpower that might
develop 100000 600 horsepower with in
dustrial and commercial possibilities
beyond estimate; vast deposits of pot
ash. phosphate, gold, silver, copper and
other minerals. and $780, OO, 900 acres
of national parks.
Leasing Possibilities
Take the coal, oil. mineral and wa
terpower items alone and it staggers
the imagination even to approximate
the wealth producing possibilities. 1t
is Secretary Falls idea that these re-
sources should be exploited by a sys-
TEN of leasing to private interests and
if his estimates as to royalties are
| correct the national debt could be
wiped out In short order and the gov
ernment's income would be such that
it would not be necessary to levy any
taxes to meet the expenses of the fed
eral establishment.
That, however. like the prospect of
the individual citizens ever cashing in
on his share Of the national estate. is
something of an iridescent dream. The
government has a constantly growing
income from the development of the
public resources. and the experiment
Of leasing oil lands on a royalty basis
is now being tried. but it is extremely
doubtful that the country will ever en-
bark upon an ambitious program of
this kind. There is too much politics
in the proposition, Or, in any event.
there is too much of a possibility for
playing politics in connection with it.
II involves thu old fo,,r;nr f,.It $500
the question of conservation. On one
side is the element that believes that
the natural %esource of the public
domain should betcarefully preserved
and guarded lest private individuals
and interests lay unholy hands upon
them. profiting unduly thereby. On
the other side are those who insist
that the only sensible policy is to make
these resources Immediately productive
and that this cannot be done by the
government itself. Both groups de-
clare that. they are interested solely
in promoting general welfare, but each
is intolerant of the others ideas and
each calls the other names. 1t NAV
be added that such a strong case is
made by each side that the average
layman is unable to decide which is
right. Possibly neither is wholly RICH,
nor wholly wrong.
Origin of Public Domain
While this debate is going on it Is
interesting to delve into history and
ascertain when and how the federal
government acquired title to all the
lands that comprise the public domain
By the articles of confederation agreed
to in congress Nov. Is. 1777, and rati-
fled by the several states in the -four
subsequent years, the government OF
the United States of America was or.
gained and pursuant to that actor
took possession of the inappropriate
crown lands of Great Britain as the
successor to that government. The
treaty of 1888 was England's forma
REIMBURSEMENT of all proprietary ant
territorial rights in this country. ieav.
ing the ownership of the United State:
and the individual states u~ndispu.ed,
The Continental Congress mex pass
ed A resolution recommending that the
several states should surrender al
their waste and unappropriated lands
to the central government, as a meas
ure toward paying the debt incurred
by the War of the Revolution. Eact
of the states held or claimed vast acre
ages outside their own geographic
boundaries. Virginia, for example. haC
almost 0O.OOO,G0 acres in the terri
tory lying north of the Ohio river
and east Of the Mississippi; Massa
chusetts had millions of acres now
included in Michigan, Illinois and Wis.
%consin; Connecticut had a territor,
almost as large in what is now north.
ern Ohio. Indiana and Illinois; Soutf
Carolina held a strip. Is miles wide
which now forms the northern part Of
Georgia. Alabama and Mississippi
North Carolina claimed what is thu
present state Of Tennessee and Georges
had 5000. 600 acres in what are nov
the states Of Alabama and Mississippi
One by one these holdings were
coded to the federal government. il
. some instances subject to certain finan
cial obligations. until eventually tn,
United States had acquired i'll thi.
manner some 500. 600 square miles. o.
100000, 900 acres, at a cost of SO,
10000.
Then came a series Of treaties
through which we took over holding:
of foreign governments as a result o.
purchase or war, or a combination o
the two. First of these was the trans
action with France in 1903 whereby tn,
United States came into possession o.
151 1861 900 acres, now known as tn,
Louisiana Purchase, constituting a par
of Mississippi. Alabama, Texas. Colo
RADIO, Wyoming, Montana and tn,
states lying between them and the Mis-
sissippi river. The purchase price wa.
$4,000. 900. but by the time the dea
was contaminated interest charges
claims, etc. had brought this amour
up to S27.267 .621.
From Spain we purchased what i
now the state of Florida in 1919 an.
in 1913 Mexico ceded us 334,443, 81,
acres, comprising the present state
of California. Nevada, Utah and part
Of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado an,
Wyoming. Two years later Texa
gave us title TO some 6O-odd million
acres. now constituting a part Of New
Mexico. Oklahoma and Colorado. an,
then came the Gadsden purchase from
Mexico of 30.O00,000 acres now in
cluded in New Mexico and Arizona.
One Of our biggest real estate deal
was the purchase of Alaska from Rus
| STA in 1867. when We paid 5000. 90,
for 37S, 1875. $50 acres. Hawaii was no
so large a transaction, but a very i'm
p~ortant one, following which came gu
troubles with Spain as a result o
which we acquired Porto Rico. Guam
and the Philippines in 1898. The yea
following, by treaty with Germany an,
Great Britain. W. took over TutuiI
and other small Samoan islands by an
nexation. The Oregon country, en-
-.-- ~ .h,p 1Sn 90 nnn 49,