Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-09-21

DENVER, Sept. 20. - DR.. Hubert
Work, secretary of the interior, speak
ing before the American Mining con-
gress here, said: g
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: From
your agenda | quote: Among the top
les to be considered by the American
Mining congress will be the policy of
the national government regarding the
holding or disposition of public lands,
particularly as affecting the mining
industry"
With this as a text, it will be ne
cessary to recite some history, set up
the financial side of the administration
of the public lands, and to indicate
the income and expenditures therefrom,
as that of course attracts the interests
of those outside of the government. AS
an administrator of the public lands I
must take a national viewpoint rather
than be influenced by my previous
environment and my long association
with those having closest contact in
the development of these remaining
natural resources, which have been re-
garded from the creation of the nation
as the property of all the people.
1t is not my purpose to forecast the
action of the congress. an Independent
branch of the government, or at this
time to advocate reversal of the gov
! ernment's present policy in its entirety
but to open the subject up for dis
cussion.
At the time of the organizing of the
United States of America, the thirteen
original states held title to all of the
~ r.,
1880, the congress of the Confederacy
passed a resolution, which provided
that the national government might
accept whatever lands the states might
cede to it and dispose of them for the
common benefit. This was the' founda-
tion of our public-land system.
Cessions of large areas were made
to the federal government by seven
states-New York, Virginia, Massachu-
setts, Connecticut, South Carolina,
North Carolina and Georgia. An area
amounting in the aggregate to $780,,
100000 acres of land was donated and
became the property Of the United
States. Virginia alone ceded to the
nation the region now embraced in the
states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Mich
igan, Wisconsin and part of Minne-
sofa. These gifts were untrammeled
by any condition and free from reser-
walton in favor of their public schools
or any other matter of local concern.
Subsequently the federal government
enlarged it's public domain through
purchase, discovery and treaty. The
vast area included in the Louisiana
purchase consisting of 756,961,000 acres
! was bought outright from France and
paid for by the nation. East and West
Florida comprising S7931,000 acres was
purchased from Spain. Other land to-
falling 334,433,000 acres, which includes
a number OF present western states,
was acquired from Mexico as result
of war in which the American peo-
pie as whole participated, making
sacrifices of blood and treasure. The
oregon country became part of the
public domain as result of discovery
bv officers of the United States Out
of these vast areas. have been carved
with the exception of the 13 original
commemorative.
The marvellous history of the ex-
pansion of the United States and the
development Of it's natural resources
tell the story of the disposition by the
federal government of it's public lands.
Through a century and half pio-
neering people have razed the forests,
converted wilderness, and pushed a
receding frontier to the Pacific ocean.
The time has now come, l believe,
to take an accounting of what re-
mains of the. nations public domain.
Vacant and unappropriated public lands