The Daily Alaska empire., 1929-09-06
PRESIDENT HOOVER FOR STATE
 RIGHTS.

drastic change in governmental policy in deal inc with much of the great national domain in the West is contemplated by President Hoover. It em- bodies transferring to the States about 2Oooooooo or more acres of public lands and restricting the nresent activities of the Federal Relations Service with view to having the individual States take pver important irrigation and other water rights functions now exercised by the Federal Govern ment
 Fundamentally, the letter of the President IS a strong States Rights document It holds that ind- vidual States are better able than the Federal Gov ernment to administer activities within their bound- aries now exercised by the central authorities at Washington The Presidents plan was set forth Tn letter to the Governors of the Public Lands States who met in conference at Salt Lake City August 26 The letter indicates hostility to the growth Of Federal bureaucracy
 The President said in his letter that in order that he might be advised inteligently he purposed to appoint commission of nine ten members five of whom should be chosen from leading citi- zens of Public Lands States, and he asked the Governors to suggest names for this body.
 The lands which it is proposed to give the indi- vidual States in which they lie constitute an area about six times that of the State of New York
 The Presidents declaration against bureaucracy taken with the recently announced position of Chairman Wickersham of the Law Enforcement Commission regarding Prohibition has aroused the ire of confirmed conservationists and ardent drys The Presidents statement that seems to have caused most of the commotion is epitomized by him in the paragraph:
 It may be stated at that Vest
 States have long since passed from
 their swadding clothes and are today more
 competent to manage much of these affairs
 than is the Federal Government Moreover,
 must seek every opportunity to retard
 the expansion of Federal bureaucracy and
 to place our communities in control of their
 destinies
 President Hoover's statement of his position re- gardng the surrender to the separate States in which they of 200,000,000 acres of public domain follows similar statement made not long since by Secretary of the Interior Wilbur It is believed that the reiteration of Secretary Wilburs position by the President is clear indication that the re action from the Secretarys pronouncement ha been satisfactory to the Chief Executive
 There will be rejoicing throughout the Wes and wherever State Rights sentiment strong because the President has definitely placed himself witf those who believe in local sef-government ant against bureaucracy. It is thought that the Presi dents letter will rather sharply mark the beginning of important change in things It will meal that henceforth more and more powers exer cised by the Federal Government will be returnet to the States where it rested in the beginning
 The Empire finds it easy to enthuse over thi evidence that President Hoover is not only West President but that he has rather clear idea of the needs for returning government to the peopl where it must lie if this Union is to endure ant progress along the lines the Fathers meant tha it should.
 Hurrah for Hoover!