Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-28
Out of Swaddling Clothes.

100000 acres of the public domain,
now administered by the Federal
Government, be turned over to the
States. The area which the President
has in mind is exclusive Of lands re-
served for national parks, forests,
Indians, minerals, power sites and other
minor reserves.
In the opinion Of the Chief Execu-
tive. the time has come to place In the
hands of the State and local govern
mcnts the duty of administering this
great area, most of it now used for
grazing, If used at all. This is a mat
ter of Justice to the States whose
boundaries include these lands. At
the same time it should prove a de-
terrent to ever-increasing bureaucracy
in this country. The latter end is as
much to be desired as the former. 1t
is high time that the State and local
governments be encouraged to deal
with matters that affect them directly
and the National Government only in
directly.
Probably the suggestion of the Presi-
dent, contained in letter addressed to
Assistant Secretary of the Interior
Joseph M. Dixon, will lead to con-
troversy and to opposition. The ultra
conservationistS may see In 1t an as
sault upon the conservation Of the
national resources of the country,
found In the public domain. 1t will
be observed, however, that the Presi-
dent does not propose that the Federal
Government shall relinquish control
over the areas set aside for national
parks and forests, for the Indians and
for developments of oil. coal and other
minerals, and for the development Of
water power.
It is proper that the proposal to turn
over great areas Of public lands to the
control of the State governments should
come from a Chief Executive who halls
from the Far West where the public
domain is located California. the
state of his adoption. is one Of the
great States OF the Union. 1t would
be idle to argue that California is not
able to handle the area within its
borders which Mr.. Hoover proposes
shall be placed under the control OF the
state government. The vacant public
domain today is found in seventeen
States. without counting Alaska. These
are all Western States, with the excep-
ton of Florida. which has compare
lively small acreage of public lands.
President Hoover has a keen interest
In the development of the great West
ern States. He showed this early in his
administration when he promulgated an
order to suspend the issuance OF further
prospecting permits for oil on the public
domain. This he did in the interest not
alone of conservation of natural re-
Sources national as well as State
problem-but also in the interest OF
honest development and the elimination
Of "blue-sky'' promotions. He calls at
tention in his letter to Assistant Sec
rotary Dixon that at the time he issued
his order there were 40,00QeO00 acres
Of public domain covered by the pros
pecting permits. and that after going
into all claims, it had been found that
probably not more than 100000 acres
were being honestly and diligently
prospected. The Presidents order halt
ing oil prospecting permits caused some
criticism in the public land States, for
it was felt that in measure it halted
the development of the States.
Tho preriAenf's yoeu y,rorncaI anu,-
ever, looking to the transfer of control
OF vast areas of land from the Federal
to State governments doubtless will
strike responsive chord in the public
land States. 1t is right that these great
commonwealths should be encouraged in
every way to develop and to handle their
own affairs.