Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-07

great financial resources and depend
upon the expert who, with an open
and prepared mind, is the only safe
guide in the new pioneering. In this
advance of 5000 miles across the con-
tlnent we have set up certain political
units, for the most part bounded by
right angles, regardless Of the topogra-
| ply OF the country, or Of those natural
lines made by the crest of hills or
mountains, or by streams. In other
words, We have placed over the CONT
nent checkerboard of political units
without regard to those physical condi-
lions which in the long run determine
the economic and social status of the
men and women making up our Com
monWealth. Historically, the Depart
ment OF the Interior has played large
part IN this country's pioneering AS
new territory was absorbed, the lands
belonging to the National Government
were distributed through the General
Land Office of the department to
States, private citizens, through ceSsion.
sale, through special acts of Congress,
including the homestead law, the tim
Der and stone act, the stock-raising
homestead act and in a number of
other ways.
When the special Semi-arid condi-
tons OF the West were met, the Recla-
nation Service OF the department was
brought into being in order that there
might be concerted action to conquer
the mountain and the desert. Along
side OF the problem of handling the
public lands was the necessity of caring
for the interests of the Indians, who
had once roamed throughout the whole
OF our territory-thus came about the
Once OF Indian Affairs. In the West
ern march certain unique and beau:i-
tul areas were discovered. Their treas
ureS belonged to the whole people, so
that they were set apart as national
parks. The lure of gold brought men
to face hardships and dangers and to
seek for wealth in every nook and
Granny of the West. The Geological
Survey helped not only to discover
these mineral resources, but also all OF
the other forms of wealth hidden in
our continent or to be developed
through the control Of stream flow.
The discovery of coal beds and petro-
leum has had much to do with the de-
velopment of our vast wealth. The
american public school, represented in
the department through the Office of
Education, has been carried along by
each group of settlers until it is to be
found almost everywhere.
It may be interesting to think of the
present activities of the Department of
the Interior In this gathering up of
choice places and in this handling of
natural resources, as well as in the
picking up of the loose ends and rem
nants left after the first great sorting
over of our landed resources. The
function of the department has been
to operate the mechaniSrnS by which
public possessions were passed into pri-
vate hands. In so far as the public lands
are concerned, we have now reached a
stage where only few hundred mil
lions Of acres are In the control of the
department, although the National
Government through the national for
ests has very large areas under its con-
troll in most of the Western and some
of the other States. There Is, too, a
considerable body Of public land in
the great territory Of Alaska available
for future use. A Public Lands Com
mission has been appointed by the
President, representative of the West
ern public-land States and also of the
broader interests of the Nation, to