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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1910)
TEIE MORNING OREGONIAN, SAT URD AT, JANUARY 15, 1910. 1 Meadly for Greatest Sale o 99 A (Braises Idp Sale Opens IS very where on January 1 Z Forty-five carloads of seedless, tree-ripened "Sunkist" oranges will be on sale during "Orange Week." Your dealer every dealer will take part in this great sale. Keep the date in your mind. Fresh-Picked "Sunkist" eedless Oranges Sunkist" oranges fully ripen on the tree, thus giving them that matured deli ciousness that only tree-ripening can effect, and fast freight trains, which are given full right of way wherever possible, bring "Sunkist" oranges to you. Hence your "Sunkist" oranges are just as fresh, if not fresher, than the fruit that is eaten in California cities. These oranges are deliciously juicy and luscious. The California Fruit Growers' Exchange picks, packs and ships millions of bushels of or anges. The choicest of all these countless millions of oranges are carefully select ed and they alone wear "the "Sunkist" wrapper.! Save the Wran tiers T T .1. tin ! " I J r ' . . - " neuue uic ouiiiust urana means orange periec- it is important that A liuii. x. in- kJLillJViOL Wldppci R piciCCU Oil U1G5C 4 IUV. UI dllgCB dim 1C111" nrancres sn that vnn Vnav Vnnur the hirrhpet 1 o 1 i -. t ons VOU buy are, oranges that California produces. Insist that the -f 1 coveringsfi oranges you buy are wrapped iaOhe Sunkist ' bearing the Sun- wrapper. "Sunkist" Navel Oranges Are Seedless They are tree-ripened, exquisitely rich in sweet orange juices and the -pulp is deliciously tender. "Sunkist" Lemons Highest Grade "Sunkist" lemons are firm and full of juice, such as are found only in lemons that wear "Sun kist" wrappers. For "Sunkist" is also the highest grade of all the lemons grown in California. We select only those lemons 'that pass the rigid tests to which they are put by our experts, and the choicest are placed within "Sunkist" wrappers. kist label. Not only are you as sured of "Sunkist' quality but we will give you a Rogers' Orange Spoon FREE with each 12 "Sunkist" wrappers either orange or lemon and 6 two cent stamps. These spoons are Rogers' full standard plate of hand some design. It is easy to, get a mil set in a very short time. Send your wrappers and stamps to (jaiiiornia Fruit Growers' Ex change, 34 Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois. "V if A. V ) i Remember the Date. Sale Begins Monday, January 17 PRESENT LAND LAWS ARE NOT ADAPTED TO PRESENT NEEDS, PRESIDENT DECLARES Reappraisement According to Use Is Urged Irrigation Will Work Wonders Forests Must Be Preserved. Waterways Important as Kate Regulators, Taft Says in Message. WASHINGTON, Jan. 14. President Taft's special message on conservation of natural resources, sent to Congress today Is as follows: To the Senato and House of Representatives: In my annual message I reserved the sub ject of the conservation of our natural re sources for discussion In a special message, as follows: "In several departments there is presented the necessity for legislation looking to the further conservation of our natural resources and the subject is one of such importance ms to require a more detailed and extended discussion than can be entered upon in this communication. Kor this reason I shall take 1 an early opportunity to send a special mes sage to the Congress on the subject of the improvement of our waterways and on the reclamation and Irrigation of arid, semi arid and swamp lands; upon the preserva tion of our forests and the reforesting of -suitable areas; upon the reclassi flcrfflon of the public, domain with a view of separating from agricultural settlement mineral, coaJ and phosphate lands and sites belonging to the Government bordering on streams suit able for the utilization of water power." In 1S6A we had a public domain of 1.0N5. acres. We have now 7ol.3o-,OSl acres, confined largely to the mountain ranges and the arid and semi -arid plains. We have in addition 3(.iS.O:i.V97i acres of land in Alaska. Mx Methods Aided Fraud. The public lands were, during the earliest srimlnlstiatlons. treated as a National asset for the liquidation of public debt and a source of reward for our soldiers and sailors. Later on they were donated in large amounts in aid of the construction of wagon roads and railways in order to open up regions In the West then almost inaccessible. The principal land statutes were enact e more than a quarter of a century ago. The homestead act, the pre-emption and timber culture act. the coal land and the mining acts were among these. The rapid disposi tion of the public lands under the early statutes and the ax methods of distribu tion prevailing, due, I think, to belief that these lands should rapidly pass Into private ownership, gave rise to the impression that the public domain was legitimate prey for the unscrupulous, and that it was not con trary to good morals to circumvent land !awe. This prodigal manner of disposition resulted In the passing of large areas of val uable lands and many of our natural re sources into the hands of persons who felt little or no responsibility for promoting the National welfare through their development. the truth is that title to millions of acres of subtle lands was fraudulently ob tained. na that J he right to recover a large part of such lands for the Govern ment long since ceased by reason of statutes of limitation. People leeplr Concerned. There has developed In recent years a deep concern In the public mind respecting the preservation and propr use of our nat ural resources. This has been particularly fltrecwa tow at a me conservation of re sources of the public domain. The problem Is how to save and bow to utilize, how to conserve and still to develop, for no san person can contend that that ts of the com inon good, that nature's blessings are only tor unborn generations. Among the most noteworthy reforms inl " tlated by my distinguished predecessor were n vigorous prosetunun or tana xrauas ana the bringing to public attention of the necessity for preserving the remaining public domain from further spoliation, for the maintenance and extension of our forest re sources and for the enactment of laws amending the obsolete statutes so as to re tain Government control over that part of Hie public domain on which -there are val uable deposits of coal, oil and phosphate, and in audition thereto to preserve control, mi der conditions favorable to the public, of lanoa along in streams in which the fall of water can be made to generate power to be transmitted in the form of electricity many miles to the points of its use. known as "water power sites. investigations into violations of public land laws and prosecution of land frauds have been vigorously continued under my administration, as has been the withdrawal of coal lands for classification and valuatl and the temporary withholding of power sites, since March . iqov, temporary with drawala of power sites have been made on H2 streams and these' withdrawal there ' Cor cover 22 per cent more stream than were covered by the withdrawals made prior to that date. The present statutes, except so far as they dispose of precious metals and purely agri cultural lands, are not adapted to carry out the modern view of the best disposition of public lands to private ownership, under con ditions offering, on the one hand, sufficient inducement to private capital to take them over for proper development with restrictive conditions, and, on the other, which shall secure to the public that character of con trol which will prevent a monopoly or a misuse of the lands or their products. Statutes Are Antiquated. One of the most pressing needs in the mat ter of public land reform is that lands should be classified according to their prin cipal value or use. This ought to be done by that department whose force is best adapted, to that work. It should be done by t he Interior Department through the Geological Survey. Much of the confusion. fraud and contention which has existed in the past has arisen from the lack of an official and determinative classification of the public lands and their contents. it is now proposea to aispose or agricul tural lands as such, and at the same time to reserve for other disposition the treasure of coal, oil, asphaltum, natural gas and phosphate contained therein. This may be best accomplished by separating the right to mine from the title to the surface, giving the necessary use of so much of the latter as may be required for the extraction of the deposits. The surface might be disposed of as agricultural land under the general agri cultural siaiuie. wniie tne coai or otner mineral could be disposed of by lease on a royalty basis, with provisions requiring a certain amount of development each year; and In order to prevent the use and pos session of such lands with others of similar character, which seems to constitute a monopoly forbidden by law, the lease should contain suitable provision subjecting to for feiture the Interests of persons participating in such monopoly, bucn law should apply to Alaska as well as to the United States. 1'bosphates Will Foster Greed. The extent of the values of phosphate is hardly realised, and with the need that there will be for it as the years roll on. and the necessity for fertilizing the land shall become more acute, this will be a product which will probably attract the greed of monopolists. With respect to the public land which lies along the streams offering opportunity to convert water power into transmissible elec tricity, another important phase of the pub lic question is presented. There are valua ble water power sites through all public land states. Opinion is held that the trans fer of sovereignty from Federal Government J o fi ruurmi govern menis, as iney necome states, included water power In rivers ex cept that owned by riparian proprietors. I do not think it necessary to go into a discussion of this somewhat mooted ques tion of law. It seems to me sufficient to say that the man who ownsx and controls the land along the stream from which the power is to be converted and transmitted owns land which is indispensable to the con version and use of that power. I cannot conceive how the power In streams, flowing through public lands, can be made available at all except by using the land itself as the site for the construction of the plant by which the power is generated and converted, and securing a right of way thereover for transmission lines. Under these conditions, if the Government owns the adjacent lands- Indeed, if the Government Is the riparian owner It may control the use of water power by imposing proper conditions on the disposition of land necessary in the crea tion and utilization of water power. 'Water Power to Replace KueL. Development in electrical appliances for the conversion of water power into electricity to be tranriiitted long distances bast progressed so far that It is no longer problematical, but it is a certain inference that in the future power of water, flowing in the streams, to a large extent will take the place of natural fuels. In the disposition of the domain already granted, many water power sites have come under absolute owners-hip and may drift into t one ownership, so that all the water power under private ownership shall be a monoio!y. If, however, the water power eltes now owned by the Government and there are enough of them shall be disposed of to private persons for the investment of their capital in such a i way as tc prevent their union for purposes of monopoly with, other water-power sites, sad -under conditions that shall limit the right of use to not exceeding 50 years with proper means of determining a reasonable graduated rental, and with some equitable provision for fixing termai and renewal, it would seem en tirely possible to prevent the absorption of these .most useful lands by power monopoly. As long as the Government has control and can prevent their improper union with other plants, competition must be maintained and prices) kept reasonable. In considering: the conservation of natural resources of the country, the feature that transcends all others, including woods, waters and minerals, !s the sotl. It is incumbent upon the Government to foster, by all avail able means, the resources of the country that produce th food of the people. To this end the conservation of the soils should be cared for with all means at the Government's dis posal. Soil Mast Be Conserved. Their productive power should have the at tention of our scientists that we may con serve the new. soils, improve the old soils, drain wet soils, ditch swamp soils, levee river overflow soils, grow trees on thin soils, pasture hillside soils, rotate crops on all soils, dis cover methods for cropping1 dry land soils. And grasses and legumes for all soils, feed grain and mlllfeeds on the farms where they origi nate, that the soils from which they come may be enriched. The act by which, in semi-arid parts of the public domain, the area of the homestead has been- enlarged from IfiO to 320 acres, has re sulted most benetlcially in the extension of dry-farming and the demonstration which has been made of the possibility, through a variation in the character and mode of cul ture, of raising substantial crops without the presence of such a supply of water as has been heretofore thought to be necessary for agriculture. But there are millions of acres of com pletely arid' land In the public domain, which, by the establishment of reservoirs for the storing of water and the irrigation of the lands, may be made much more fruitful and productive than the best lands in a climate where the moisture comes from the clouds. Congress recognized' the Importance of this method of artificial distribution of water on the arid lands by the passage of the -reclamation act. The proceeds of the public lands creates a fund to build the works needed to store and furnish necessary water, and it was left to the Secretary of the Interior to determine what projects should be - selected among those suggested, and to direct the reclamation service, with the funds at hand, and through the engineers in the departments employ labor to construct the works. No one can visit the far West and the country of arid and semi-arid lands without being convinced that this ts one of the most important methods of conservation of our nat ural resources that the Government has en tered upon. It would appear that over SO projects have been undertaken and that a few of thtse are likely to be unsuccessful because of the lack of water or for other reasons, but generally the work which has been done has been well done and many important engineering problems have been met and solved. One difficulty which has arisen Is that too many projects. In view of the available funds, havfi been set on foot. The funds available TAFT REGARDS LAND LAWS AS ANTIQUATED; URGES CON SERVATION AND INDORSES POLICY OF IM PROVING WATERWAYS. President Taft In hs latest message urges reform of tho land laws. He ' speaks of the reforms Instituted by his "distinguished predecessor," and says they are being continued under the present Administration; he urges conserva tion of water-power; he lays stress upon the economic importance of making the best use of the self-contained resources of the soil; he sees the future im portance of irrrigation; he would preserve to future generations of miners and farmers the great timber of .the uncut forests; and he would inaugurate a . system of improving the waterways of the country. He finds that the improve ment of waterways means lower freighat rates, and that "It is the best regu lator of those rates that we have." Some of the sentences from the message are: "The truth is that title to millions of acres of public lands was fraudulently obtained, and that the right to recover a large part of such lands for the Government long since ceased by reason of statutes of limitation." "The present statues, except so far as they dispose of precious metals and purely agricultural lands, are not adapted to carry out the modern view of tho best disposition of public lands to private ownership, under conditions offering, " on the one hand, sufficient Inducement to private capital to take them over for proper development with restrictive conditions, and on the other, which shall secure to the public that character of control which will prevent a monopoly or a misuse of the lands or their products."- "One of the most pressing needs in the matter of public land reform is that lands should be classified according to their principal value or use." "The extent of the values of phosphate is hardly realized, and with the need that there will be for it as the years roll on, and as the necessity for fertil izing the land shall become more acute, this will be a product which will probably attract the greed of monopolists." "Development in electrical appliances for the conversion of water power Into electricity to be transmitted long distances has progressed so far that it is too longer problematical, but it is a certain inference that in the future power of water, flowing in the streams, to a large extent will take the place of natural fuels." "In considering the conservation of natural resources of the country, the feature that transcends all others, including woods, waters and minerals, is the soil "But there are millions of acres of completsly arid land in the public do main, which, by the establishment of reservoirs for the storing of water and irrigation of the lands, may be made much more fruitful and productive than the best lands in a climate where the moisture comes from the clouds." "One difficulty which has arisen is that too many projects, in view of the available funds, have been s3t on foot." "I earnestly recommended that all suggestions which he (Secretary BalHnger) has made with respect to these lands (.timber lands), shall be embodied In statutes and. especially, that withdrawals already made shalL be validated so far as necessary and that doubt as to the authority of -the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw lands for the purpose of submitting recommendations as to future disposition of them, where new legislation Is needed, shall be made complete and unquestioned." , "It Is csrtain that enormous ' quantities of merchandise are transported over rivers and canals In Germany and France and England, and it is also certain that the existence of such methods of traffic materially affects tho rates which railroads charge, and It is the best regulator of those rates that we have, not even excepting Governmental regulation through the Interstate, Commerce Commission." under tho reclamation statute are inadequate to complete these projects within a reasonable time. And yet the projects have been be gun; settlLrs have been invited to take up and In many instances have taken up, land within the projects, relying upon their prompt completion. The failure to complete the proj ects for their benefit is, in efTect. a breach of faith and leaves them in a most distress ing condition. I urge that the Nation ought to afford a means to lift them out of the desperate con dition In which they are now. This condi tion does not indicate any excessive waste, or any corruption on the part of reclamation serv-i- It only Indicates an overzealous desire to extend the benefit of reclamation to as many acres and as many states as possible. I recommend, therefore, that authority be given to issue not exceeding 3O,Oi'O,0OO of bonds, from time to time, s the Secretary of the Interior shall find It necessary, the proceeds to be applied to the completion of projects already begun and their proper extension, and the bonds running 10 years or more, to be taken up by the proceeds of returns to the reclamation fund, which returns as the years go on. will Increase rapidly in amount. There is no doubt at all that if these bonds were to be -allowed to run ten years the proceeds from the public lands, together with, the rental for water furnished through the completed enterprises, would quickly cre ate a sinking fund large enough to retire the bonds within the time epecifled. i nope that while the statute shall provide mai mere Don as are to De paid out of the reclamation fund, it will be drawn in such a way as to secure Interest at the lowest rate and that the credit of the United States will oe pieogea ior tneir redemption. I urge consideration of the recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior in his an nual report for amendments of the reclama tion act, proposing other relief for settlers on these projects. Ball lager's Views Kndorsed. What I have said is really an epitome of the recommendations of the Secretary of In terior in respect to the future conservation of public domain in his present 'annual report. He has given close attention to the problem of the disposition of these lands under such conditions as to Invite the private canltal necessary to their development on the one hand and the maintenance of the restrictions necessary to prevent monopoly and abuse from absolute ownership on the other. These rec ommendations are Incorporated in bills he has prepared, and they are at the disposition of Congress. I earnestly recommend that all sug gestions which he has made with respect to these lands shall be embodied in statutes and. especially, that withdrawals already made shall be validated so far as necessary and that the authority of the Secretary of the in terior to withdraw lands for the purpose of submitting recommendations as to future disposition of them, where new legislation is needed, snail be maae complete and un questioned. The forest reserves of the United State. some 190,ot0,000 acres in extent, are under control of the Department of Agilculture with authority adequate -to preserve them and to extend their growth so far as that may be practicable. The Importance of the mainte nance of our forests cannot be exaggerated. It has been proposed, and a bill for the purpose passed the lower house in the last Congress, that the National Government appropriate a certain amount each year out of the receipts from the forestry busi- nesa of the Government to institute refor- ! estation at the course of certain naviga- ble streams to be selected by the Geologi cal Survey, with a view to determining the practicability of thus improving and pro tecting the streams for Federal purposes. I think a moderate expenditure for each year for this purpose for a period of five or ten years would be of the utmost bene fit in the development of our forestry svs tem, Waterways Improvement Vital. T come now to improvement of inland water ways. He would be blind indeed who did not realize that the people of the entire West and especially those of the Mississippi Vailev, have been aroused to the need for the Im provement -of our inland waterways. The Mississippi River, with the Missouri on the' one hand and the Ohio on the other, would seem to offer a great natural means of Inter state transportation and traffic. How far, if properly improved, they would relieve the railroads or supplement them In respect to the bulkier and cheaper commodities Is a matter of conjecture. No enterprise ought to be un dertaken, the cost of which Is not definitely ascertained and the benefit and advantages of which are not known and assured by com petent engineers or other authority. When, however, a project of definite character for improvement of a waterway has been devel oped so that plans have be-n drawn, cost defi nitely estimated, and traffic, which will be accommodated, is reasonably probable. I think it i the duty of Congress to undertake the project and make provision therefor in the -Troper appropriation bill. One projeot, which- answers the description I have given. Is that of Introducing dams into the Ohio River from Pitteburg to Cairo, so as to maintain at all seasons of the year by back water, a depth of 9 feet. Upward of sevea , of these dams bays already been constructed. Go through the Orange Groves of California on your trip East and take the Golden State Limited from San Francisco or Los Angeles. New up-to-date high-class equipment with all the comforts and conveniences of a first-class hotel. Illustrated Booklets and Full Particulars on application GENERAL. AGENT Passenger Dept. M. J. GEARY, 140 3d St., Portland, Oregon PHONES: Main 334, A 266S and six are under construction, while the total required is 54. The remaining cost is known to -SG3.OOfl.0oO. It seems to me that In the development of our inland waterways it would be wise to begin with this particular project and carry it through as rapidly as may be. I as sume from reliable Information that it can be constructed economically In 1 years. Projects are Practical. What has been said of the Chio River is true in a less complete way of the im provement of the Upper Mississippi, from St. Paul to St. Louis, to a constant depth of six feet and of the Missouri from Kansas City to St. Louis to a constant depth of six feet and from St. lxuis to Cairo of a depth of eight feet. These projects have been pronounced practical by competent boards of Army . ngineers, their cost has ben es timated and there is business which will follow the improvement. I recommend, therefore, that the present Congress, in the river and harbor bill, make provision for continuing contracts to complete these improvements. For reasons which It Is not necessary here to state Congress his seen fit to order an investigation into the Interior Department and the Forest Service of the Agricultural Department. The results of that Investiga tion are not needed to determine the value of. and the necessity for, the new legisla tion which 1 have recommended in respect to the public lands and in respect to reclamation. 1 earnestly urge that the meas ures recommended be taken up and disposed of promptly without awaiting the investi gation that has been determined upon. Srrnfula r?if Ittnrpc and causes life-long misery Children become strong and lively when given small doses of Scott's Emulsion every day. The starved body is fed; the swollen glands healed, and the tainted blood vitalized. Good food, fresh air and Scott's Emulsion conquer scrofula and many other blood diseases. Oft tALJE BY Al.I, DKC0O18T9 ' Rend lOtr., name of paper and ttaU ad. for ottr beautiful Sarins Batik and Child' PkMoa Book. Kaoh baakoontainsaOoodLaekFenar. SCOTT & BOWNE.409 Peart St. K. Y.