Show GALLINGER BUTTS IN It Is one of f the anomalies of con congressional congressional congressional gressional organization that the pub public public lic lie lands committee should invariably be dominated by men from states in which there are no n public lands or or very little and that the most radical objectors to the petitions of western states should be from New Nw N w England or other states where the th question is not of ot local interest Senator Smoot t bill for fOT the enlarge enlargement ment of ot homestead units to acres has developed the absurdity of such a situation Regardless of ot the merits of the bill Itself the noteworthy feature of Its status is that Gallinger of ot New Hampshire Is the chief obstructionist to Its consideration It may may be true as some of or the western senators have observed that the provisions of ot the bill do not safeguard properly the pub public public public lic domain certainly it should not be passed If it throws open irrigable lands or lands along streams to en cn entry entry try In such large Jarge tracts but waiving that the question should be deter determined determined determined mined largely large if U not altogether by bythe bythe the opinion of the western represent representatives representatives representatives in congress Nominally and legally legall the public domain is i the property of the whole nation but in actual administration it has been assumed that the states tates In which the public lands are located loc ted should be considered as potential fac factors factors tors tom in its disposal and It has been customary to make large grants of such lands to new states for tor their own own revenue revenue purposes recognizing the ta fact t that local loca as well as national Interests Interest are to be consulted For dry farming purposes purpose the pres present present present ent homestead is too small In Utah particularly dry tarm farming promises to work a revolution in the conditions c of ot agriculture in the arid r gio and andI andI I I p may possibly result in the reclamation of or a large area heretofore considered l hopelessly unproductive That experiments experiments ments in this line should be blocked by the objection of or a New Nev Hampshire senator is the least bit exasperating it is as though a western senator were to obstruct c improvements for Boston harbor which everybody knew to be needed simply because the west could any advantage to it in the en encouragement encouragement encouragement of at New England corn com commerce c m merce I |