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Show SMOOT ON CONSERVATION. Wo are assured at last, on bohalf of Apostle-Senator Smoot that ho is not in favor of tho Roosovolt policios of conservation. .This is doubtless an evolution on his part similar to tho evolution that has gone forward in his inner consciousness as to tho desirability desira-bility of revising tho tariff law schodule by schedule, and specifically remodeling schodule K, on wool. Smoot has been nu outspoken, blatant conservationist; con-servationist; right; along. At tho convention con-vention of Western Governors in this city last year Smoot gave tho lie specifically to Governor Brady, and moro indirectly to other attendants at that convention who wero striving for Western rights and against the narrow, restricted conservation policies represented repre-sented by the Roosevelt-Pinchot fad. At that time Smoot was a rabid con sorvationist, without qualification or limitation. Ho wont "tho whole hog," and would hoar of nothing but that Pinchot should bo supported right up to tho handle, without quostion or qualification. Now, however we aro assured that, although Smoot "has been in full accord ac-cord with the policy of Presidents Taft and Roosevelt on tho question of conservation," yet "ho has always felt that tho West had a legitimato complaint." Ho is now represented as saying that "tho East has always had all to gain and nothing to lose by tho conservation policy, as its land is occupied, oc-cupied, whilo tho West, with boundless room and need for settlers, has been constantly opposed to any radical policy which withdrew public land from entry, and made it impossible to build homos there for homescckers." Tho Tribune, in tho languago form which Smoot best understands, feels to congratulate con-gratulate him upon hia change of view on this question, and cannot but think that his closo reading of Tho Tribuno has Bhaken him out of the Pinchot rut, and enlarged his viow so that he now understands as ho did not before, that the West has suporior rights in this matter of conservation, and should not be dictated to by the East on that question. Tho opposition of the West to tho Roosovelt-Pinchot conservation policies took the impractical form at the Governors' Gov-ernors' convention of demanding that tho public lands bo turned over to the States. ThiB, as Tho Tribune pointed out at tho time, is absolutely out of tho question. The Natiomil Government Govern-ment must administer the National domain do-main as long as there is any National domain to administer. It is imposfliblo that tho public domain should be transferred to the States. But it is not impossible to grant to citizens of the United States tho riamo rights on the public domain that is left that they have had through immemorial usago on the public domain of , the United Spates from" tho first settlement of tho country this side of the Allegheny mountains. Tho land has always al-ways been open and freo to tho pioneer, tho settlor, and tho homeseoker. It should remain so now; There has never been any question heretoforo but that tho pioneer Bottler hns the right to enter upon the public domain, mako his homo and utilizo individually and by communities tho natural facilities nnd resources at hand. Thcro has never boen any question but that a pioneer community- might utilize the water power for the establishment of saw mills, grist mills, and other power purposes. pur-poses. Thero has nevor been any question ques-tion but that thoy could open coal mines and uso tho timber nocessary to make their homos and reclaim the wilderness to civilization. There has nevor been the faintest opposition on the part of the Government or of public officials to sottlcrs doing all those things and utilizing the public domain and its ap-purtonauccs ap-purtonauccs to tho best advantage of tho now community; all this in the past. But in recent years thero has sprung up a fad that whero sottlerB go upon the public domain, open coal mines, develop and uso water power, cut tho timber that they need, and in fact do as sottlors have always done in tho new regions of the United States, that those new settlers in our time are robbing the public, and must bo driven off tho public domain and restrained from despoiling the public propert'. It is all at once held that the public have superior rights to tho Tights of any individual, und that whero individuals indi-viduals profit at the public expense, that this is public robbery. This now view utterly loses sight of tho fact thut tho public gels no advantage ad-vantage from lands, water powor3, or mines held in their unused and undeveloped unde-veloped state. It is only by the development de-velopment of tho natural resources of tho country that the public derives any advantage, or enn'reap any profit. The public gats its advantage through private pri-vate enterprise, and through tho reclaiming re-claiming of tho wilds to civilized uso. That is the only possible way in which the public can get-any benefit from tho public domain, and to deny that private use in the making of now homes and the opening up of new regions re-gions to culture and civilization is, in fact, to arrest development where it is, and to deny tho present generation of American citizens the rights and privileges assured to them under tho laws, and by immemorial tradition and practical application. We aro glad to have been tho agency through which Apostlo.Sonator Smoot has boen converted awny from Ins un-tenable un-tenable and fad-bound position in support sup-port of tho Roosovolt and Pinchot conservation con-servation policies. Wo trust that a diligent reading of Tho Tribuno will advanco him also along other hnos, until un-til ho gctH to bo something more than a mero echo, of Eastern opinion, a more sorvilo nnd unquestioning follower fol-lower beyond all precedent among Senators, of tho Aldrich ideas on the tariff, and tho Pinchot ideas on conservation. |