Salt Lake Telegram | 1924-05-18 | Page 18 | State Defends Land Sale to Railroad

STATE DEFENDS LAND SALE TO RAILROAD Denies Right of Federal . Government to Control of Bryce Canyon Hale ef twenty seres of land and the leasing of twenty acres more by ths Ft ate of L'tah to ths Union Pacific railroad will be defended by the state afste official de-rtere. de-rtere. Recently Mens tor Hmoot Introduced In-troduced a bill In the senate providing- for the making of a national perk of Bryre canyon and deslt.a- ; in the park- as l'tah .National! park. This park, as proposed, will Include In-clude unurvyd sect tone 1 1 and 12 ef township St south, range 1 west, the surveyed section S of lownanip as sourn, range wee, which la now ths property of the state, and la the proposed sits for the hotel and ramp alts on the rim; the north half of the southwest quarter snd the west half of the southwest quarter of the section e; unsurveyed sections and 7, west half of the northeast quarter and the West half of the southwest quarter quar-ter of partially surveyed sectlwn S, partially surveyed section 17 and unsurveyed sect Ions 1. IS snd IS. township J? south, range a west arid unsurveyed sections I, IS and IX, township ST south, range 4 west. The bill would plaCe aJmlnlstra- tbe park t-nder the secretary of the interior, the branch of the national park service and would arbitrarily assume to the government title to all lands Included regardless of where the title might He at thta time. . T 4TB HOLD TIT!.. 'The attention of Governor Uabey was called to the matter by congressman con-gressman lon B. Colton. who, in a telegram, asked Information as to whether an absolute title had been given the Lrion Pacific railroad lor a ponton of section SI, which is oa the r'.m of the canyon end wnere 'he railroad proposes to erect a big hotel. The executive replied that th title waa absolute and that the stste would maintain Ha right to dtepoae qf the la.nd In question and would undr no cunalderatlon relinquish relin-quish lie title, as the transfer was made In good faith. state Land Commissioner John T. Oldrovd when asked (Saturday about the matter satd that hla attention had been railed to It and thai the state had abaolute title to the prop- railroad wss complete In every wsy. Whlla the attitude of the atala would be to encourage tha Betting apart of the canyon for a national park. It would oppoe sny mot e-ment e-ment upon the part of the government govern-ment to attempt to Invalidate the transfer and leaae of the property to the railroad. MAY UK IT ATMs In connection with this question It Is understood that the Interior department, through the general land office, la arranging to institute insti-tute action agalnat the e,tate for ths recovery of lie sections of achool 1 lands In L'kntah county which the ! department declares sra mineral : lamia and Include the lands on which the fileonlte and elaterite deposits de-posits are found In that section ef the s'ate. Any move vpon the part of the government to take over these lends win be resisted by the state In every way possible, It Is satd. . '