Show I I I I i 1 I I I I I I STATES STATES HAVE I TOI NO RIGHTS TO MINERAL lAND SPRY ASSERTS Demand for Such Tracts l Mining and Reclamation YIELDING IS URGED I Secretary Work Vork Says Changes In Iii Land Laws Loom DENVER DF Cob Colo Sept 20 20 20 By ByThe ByThe The Associated TIe The fight or the states against mineral minerai cx- cx ex exclusion lor elusIon ct clauses uses In public school land grants strikes at the very roots of oC the mining Indu Industry try and Imperils irrigation In the opinion of oC William Spry commissioner of oC the he general land office of ot the tIe tIe- deI de department of ot the Interior who to- to today today to today day addressed the western state convention of ot the tho American n Min Mm- MinIng Min Mining ing log congress In session here The states demands that they I IThe ho given the mineral mInerai school see sec sections sec sections ll is a repudiation Mr Sir Spry declared of ot their their- solemn acceptance acceptance acceptance I tance ot of the grants grant and their In- In Insistence insistence In Insistence that the rules of ot be be exel excluded from front the final rinal con con- con consideration s of ot the claims i Is equally indefensible I Mineral Mineral lIner lands do not belong blong to to- the states and never did Mr Spry declared TIme TIle public lands ee acquired by gift of the old old- old older er states by purchase mini by the blood of ot our sons eons No Ko public land state has hIlS added an git acre to our flag flaa- But It if you ILl g no heed to o tion It you ou t In to reflect If It you would violate the compact under which you received the school sections wIll 11 you not as a final appeal look ook up your own Interests COMMUNITY ITS BENEFITS Mineral Minerai school sections nrc are no exception to the general rule The I development of the mini mino benefits primarily the community It in whIch II If Is 1st located It furnishes employ employ- employment employment ment mont to the people builds the towns Increases s s trade and adds to the tho tax roll 1011 and the same me Is true ot of o reclamation The Thc Imme imme- Immediate diate cliate locality rather titan than the country at large profits as the result of ot irrigation In both In- In in instances stances st the nations nation's girt gift Is b but lt the tho reflex of oC o your local prosper prosper- It ity prosperity Thins are approximately 13 acres of government own own- owned c ed ad lands within tho the national for for- forests forests for forests ests Mr Ir Spry said and or 01 acres ha have hav been patented with reservation a I of the tho mInerals to the United States More than acres In Inthe Inthe Inthe the United States are subject to exploration under the mining law laws lawand ansi and to tp sale or 01 lease r If Ie found to be bo mineral minerai In character n fl AWAY Mr Mr- Spry charged the Ibe states hate liae not as a It rule con con- con conserved served their quantity of ot school grants except In those where congress placed a rigid 14 condition on their I ThO millions of ot acres of ot swamp lands then given to them he lie declared were frittered away with little or no attempt to secure their drainage Remedial legislation Is needed In the adjustment of oC tIme tile school section In the western blames tates Sir Mr spry pry said lId Little was experienced In the south louth and mid mid- middle middie middle dle die states but In the nest with Its highly mineralized areas aleas an- an another another an another other problem has hall arisen The Thc government hag hils always I dealt fairly with and with the time public land states stales said JIll Mr Spry In Jo the early days Its military posts went alon along with tIme the settlers and nd its cavalry always alas responded to 10 their call and It gase them lands ot of their choice T U iT S no DOLS DOL'S It erects its Ita own public build build- bull buildings ings lags and buys every toot foot occupied 1 by It In III your youa cities and anS larger towns and pays a I liberal rental elsewhere At a loss losi 0 o itself illicit It delivers your mall mail at your YO doors Its public land subsidies ha hal s brought broucht the railways to you It has bag presented you with more mere than acres of ot land to your our swamps Hamps endow your our State slate institutions public and support pub lie lic schools school It has expended up- up upwards up upward wards ward of ot in conee- conee co connection nee nee- tion with the reclamation of ot your arid wastes and since 1916 1316 has Isa Wills advances advances- heretofore made authorized the expenditure or of to aid nd In the tho con con- construction con construction of ot public roads It H credits you with S 5 per cent of ot the thenet thenet oct net proceeds front from all public lond lands returns return to you In the rec- rec reclamation rec reclamation of oC o your desert lands 52 2 per pel cent and allow allows you per cent ot of the tho royalty secured under tho the mineral leasing leaning act lIet One ne state slate since the year 1920 has reo re- re received from Its 37 per cent oCI of oC I use be royalty on oil alone mOre ilman and now now you demand the mineral mineraI school sec sac sections sec sections Lion STATE TI TO ZO I 1 ilo do not ak a k you to emulate time the example of ot Virginia do- do donate do donate nate nato an alt empire I In the thC first place you ou have hare no empire to gil-c gil giveand and In the second place the gor- gor 01 gov Is ig 1 now tow strong trong stands juo on 00 Inie laue Iwo 0 I V COMMISSIONER SPRY AND SECRETARY WORK DISCUSS V PUBLIC LANDS QUESTION Continued From Irom Page One In no ne need nedd d of ot charity and there there- therefore therefore fore tore desires no sacrifices But cant can't you meet us with the spIrit of South Carolina who declared in Ill her cession that this state Is willing to adopt every enry measure which can tend to promote the honor and dignity of tho the United States and strengthen their ted ted- fed federal eral union Why by no pause and meditate upon that sentiment SECY WORKS S SPEAKS S An exhaustive survey looking changes In land laws Is now being conducted by the department ot of the Interior and Its findings will willbe willbe be presented to congress In Decem December ber her for legislative approval vIII Hubert W Work orle secretary of o tho Interior tp tp- tp day tp-day day told lold the western states conven conven- convention tion Ion of ot tho the American Mining con congress gress In session here herc Repeal ot of the stock raising homestead ad act lct desert land act tim Umber bel and stono stone act the tho enact enact- enactment ment mont of ot P a 1 law authorizing the es- es es establishment of ot grazing dIstrIcts advocated ad by Imy Secretary Work Worl In connection with tho the policy ot of the iho national government In la the matter of ot public lands The present policy of ot d developing disposing of ot the mineral re- re re resources sour sources es In the pu public bile lands Is Ss proy pro ing tug out out Mr Work said but dis dt- dIs- dIs dIscretion discretion should bf be lodged In the de- de department de department to from lease when and V where Iho the market condi condi- conditions conditions are such that It would not pot be be advisable o to throw new and In- In In Increased creased production into the tho chan chan- channels chan chan- channels channels nels of or trade The government then would be bo ablo able to develop these re rc rc- rc resources sources only as needed for V LAND PROBLEMS i 8 Among the problems of ot tho pub public lie lic land service Mr Work York cited the tho following Whether the UnIted States or separate states should own the tho land who should have the proceeds from It In either event ont the legal leeal rights ot of the lessor and lessee simplicity of ot adminIstration and finally of Ibis undeveloped natural national wealth There have ha been no revisions ot of our national land laws to meet vastly changed conditions Mr York Work said Tho federal govern govern- government government government ment is still throwing open to homestead entry large areas ot of land Jand the character ot of which makes the homesteadIng of ot them impracticable Impracticable Yet Ye-b our citizens are being Invited to waste their time Ume and savings In II a a fruitless enterprise From Orom the Arkansas river In I have received recel complaInts regarding settlers who had tiled flied public entry on a a number of ot tracts ot of pub pub- lic lands Unable to obtain a live live- livelihood live livelihood from the lands they had homesteaded they were I making ap- ap ap appeals peals Feals for charity from a nearby town FORCE EMPLOYED We have h ve no law laws lawa to conserve the native e grasses ses on public lands and protect their grazing value The public domain Is an unrestricted ed cd range tor for those desiring to use It The pre pre-empting ot ol w water ler hole holes and the fencing of ot It streams reams ex- ex excludes excludes ex excludes range men who do not con con- control con control trot these first c essentials tor for range tock This situation has in man many Instances resulted In tho the conversion ot of this theoretical grazing corn corn- cornmon com common mon Into a private preserve e With no tenure save sa force the first first to arrIve with his herd or flock It If sufficiently powerful takes all and moves on to other areas The principal value ot of o the re- re remaining re public domain is me the untold wealth of ot Its minerai mineral contents While much of ot the gold er siler copper lead and zinc lands once owned by the tho government has haa passed into the hands of private there are undoubtedly large largo deposits lot bt these ores re- re re remaining In iTt the public domain The states Montana MonZone of Colorado Wyoming Mon Mon- Mon Mon- tana Zone Washington Idaho Utah Nevada ash Wash ash ington logton Oregon and California still contain areas In which are aro metal metal- ores orea the ores the quantity of ot which Is unknown There are aro also at the present thousand time hundreds of ot thou bands thou thou- hands sand of mining claims located on PublIc land lands throughout the tho west which are aro being held by annual as as- as as work The Tho federal government assumes little responsibility relations In mining these ores but Is now co- co operating cooperating operating in their discovery Those These can be mined by individuals advantage oil and coal cannot to ad van tage taa-e The prospector ha has hal become a geologist or associate on one but wild Is being prosecuted conclusion continually leading lending to the slon sion that much petroleum still re- re remains re mains In the pUblic a estate uncap lured tho the exact amount ot of which is not ascertaInable There Thore aro also large quantities of natural gas DIG BIG QUESTION whether roh The Al principal the h United Tt-it Tt question now Is States III as a central cen- cen administrator or segregated states operating Independently un- un kr dar different laws lawe would be the thc b agency to administer the re pUblic lands and theIr mineral funeral deposits Which would be the least vulnerable to I lOcal cal nce lending themselves to theIr disposition by transfer at less pet pel haps than their Potential worth 7 lands Would any state havIng o public yv prefer to administer them and pay the government go royalties In stead ot of the government bring and paying the royalties to the states How many of ot our new new- newer newer er or states could actually afford to own and administer the pUblIc lands within their boundaries Their net financial Income is great greater er or now than It if they themselves admInIstered them The mineral mineraI Industry Is vitally Interested In whether remaining the tho remain remain- ing log public lands with their mineral mineraI contents are administered by the national government or by the states Within each state there would then be a different law with which applicants for tor mineral leasT leas leases es Os would have to comply This would result In a multiplicity of lows with which I the mining Indus Industry tr try would have hae to contend Instead ot of one ono law applying everywhere Some prospectors have already ex cx cx- cx expressed pressed alarm over o development of such a situation I present this phase of the situation tor for the con consideration of ot miners In the western country whose interests are direct directly Iy affected FOURTEEN BILLS toast Last winter some 14 different bIlls wore were Introduced Into congress seekIng to have havo released to the states ownership of ol the minerals In the lands set apart for tor educational purposes known a school lands This was a demand for radical change in the present national land policy which retains title to all alt minerals In the United States government Tho The diversity of phrasing of these bills with ar argument adduced In support ot of hem would Indicate that the fram ers fram-ers ers were ware not clear on the the- the history history t f public lands or of mineral leas leas- lens I Grants of public lands to states for tor school purposes by the tho federal government have been liberal It If not prodigal A total of ot acres has been glen given gh en to composing the western group which Includes Arizona California Colorado Idaho Montana New Mexico Oregon Utah Washington and Wyoming When these states tates were admitted to tho the union the en enabling abling acts 1 with Ith one or two lions exceptions provided that they re- re re receive ceic from one to four tour sections ot of each township of ot public lands when surveyed stipulated It was specifically however that all sections known to contain minerals at the time tImo of ot their proposed transfer should be retained by the federal government and und the states should be permitted to select other lands In i n their stead It If the Interior department could be relieved of ot the expense of ot In- In In Investigation administration and lIti- lIti lItigation liti litigation g gation of ot mineral mineraI contents ot of school sections I 1 do not doubt that the ro- ro recent re recent cent reorganization ot of o the general land l and office which resulted in the tho reduction of ot annual operating costs or of approximately annual annual- l ly annually y could be bo continued further and the t he services of ol a large number ot of ota a additionaL dispensed with This would mean a large saving to taxpayers In costs fundamental Whether there should b ba a fun tun change chango of ot policy Involving InS ing i ng this great public trust Is a question of ot national Importance antI and not alone alono ot of o local interest The al outrIght gift of the minerals In the chool s lands granted to the states means a 0 permanent release by the United States of It natural resources that hat belong to all the people of ot the country No right or claim of ot the states tates seems seems to Justify the gift ot oi these hese minerals and only congress I li congressI vested with Ith the power to give ghe them hem away I 1 L |