CHAPTER XII. '75 



government has undertaken land reclamation by excluding -water, as 

 by the Mississippi dykes. It has also added to land values and product 

 values by the construction of harbors and canals, thus reducing or 

 removing freight tariffs or lighterage and landing tariffs. The states 

 on, or having, rivers have been benefited by this policy. So also the 

 Coast States, or those on the Lakes, or served by the great Saulte 

 St. Marie Canal have been benefited; so has the country generally 

 been benefited. It is eminently proper that the people's government 

 should apply this policy to the development of the rich and sunnj 

 Western lands that cannot produce and serve mankind without water. 

 :fn this case, the benefit is direct to the public. It is the public land 

 that will be most benefited. Homes for the people will be 

 created. It is of course markets and a population of high productiT* 

 power in our own bounds that we thus create. It is the conservative 

 agriculturist that we thus introduce and encourage to balance the 

 more radical bodies of employees in the great manufacturing districts 

 Fifty million such Americans will consume more American product; 

 and support more American trade than all our present foreign trad/ 

 combined. 



RECAPnULATION. 

 Taking the public land area as a whole, we find some that it 

 inherently worthless, some that can be made good and productive 

 some where forests and their products can be safely used unde; 

 reasonable regulations, some where the forests can only be safeguarded 

 but not used, as in the chaparral mountains of the South, and a widt 

 district that is at present used for pasturage. This pasturage of tht 

 public lands is unregulated. The pasture use is premature ant 

 excessive, i he pastures thus constantly deteriorate and carry lea* 

 stock. The public land pastures have deteriorated and are deteriorat 

 ing in stock and sheep carrying power. Fighting and disorder ii 

 everywhere present amongst the pasture users. Sometimes they have 

 wars. These stock and sheep men, as far as seen, welcomed a proposed 

 system of leasing the public lands appropriate to pasture, under judi- 

 cious restriction as to number of stock permitted on each section and 

 the time of year when the stock should go on. The public lands is 

 California have a present value for pasturage that varies with seasonK 

 It is estimated to have an annual rental value of not less than ?250,- 

 000, and may exceed half a million dollars. Its rental value variei 

 with the seasonal rainfall. The stock men would be glad to pay rent 



