62 FOKEST KESEKVES IN IDAHO. 



National Government is pledged to the reclamation of lands in the 

 arid and semiarid country, and every Senator, Representative, and 

 Delegate in Congress supported with all his vigor this national irri- 

 gation law, and with that support it could not fail of passage. AVhile 

 the western Representatives were fighting the leasing of our public 

 lands and the turning over of the. public lands to the different States 

 and Territories, they secured the passage of the national reservoir 

 act and of the national Carey Act. Under the Carey Act something 

 like 500,000 acres of land are now under process of redemption in 

 Idaho. President Roosevelt threw his powerful influence in favor 

 of the national irrigation act, which was the culmination of years of 

 united and concentrated effort by the Representatives of the West. 

 President Roosevelt adopted this policy of the western Representa- 

 tives in regard to irrigation, as he adopted the policy of the western 

 Representatives in regard to forest reserves, and he is the first and 

 only President who has done so. 



It is altogether becoming, it seems to me, that the western Repre- 

 sentatives should continue unitedly to uphold and sustain the Presi- 

 dent in carrying out policies which they themselves established. 



The tendency in our State is to part with our valuable timber and 

 agricultural lands too readily. This is a mistake. We should con- 

 serve and protect our forests, which are not of great value now com- 

 mercially, and we should be very careful about selling our commer- 

 cial forests. We should not be in such a hurry, either, to dispose of 

 our agricultitral lands. 



I have a right to discuss these matters, because I had the pleasure 

 and honor of introducing and passing the bill when we were admitted 

 as a State, by which the National Government gave to our State 

 hundreds of thousands of acres of land for the support of our schools 

 and various institutions. I put the minimum price on these lands 

 at $10 per acre, and recall very distinctly how sharply I was criti- 

 cised from one end of Idaho to the other for putting the price so 

 high; it was contended that the land never would be taken at that 

 price and development of the State would be stopped. Scarcely 

 anyone encouraged me in my contention that none of our State lands 

 should be sold for less than $10 per acre, and the usual cry was 

 heard that I was retarding the State's growth. 



This magnificent donation of the General Government to us in 

 lands ought to be carefuly guarded and held as a legacy, so far as is 

 compatible with proper State pride and government, for our children 

 and our children's children. It is a magnificent heritage and was 

 not given to us to squander in our own generation. 



About 1,000,000 acres of land are now under process of reclama- 

 tion in Idaho under the Carey and national reclamation acts. Under 

 these two beneficent acts, added to what private enterprise will do, 

 it is safe to say that from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 more acres will be 

 under process of reclamation before many years. The value of the 

 State lands will increase, and there is no necessity, so far as the 

 proper development of our State is concerned, that there should be 

 undue anxiety to dispose of them now. 



This is true also of our timber lands. The timbered forest reserves 

 do not stop or retard in any way the development of our State, nor 

 injuriously affect any industry. This land should be protected if 



