Speech #880136967

This powerful. surging westward movement was to finally push our Nations boundaries first to the north to encompass the State of Alaska and then southward until it came to rest in 1959 at 18"15 north longitude in Ka Lae. Hawaii. The public spotlight which held the public lands transfixed on the center stage for nearly a century has often been referred to as the "lure of the West." For countless immigrants and families. the answer was simpler. For them. the availability of these lands meant homes. farms. towns. businesses of their own. and Individual freedom. The most outstanding tribute to our early public land policies was the opportunity for all citizens to obtain a clear title to their lands. without feudal encumbrances.