The same way the Federal Government obtained title to the rest of the land in the WestThey declared all "surplus" land in Utah to be federally-owned as a condition of it being admitted into the Union. To whit:
Second. That the people inhabiting said proposed State do agree and declare that they forever disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within the boundaries thereof; and to all lands lying within said limits owned or held by any Indian or Indian tribes; and that until the title thereto shall have been extinguished by the United States, the same shall be and remain subject to the disposition of the United States, and said Indian lands shall remain under the absolute jurisdiction and control of the Congress of the United States; that the lands belonging to citizens of the United States residing without the said State shall never be taxed at a higher rate than the lands belonging to residents thereof; that no taxes shall be imposed by the State on lands or property therein belonging to or which may hereafter be purchased by the United States or reserved for its use; but nothing herein, or in the ordinance herein provided for, shall preclude the said State from taxing, as other lands are taxed, any lands owned or held by any Indian who has severed his tribal relations and has obtained from the United States or from any person a title thereto by patent or other grant, save and except such lands as have been or may be granted to any Indian or Indians under any act of Congress containing a provision exempting the lands thus granted from taxation; but said ordinance shall provide that all such lands shall be exempt from taxation by said State so long and to such extent as such act of Congress may prescribe.
Quite a noxious practice, but unfortunately, Utah agreed to it. While I definitely enjoy seeing such Federalist moves like this, I'm afraid this trial is doomed to failure.
The right approach is to officially entreat the Federal Government to begin placing their massive land holdings on the market for private purchaseAn act which would pay off all of our debts and provide trillions of dollars in hard cash to help stabilize our economy. (This is intolerable to the action-controlling Progressives we suffer under today, unfortunately.)
(”To whit?” I stink, and obviously need more coffee...)
Ya know it’s bad enough that they practically stole it to begin with, but then: Along come the envirowhacko’s and the groups that want to preserve it for people now unborn thereby keeping people who are already born off of it.
They want no recreational use of it. no commercial uses of it, they just want it to lay there untouched. Which in some cases is fine but in others is a colossal waste.