Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1878-04-25
THE TIMBER QUESTION.
Sneech of Hon. James G. Blaine in
the United States Senate.
Review Of the Report Of Secre
tary of the Interior Schurz.

Review Of the Report OF Secre-
tary of the Interior Schurz.
Mr.. Blaine-I received, Mr.. President, dur
ing the early part of the winter several prl-
yate letters from Montana from acquaintance
I had there, complaining of the onerous and
unjust exaction that had been made on them
under very extraordinary circumstances, as
they thought, by the Secretary of the Inter-
ior. These letters coming from responsible
parties, although not publicly known to be
so. did not feel willing to quote on the floor
of the Senate but in conversation with the
Delegate from the Territory of Montana,
whom have long known to be gentleman
of intelligence and responsibility, he SAID
! that eyery statement had received was more
than true, and that he would put the sub
stance of them in writing and that l might
| use his written statement as L chose.
| brought it forward here, not with the lnten-
ton of making an attack upon the secretary
| BILE, of relieving the inhabitants OF that DIS
tant and secluded Territory from very ex-
traordinary oppression; may add an extra
! ordinary outrage. l then stated that they
he'd been called upon, on the very eve OF
hard winter. in latitude AZ deg. north, in aitl-
tude 5. 600 feet above the sea, on the noun
! tain side, with every element of nature
against them-called upon under the author
ity of secret spy and agent to have their
wood-piles inspected, and were prohibited
! from kindling fire until they had paid or
4 agreed to pay q dollar per cord stumpage on
4 the store of wood they had gathered Tor the
. winter.
| I stated further that great excitement en-
sued in the small town which is the capltai
of that Territory; communication was hao
hv telegraph with the Secretary of the Inter-
| ior. and he telegraphed back and forth with
his agent ON the spot, and finally authorized
a commission to be instituted there by the
Chief Justice of the Territory to determine
what. upon the whole, would be a fair price
for these settlers in that distant country to
nav for their wood and, taking all the facts
into account, they agreed upon fifteen cents
ner cord stumpage I say this because the
charge has been widely circulated that these
people resist simply for the reason that they
are prevented stealing their wood. They Of
fered to pay what was fair, liberal, gener-
Gus price for it-a price equivalent to 81 per
acre for wild mountain lands; but the Secre.
tary of the Interior telegraphed back to exact
from them 81 cord stumpage The wood
was cut and hauled distance of twelve miles
NV teamsters, and was there piled up for sale
to whoever could buy in the village, and be-
fore a stick of it could be burned he exacteC
q dollar per cord stumpage.
I arraigned the Secretary OF the interior az
being in that action not an Intelligent man
ager of affairs that it was not the work OF
decision of practical man OF business that
Il was the chimera, the delusion OF an utterly
imnracticable theorist. That is the arralgn
ment I made, and here declare-repeatlne
what said before-that the Secretary OF tn
Interior may 90 upon the top OF the building
in which his office is located and may lool
abroad in Maryland and Virginia and SCI
thousands of acres of timber land, and to-
the same quality of timber cut in Montan'
he cannot get for the wood in sight OF tb'
National Capital fifty cents cord stumpage
Nav. sir, the wood land IN sight OF the spir
of Trinity church in the city OF New YorI
will not pay what the Secretary OF the Inter
ior exacted of these distant settlers OF Mon
tana. There is no place sufficiently settled
there is no population sufficiently dense II
this country to Justify what the Secretary o
the Interior demanded and collected from
these distant people, being in the remote soil
tudes of the Rocky Mountains.
Why. Mr. President, consider the clrcum
stances. Our country is so vast that we forge
its magnitude; the Secretary OF the lnterlo
forgets it, although charged directly with
department of the government which shoul
study it carefully. The Territory OF Mon
tana contains one hundred and fifty thousan
square miles; it is as large as New York an
New Jersey and Delaware and Maryland an
Pennsvlvania and Ohio all put together; an
what is this great dense population in thl
vast area that is threatening to destroy IN
property of the United States? How man
people are there? The Secretary OF the in
terror does not happen to be native OF thl
country. That is not his fault and Do ~
mention it with any spirit of repr0ach. d
is native of the kingdom of Prussia In
kingdom of Prussia is fifteen thousand squar
miles less in extent than the Territory q
Montana, and it has population OF twenty
five million people. Montana, with TINS va'
area of mountain gorges and mountain toE
has sparse and adventurous population 9
4 twenty-five thousand people. You can plac
them all 80 that not one human being woo!
be in sight or in hailin9 distance of anotnerl
the entire Territory. They have gone ol
there to battle with all the hardships OF 1roi
tier aud pioneer life, and such is their ente
prise that within the last fifteen years the
have contributed to the wealth OF this coul
le trv S15O, 900, 600 in gold and silver buhlol
D. They have sent into your markets XioO'VvO
re 600, repeat. of gold and silver oullion ~
se now the Secretary of the Interior, peInal
IF with the traditions of his young mannoe
and boyhood. applies to that country inc 'au