Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-15
THEOUTSIDE WORK.
BEARING ON WHAT'S GOING ON IN
CONGRESS-.
Carl schurz Replies to Blaine Concerning
Timber Trespassers---The Educational
scheme for Disposing of the Public Lands
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Decision of Interest
to Homestead Settlers Othor Washington
News of Yesterday.

WASHINGTON, March 14.-Secretary Schurz |
being asked what he thought of yesterdays de-
bate in the Senate upon the prosecution of
timber depredators in Montana said: Some
Senators attack the interior department for
doing thing it has not done, and scarcely
mentioned the thing it has really done. We
are arraigned for having prosecuted settlers and
miners, who wanted little wood and timber
for their stoves and mines while we really had
only prosecuted spectators who had depreda-
ted upon the public lands on a large scale for
the sake of personal profit. Under instructions
of this department, not settler nor miner has
been touched, except where persons had cut
timber under cover of fraudulent presumption 4
or homestead claims. When these Spectators
obtained from five to eight dollars per cord for
wood, and from $40 to $50 per thousand feat
for manufactured lumber, which they have
taken from the public lands, they
could afford to pay the gov
eminent at least small part of their
profit as the people in other parts of the coun-
try hav e to do. As to depopulating the terri
tories, there is no signs of that, either in Mon
tana OF any other territory, in consequence of
the action of the interior department.. But it
is serious fact that the consumption of tim
Der, which persons take for nothing from the
public lands, will be infinitely more wasteful
than if they have to pay for it. In this way
the mountain sides in these territories will
very soon be stripped of the forests, and the
forests once destroyed, the mountain sides will
remain bare forever. If that goes on in the
present wasteful manner only short period
longer, then these territories will in part be-
come uninhabitable and depopulated, especi-
ally the valleys which depend upon regular
supply of water. IF the consumption of tim
Der can be reduced to the actual necessities of
the people by the action Of the government,
and the waste now going on be prevented, the
territories, instead of being depopulated, will
be protected against the most disastrous con-
sequences, which otherwise must necessarily
ensue. I notice that our method
of doing this has been called unAmerican. I
| never thought it was unAmerican to prevent
stealing, or to enforce the laws. We are bound
to execute the laws as they are as we'll as we
can. If these laws are not as they should be,
| it is the business of Congress to make them so.
| The operations of the department for preven-
ton of timber devastation apply only in a
very limited extent to the territories. The
| principal field of operations is in the timber
growing States, such Minnesota Michigan,
Wisconsin, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and
others.
Mr. Schurz being asked whether he had
made speech while in the Senate on the
nue. service, said that SO far as he could remem-
Der he had not uttered Il word in that debate,
nor in any other about spies. Those who were
called spies in the employ of the interior de-
partment, were simply agents who were sent
out to discover what depredations had been
the department wanted to know anything
about the matter, these agents lad to be called
upon for information, the depredatOrs are
not in the habit of reporting themselves.