Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-06-13

able Boston church, on Il smiling ADrj
morning. thinks it all rs trivial as possible
The dcluded Inhabitants of Montana Iii,
not think so. The CONSERVATION that eli
sued amounted almost to a pai,ic. 1t wa
on the eve of winter in a climate wher
winter means all the rigor of Il far north
\ violent snow storm was prevailing a
: the time the order was received. Mas
meetings were called. 1t was represented
: to Secretary Shurz that great suffering
would result unless the fuel were released
that the people could rot live without it
nor could they make an exodus in wintci
lime, Mr.. Shurz tclegraphcd back to re
lease tie wood and have 4 tribunal consti
; tuted to determine what stumpage the
settlers should pay, and Is cents per cord
was the verdict. Secretary Shurz then
percmptorily set aside the award of his
own tribunal and demanded 81 per cord
siumpage. The people protested that this
was rlinous. The Secretary was ineXora-
bic. The people, confronted by an Arctic
winter. paid the tax. protesting that they
paid il mot as Il matter of right, but as a
nan would give up his purse to a 'iigll-
wayman who had a pistol at his head
JliSn. being intelligent as well as law
abiding citizens. they laid their grievances
before Congress. and petitioncd for redress
Thus. rs the lawyers say. 1.-The case came
up regularity No Senator or Represent
atiye lu@ged it in for the purpose of at
taching Mr.. ShurZ. The case was there.
and every Senator and Representative WAS
compelled to determine whether lie would
side with the oppressed settler or with the
/ expressing Secretary.
! And here let it be remembered that the
wood then seized was cnt On public land
that was unsurveyed and not offered for
sale. Had the United States offered these
timber Ian g for purchase at reasonable
ratcs-and the land rates of sale have al
ways been rcascnable-the settlers could
and would gladly have bought their own
timber tracts. But tie tracts were SO wild
and far off that the Government has never
yet considered that it w6uld pay TO survey
and offer them for sale. but has left them
open to all who might in good faith settle
on them. as has been the lnyariable prac-
tice in the early settlement Of our Terri
tories. Let it also be remembered-wha
the Delegate from Montana tcstifics before
Congress - that 1.-The Territory by wise
laws kept fire oat of the mountains. and
expended motley and ialbr. 20 that the ag-
wregate amount Of timber to-day is much
greater than when the Territory was first
setiled.' in confirmation of this iesti-
mony. printed in The Congressional Record
Of March lst. tie Washington Post this
morning MAY 1G), in general article on
The Great Arid Belt" says: "Nast guam
titles (of TIMBER are every year dstrcyed
by fire. We recollect three such fires in
Utah within year or two. each one of
which destroyed more timber than all the
settlers have used for all purposes since we
owned the country. These tires were in
every instance originated by lazy, shiftless,
va"abond Indians for the purpose of talk
ing game. These dirty wards of the Ma
ton and pets of the Interior Department
annually destroy, iii savage mischief, more
timber than I'LL the timber thieves of Amer
ICd IIfiNC Stcltl siIlCC tIlC ulSCUNcIICS Uy w.
lumbus.'
AS soon az attention was called II Con.
gress by the Delegate from Montana to
these Outrages upon the settlers. and the
fact had been brought out conspiciously
in the Senate debate. Mr.. Schurz sought
opportunity to defend himself. TO afford
him that just privilege, Senator Stanley
Matthews procured the passage Of a resO-
luton calling on the Secretary ''to report
what proceedings have been taken by the
Department of the Interior for the sip
preston of timber depredations in Mon
tana..' The Secretary took a week to re-
ply. and then transmitted to the Senate !.
yoluminous defence of his actions. claim
ing among other things that the stum,,age
demalit1ed by him was considered every
reasonable" in Montana. Sec'y Schurz's
entire letter was remarkable: remarkable
first. because the resolution was passed at
his request-though it oughtnot, perhaps, !
to be considered remarkable that when he
was stung SO severely he should wish to
sting back agan-remarkable, also, in the
fact that for the first time. believe. in the |
history of Department communications,
tie Secretary deliberately and personally |
replied to what had been said in debate,
even quoting the precise language of Sen
ators. for criticism and comment. The |
Rev. James Freeman Clarke apparently |
considers that the Legislative branch of our
has no etiquette which tie
Executive is bound TO respect. But all
persons, all who are at all
familiar with the ordinary rules OF parlia-
mentary decorum. know that this is 4
gross breach of the practices. precedent. |
and prophecies between the two depart
ments of the Government. If Cabinet
Minister is attacked in Congress, the whole
theory Of a republican Government, with |!
all parties represented in Congress, is that
the Minister has supporters as well as op-
in both Seiiate and House. and
they are to speak for him. 1t the Minister
has 10 friends competent or willing TO de-
tend his cause-as Secretary Schurz prac-
tically assumed in his own case-the one
of dignity and propriety would
seem to be that he retire from the position
This is certainly in harmony with English
custom and it might add to the efficiency
of our Government if the practices were
domesticated in tie United States.
But Mr.. Schurz, depressing the inhab-
tants of Montana by his works, and then
them by his words, was
answered by the inhabitants
themselves. For as soon as MIR. Schurz's |
letter had been read to the Senate. the |
of the citizens OF Montana was
read also. When resistance to English ag
gression began in these Colonies, the adj
miration Of the world-eyen of aggressive /
excited by the dignity. the
eloquencc, and the manly spirit that mark