New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-18
TIMBER THIEVES in the PULPIT
THE APOSTLE OF sCHURZ.

ING The BATTLES OF The INTERIOR DEPART
MENT.
The portrait of the prophets who prophesy ialsoV
is correctly drawn by Simon Peter servant ana an
apOstle of orr Lord "Them that desplse gov
eminent Presumptuous are they, seli-willed >they
are NOT afraid to speak evil of dlgnties. whereas
angels. which are greater in power and might Ibut
Simon Peter had never been in Bostonl bring not
railing accusations against them before the Lord
But these as natural brute beasts, made TO be taken
and destroyed speak evil of the things that they
understand not"
propose to fake and destroy, not by any power OF
my own. but by bringing in the light of simple truth
And to do my false prophet exact and equal justice
! quote the whole of the railing accusation when
he brought against dignities, before the Lord:
"1be attacks of Senators on the Secretary of the
Inferior Mr. Schurz indicate very sirknglY me
false aud unpatriotic attitude OF Leading kepupc
lican Senators. Mr.. Schurz has devoted hlnlSeil
with untiTing industry and great abtY 10 theduileS
of his Office. Among them, he found that OF freeing
the forests of the United States from pundcrers
who were laying them waste. For dong tins. he
has been bitterly abused by Republican Senators
and that on the most trivial grounds We claim lol
him the credit of saving the United states property
from plunder and we are told that he is PrusSlan
by birth. We ask whether he has not done his
duty faithfully, and we are informed hat Germany
isnOt as large as these Western territories; II Is
made a crime in the secretary 10 resist rODDerS Ne
credit for his loyal because the geography
of his native land differs from that OF the country
which he benefits and hOnOrs by ms hODle character
and eminent talents"
And the reverend gentleman, having thus
iountily branded as thieves some thousands of his
fellow countrymeD, and as their aiders and
abbettors nearly all the Legislative Department
of the Government, skips lightly over TO the
Executive and prOnOunCes abSOlutiOn, and promises
immortality like true Nicegorent of Heaven
More plant than the staiwart prophet of old, he
would have been man after Balaks own heart,
for he will come curse me jacob come defy me
Israel come bless me Baak at the shortest notice,
and on the most reasonable terms.
lido not suppose there exists generally an igno-
rance so Grass and malignant as that displayed III TINS
paragraph by the Rev. James Freeman Clarke-an
ignorance which partakes of the nature OF criminal
ity and approaches the confines of sacricPe must
therefore crave the foTbeaance of most OF the read
ers of THE TRIBUNE for occupying so much OF their
space with matters on which they are already IN
formcd-praying them to remember that he which
cOnverteth clergyman from the error OF MS way
shall not only save a soul from death but shall hide
multitude of the sins that would be committed I'M
der his sanction
What Mr. Clarke refers to is the crude and dis
credited experiments of Secretary Schurz in regard
TO the suppression of timber depredatiOus. l will
not follow Mr.. Clarke's example aud make sweeping
general statements against ministers l directly,
definitely by name, charge that James Freeman
Clarke wantony, wilfully, and with malice afore-
thought misstated all the facts in the case falsely
accused of crime the inhabitants Of whole Ierfl-
tory, condemned Senators where they were demon
strablv right and eulogZed Mr.. SchuZwlere he was
palpably and pitiably wrong. Mr.. Clarke's mis-
statements l shall prove from the public records.
His malice / infer because these records were open
TO him as to me- and information was as easy as
misinformation if he had not chosen falschOOd
rather than truth.
For many years past, Congress has annually made
an appropriation of money to enable the Secretary
of the Interior to prevent depredatOns on the pub
lie lands. When Mr.. Schurz came into Office he
found the money ready to his hand for legitimate
and proper use He found also that his careful and
intelligent predecessor Mr.. Chandler of Michigan,
had in full operation a complete system of invesh-
CATION that would lead to the exposure and punish
ment of depredators and was certain to secure
large sums to the Treasury of the United States III
the way of fines and penalties. But Dir Chandler was
apolitician and Mr.. Schurz a RefOrmeT, and the
rstprnciple of Reform appears TO be that You must
stand in the synagogues and on the corners of the
streets and be seen of men to Reform, or You might
as well be machine politician. Accordingly, the
attention Of the people yoclferousycaicd to the
great Reform which Mr.. Schuz was about 10 Inau-
ourate He took good CLERKS from the Interior De
partmcnt-the evidence indicates that he unhappily
took also bad men from outside the Departmcnt-men
of VIGOROUSLY bad reputationand sent them of as
agent, TO distant Territories to see who was commit
ting depredalons there. In The Businesses OF Montana
he created wild dsmay and fright by selzng the hre
wood of the inhabitants, cut Oh the harsh mountain
sides and hauled twelve miles to their homes. lie
directed that all the frewoOd cut for the town OF
Helena on the public lands should be seized no pre-
yious notice having been given that the custom OF
the country or the former usage OF the department
was to be changed All the fuel piled up for the use
of citizens, and even for soldiers in garrison, cut
under contract with the War Department, was
seized. He took possession of it as though it
were stolen goods purloned in the night
time and Just found on the person of the
apprchended thief. This is the testimony OF MIR.
Maginnis the delegate from Montana, read before
the Senate. The Montana newspapers declared
that the raid of the Nez PeTc6s Indians was not so
disastrous as Mr.. Schurz's order. Mr.. James Free
man Clarke in his comfortable Boston church, on a
smiling April morning thinks it all as trivial as
possible The deuded inhabitants OF Montana dld
not think So The CONSERVATION that cnsued
amounted almost to panic. 1t was on
the eve of Winter in a climate where Win
ter means all the rigor of far North. A
violent snow-stOrm was prevailing at the time the
order was received. Mass-meetings were called. 1t
was represented TO Secretary Schrz that great suf-
fering would result unless the fuel were released,
that tile people could not live without it, nor could
they make an exodus in Winter time. Dir. Schurz
telegraphed back to release the wood and have a
tribunal constituted to determine what stumpage
the settlers should pay, and 10 cents per cord was
the verdict. Secretary SchuIz then peremptorly set
aside the award of his own tribunal and demanded 81
per cord stumpage. The people protested that this
was ruipous. The Secretary was memorable. The
people confronted by an Arctic Winter, paid the
tIn,, Il a Tor