The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1886-06-09
The Timber question.

1t is a well-known fact that the lum-
Der used in the construction of buildings,
and the stove wood that keeps Montana
ians warm, comes from the mountain
sides and grows upon land owned by the
government and untitled for the purpose
of agriculture. Although forbidden by
the law to use this timber, the people of
this territory haye been compelled to
violate the law. Without the free use of
timber, industries of all kinds would
suffer immensely. Commissioner Sparks
has lately promulgated an order pub
lished two weeks ago in the CHRONICLE E
which has had the effect of calling out
remonstrance from Gov. Hauser, and
causing a feeling of uneasiness all oyer
the territory. The commissioner is
strictly conscientious in his ruling, and
perhaps it may result in the adoption Of
law by congress, granting Montanians
the privilege of cutting timber upon
lands that are and always will be worth
less for agricultural purposes. Herewith
we present Governor Hauser's letter,
which clearly and forcibly handles the
question under consideration and Of
such great importance:
TERRITORY OF MONTANA,
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
Helena, May %, 1886.
Hon. L..Q. c. Lamar, Secretary of the
Interior, Washington, d c.;
SIR would respectfully request your
personal attention to the accompanying
letter in reference to Commissioner
Sparks recent circular. The signers are
individual owners of small mills in this
vicinity-the respective location of each
l am familiar with--and their statement
chat the land from which the timber is
cut is mineral in character, is true, as
evidenced by the fact that every stream
in this region contains placer gold, most
of them are being worked, or have been
worked out Also IN the fact that there
are more or less gold and silver quartz
leads staked on every square mile. Yet,
as they truly state, "a rigid e enforcement
OF the circular would compel them and
nine-tenths of all the small mills in the
territory to shut down" AS it would be
very expensive, if not impossible to
prove that each particular acre of land
from which the timber is being cut was
more valuable for mineral At the time
than for timber, though perfectly evil
dent that the district (say of ten or
twenty miles square) vas b thousand
times more valuable for mineral than for
timber or any other purporeI
This is the fact as to two-tlhirds of this
territory. You can prove, pr it is self
evident that any district al whole is
many times more valuable for mineral
than for any other purpoeeI Neverthe'
less it might be impossible tb prove that
some particular acre or even square mile
was more valuable for m neral than
other purposes; yet it would be entirely
possible or even probable that that par
ticular acre or square mile was the most
valuable for mineral, owing to the hid
den or "blind" leads or lqdes therein
contained and undiscovered and unde
veloped. Bear in mind tn at daily dis
coveries of new lodes and new mining
districts demonstrate this fact.
There being no way to get titles to
timber land or timber--the timber being
absolutely necessary to the working or
developing of the mines and settlement
of the territory--congress passes the law,
as take it, to overcome the difficulty,
and to give the settler the right to cut
the timber for building, agricultural,
mining and other domestic purposes" to
be regulated by your department. The
object certainly was to encourage the
development of the mines and the set
Element of the territory. It seems to
me, so long as the timber is not exported
and it cannot be used for any other pur-
poses than those named, the manner or
mode of procuring it cannot be of mater
ial importance; whether is is Cone by
the Individual in person, through an
agent, or by third party--the fact re-
mains the same, the timber is not ex-
ported and is used for the purposes
named and required.
AS each individual miner or ranchman
or their agents, do not own. and are not
able to own a saw mill, and if those who
were able attempted to procure and saw
their own lumber, it would cost them
one hundred per cent more. Therefore,
to prevent individual mill men who
understand the business from cutting |
and saving the timber TO sell to those
who use it for the purpose specified, will |
seriously retard general improvement |
and progress in this territory, and Grip |
pie mining-the principal interest-to
the extent of millions of dollars and throw
thousands of laborers out of employ
ment
Therefore, 1 would respectfully suggest
and request the modification of rule No.
2, SO as to allow the timber to be felled
and sawed in any county or district
where mining is an important interest
and mines known to exist-and in the
event the timber in these counties and
districts. not being sufficient either as to
quantity or quality-that the cutting and
saving of timber be allowed in the con-
tiguous counties and districts first men
toned; and that Rule Fourth be SO mod
fed that individuals owning mills be
allowed to fell and saw timber in coun-
ties and districts known to be mineral,
and sell the same direct to miners and
or any one who uses it for
domestic or mining purposes, which
would certainly be in harmony with the
spirit and intent of the law. AS there is
i large quantity of timber in this terri
tory, which is extensively used for min
ing purposes, known as Lodge Pole Pine,
that rarely exceeds eight inches in dia-
meter, and the greater portion viii aver
age less than six inches when full grown,
would request that Rule No. Five be