The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-11-21
THE NATIONS FOREST,

The first step 10 the effort to provide
or the conservation of the forests on
he national domain should be the with
drawal from sale of all forest lands be.
longing to the Nation. 1t will not be
necessary to preserve and maintain all
these forests permanently, but the ex.
tent of forest-territory which will be ra-
quired by a practical plan Of forest-pres-
srvation and management for our West.
ern mountain regions cannot be at once
precisely determined. A thorough exam.
nation of these regions, ahd of the agri-
cultural country depending upon them
for its water supply. will be necessary,
in order to show what forests must be
retained, and what tracts of timber can
be put upon the market without injury
to the important interests involved. Un.
til such an examination has been made,
none of the forest lands now belonging
to the United States should be sold.
The second step should be to commit
to the United States army the care and
guardianship of the forests belonging to
the nation. There is in time of peace no
other work Of national defence or pro-
lection so important as this which the
army can perform, and it is plain that
under existing conditions the forests on
the national domain will not be-iudeed
'annot be-adequately guarded and pro-
ected by any other means. The meas
ures which have been tried, including
those now in operation, or nominally in
operation haYe proved almost entirely
ineffective. The forests on the public
lands are pllaged by settlers, and by the
employees of railroad and mining COM
panies, without scruple or limit. Other
instruments will have to be employed il
the forests are to be preserved. Their
complete and final destruction, with that
Of the soil which sustains them, is. un.
Ter the present system, or want of sys-
tenn, only question of time, and of a
very short time.
The officers of the United States army
are educated by the Nation for its ser
vice, and they constitute body men not
rqualed by any other in our country in
their equipment for guarding and pro.
Cecting the great forest regions belong
ing to the Nation. They possess every
Kind of fitness for this work in greater
legree than any other class of men, and
IT authorized by law to undertake this
service Ihey would nave the power ana
the means necessary for its performance,
while everybody else is at present inevi-
tably poweress and incapable. As there
Is llke y to be very little work for the
army hereafter in the care of the In
ilans,it Will be available for this service
Of guarding the National forests. The
work can be done well by the army, and
1t would cost nothing or very little,
while any other plan would necessarily
be both Ineffective and costly. This
guardianship and defence OF the Nations
forests ~ the army OF the Nation should
Ne continued and maintained until
'uiiicient number OF adequately trained
md equipped toreslers has been provld-
I'd by the National Government for the
administration of complete and per-
'nanent system and policy for the man
tgement OF the forests on the public do
main.
This brings us to consider the the third
step. This should be the appointment,
oy the President, of a Commission to
make thorough examination OF the