The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-08-29
WEEKLY TRIBUNE
AUTOCRlT or THE WOODPILE.
SATURDAY. AUGUST 20. 1891.

Mr.. Carter, in his letter to the Butte
protest, says that: prior to the passage
of the act referred to March 3rd) the
cutting timber ON non-mincral lands was
illegal" 1t may have been, but Mr.. Car
ter cannot name a case in the west IN
which wood choppers were convicted OF
a violation of the law during the past
quarter of a century. Parties have been
sued and wood attached in Montana, but
in every instance the government has
been beaten or the suits withdrawn.
The old timber law was never intended
to govern the cutting of timber in the
Rocky Mountain states and territories.
The law was enacted for the sole and
express purpose of protecting some gov
eminent timber down on the gulf coast
which it wanted for government
ship building purposes. The timber was
valuable for the purpose and belonged
to the government, but tresspassing up
on it by outside parties became so serious
that the law was passed forbidding any
one from cutting timber upon the public
domain for sale. The law stopped tress-
passing. the timber was consumed but
still the old law remained upon the
statutes of the country. but as a dead
letter.
1t was. we think. during the time Hayes
was serving out Tildcn's term that Carl
Schurz resurrcctcd the old law and made
a prctense Of enforcing it. Bunch grass
was short for United States marshals
and the country was full Of old political
buns and hangers on vino wanted Office.
The resurrection of the old law afforded
fees for the marshals and a sinccure for
the Office seekers. Hundreds were APP
pointed called timber agents-and were
sent securing the wood for timber
thieves They even went nosing
measured and attached their wood piles.
1t furnished lots of employment for the
timber agents and marshals. caused the
owners of the wood a great deal of annoy
ance and inconvenience and cost the
government a good round sun of money
to foot all the costs.
The same annoyance to woodmen was
kept up during Gartield's and Arthur's
administration. but hungry marshals
and timber agents found employment
and that is all. But when old Sparks
took hold of the interior department he
set out to revolutinnizc timber cutting.
lie dropped all the little fish and vent
after the big one Suits were entered
against mill companies in this state and
in Nevada which aggregated millions of
dollars for damages. The government
was beaten at every turn in the road and
that was the last heard about illegal
timber cutting until after the interior
department succeeded in getting a rider
attached to the bill repeating the timber
culture law. This was done next to the !
last day of the last session and by the .
law Mr.. Carter becomes the autocrat of !
the wood pile. |
1t is all nonsense for Mr.. Carter to talk !
about the destruction of our forests by |
the indiscriminate slaughter of timber
and of the necessity of regulating the '
of timber by law. Mr.. Carter !
and every man with sense enough to !
in out of the wet knows that all !
was necessary in the premises was p.
the enactment of "a law prohibiting the !
of timber upon the public do
main for the purpose of transportation Z
and sale outside of the state or territory .
IN which such timber may be growing. l
Everyone knows that the people must /
have lumber. mining timbers, and fire '
wood. and that they will have it if it be
in sight or the interests of the country
will suffer. All of Mr.. Carriers rules and
regulations will not save to the forests {.
one foot of lumber or one stick of stove i
wood, but they will give employment to 7
1 small army Of timber agents and make q
Carter the autOcrat of the wood pile. 7
Jnly this and nothing more. fl