The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1893-10-26
Capital Notes.

sofa members are very much interested
in the debate last week upon the bill
allowing the sale of timber on forest
reservations, which had been brought
forward under the guise of bill to
protect timber on the public reservas:
tions. 1t had an interesting little
amendment which provided for: the
sale of timber on public lands which
had not been reserved. The whole
west was up in arms against this bill
and made such successful tightSthat
it finally resulted in the defeat of the
bill for the present although it may
come up again. At present there are
no forest reservations in Minnesota,
though none of us know how soon
there may be. 1t was not long ago
that an attempt to reserve nearly all
the public lands in Northern Mime
sofa was made and it was only de-
feated by the publicity thatwas given
the scheme and the Intervention of
Senators Davis and Washburn. I had
a little something to do with unearth-
ing the scheme, and know very we'll
how these people work to secure these
reservations. There is in Washington
a headquarters for a number of cranks
who call themselves the American
Forestry Association. They are no
doubt honest in their intentions but
they have been used by schemers to
carry out one of the most gigantic
undertakings that has ever been at
tempted in connection with the public
lands.
During the closing hours of the
fifty y-first Congress there was put
through an elaborate land bill. Presi-
dent Harrison did not want to sign it
but he was urged to do SO because Of
the demand of so many western men.
In the main part the bill was good
one, but the very anxiety to get it
through made it an object for: the
schemers to attach to it many provi-
sions that never ought to have been
placed upon the statute book. Among
them was the 24th section, which au7
thorized the president to Withdraw
from esp4blic la61d ds4offs
States, any tract that he might deem
necessary to be set apart as forest
reserve. The withdrawal was absolute
and after once proclaimed nothing
could be done with the tract, settlers
could not go upon it, neither could
anybody prospect upon it for miner
ais. The legislation was crude in one
respect, that it made no provision for
the protection of these tracts except
against the settlers and the miners.
The forestry cranks were the main
spring in getting the legislation
through, though there is no doubt
now that there was big job in the
whole undertaking. Several year have
passed. Many millions Of acres have
been withdrawn in western states, not
without the protest of settlers, but
the Forestry cranks have been
strong enough to accomplish the
Withdrawals in spite of the protests of
the people most vitality interested.
The sequal of these withdrals has
been ascertained in the bill which it
was attempted to put through the
other day. This authorized the dis
posal of the timber on these reserva-
tions, without appraisement to the
highest bidder, by sealed bids. 1t is
easy to see that the timber sharks have
been over the ground and know how
to bid. 1t also authorized the dis
posal of the lands which were not |
chiefly valuable mineral lands which
the spectators had, no doubt, located
and were now read y to swoop down
and gather in as soon as the resteric
tions were removed. So the bill was
and pressed very hard. 1t
was Represented that the timber on
these reservations was destroyed, the
bill itself, was entitled. "A bill to
protect the timber on public forest
It was claimed that
thieves were carrying it off, fire was
burning it up, and it was generally
understood that the bill must go
through. 1t was also stated that the
dill was recommended by the Secre-
;ary of the Interior. So it was, but
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