New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-08-03

Interior have urged the repeal amendment Of
every one of them. time and again And this com
| mittee does rot hesitate to say that they have
! invited fraud debased the public conscience ana
deprived the Government of millions of dollars The
act of June 1875 which allowed the cutting OF TIM
| Der on certain mineral lands. subject to certain
regulations prescribed by the Secretary OF the In
terror, Is so vaguely drawn and has received so
many conflicting interpretations that under 1t all
! the timber in any region where any mineral lana
IS situated Is practically given away Even on iahos
where 1t is only assumed that there are minerals
the timber is without any restraint, not LOT
domestic use alone. although 1t is consumed most
wastefully and beyond all actual need. but Tor ex-
mort and sale to distant cities One mining company
In the Black Hills has used timber to the amount
of several million dollars without paying dime Tor
It, and built railroad forty miles long into the
public domain. and millions of feet OF lumber Tor
which the Government has received no compensa-
ton have been shipped to Omaha. Immense Forests
in Colorado, Nevada Arizona. Montana and else
where have been destroyed under the same act
Under another law, which was intended to give
actual settlers the power to obtain from non-min-
eral land forest supplies for their own immediate
use rich corporations have procured permits to cut
timber for commercial purposes. Instead Of helping
settlers this law works to rob them of their rights.
while favoring the wealthy corporations which
abundanty able TO pay for all the TIM
Der they require Then there Is the s'cken-
which the Government has been robbed for
purposes Of speculation Of the most valuable
timber lands on the Pacific Coast. Half
dozen acts with equally unsavory his
tory cited to demonstrate not only how the
people have been plundered, but how whole commu-
mites have been demoraliZed and degraded. Or
course the Government has made attempts to re-
cover the value of timber unawfuy cut. but 1t has
only proved its Inability to protect its own inter-
ests in It's timber lands Suits have been lnsti-
tuted only where there was sufficient evidence TO IN
sure the certainty of trespass and yet In suits Tor
claims amounting to more than s2s.G,oo little
than $1,000 900 has been recovered during eleVeh
years In view of these things the committee assert
that the repeal OF all these laws Is necessity ana
this been apparent TO every disherested person
who has been familiar with the land laws 1t foi-
lows that unless the people OF the country are
willing to say that their Government shall permit
the whole unreserved territory west or the num-
drcdth meridian to be stripped of all timber that Is
worth anything. and unless we are willing 10 aiio"
agricultural and mining interests or that region
10 be crippled for want of water. some system
must be adopted which will save the forests on
such public lands which more useful for forests
than they are for mining or for farming. To ac-
complsh this IL Is recommended that all pubic
lands which have more value for their timber than
for other purposes shall be withdrawn from SAFE
that their true character shall be accurately de-
fined by a survey, and when the areas which are
been sold The remainder shall be held In permanent
forests and administered by competent bureau
for the benefit of all the people The selection OF
land ought not TO be. as 1t now Is unoer he
absolute power of the Director of the Geoogicai
Survey This selection is too delicate and important
TO intrust TO any subordinate or 10 any eA-
cent men Of wide knowledge and experience and
recognized integrity and judgment. Such questions
should be decided the committee recommends by
a permanent Board of Forest Lands. consisting OF
an engineer Of the Army. member OF the coast
Survey member OF the Geological Survey. ana Two
other persons not connected with the Government
service This will insure broader view OF the
conditions than they receive under the present sys-
tenn so that the Government and the people could
rest assured that the lands aside for permanent
forests are carefully and inteligently selected
This report proper only thirty pages, ana
yet with dozen pages Of appendix, whlch contain
the bills recommended for legislation and the rec
concentrations for the forest reserves proclaimed
by President Cleveland it is the most complete
summary OF the conditions of the National torests
vet published and II contains the wisest Suggestions
for their permanent administration that have yet
been made II is we'll known that the recommends
tions made have not adopted. that the reserva
tons established by President Cleveland al the re-
n1est of this commission have been SUSPENDED 'hat
the bills proposed by the committee nave never oe
introduced. and that an entirely new system Oh lot
est administration. without any Appropriation 10
carry Il ont was passed as a rider appropria-
ton bill This means that the old laws. which in
vite fraud are be kept in force; that pohtlcai
appontees to continue TO defeat tne sooo III
entons of Secretaries Of the INTERIOR that forests
are TO be pilaged and pastured and burned as they
have been in years gone by No doubt some rational
forest policy will ultimately be adopted by the Gov
eminent but little forest will then be left 10 pre-
serve None the less. this interesting document
will stand for warning for instruction ana ior re-
proof and generations to come Will wonder why
Tho hills II proposed were made laws az once.
and why the policy recommended was not adopted
without dissent