The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1897-06-04
FOREST PROTECTION
SCIENTISTS MAKE REPORT TC
THE PRESIDENT.
The Great Cost of Preventing Floods In
Europe Must he Followed Eventu-
ally in This Country-Forestry
Bureau and Other Improve
ments.
All About Our Forests.

Mckinley has sent 20 the Senate the
detailed report on forestry made by
the committee of the National Academy
of Science at the request of the Secre-
tary of the Interior.
The policy of forest reservation was
begun during the administration OF
President Harrison, IN obedience to
the urgent opportunities of DIR. Il. Z.
Fernow, the government forestry eX-
pert: Edward Bowers, counsel for the
American Forestry association; Robert
Underwood johnson of New York. and
other students on the subject. In re-
sponse to the Presidents suggestion,
Congress, on March 3, ] S91 enacted law
authorizing such reservation by exec
utive order as the president might
deem expedient, and soon afterward a
proclamation was issued reserving
about 100000 acres. This was
followed early in President Cleve-
lands term by an order reserving the
Cascade range in Oregon, embracing
4,492, 500 acres. Then the forestry
commission was appointed, consisting
of Professor C. $. Sargent of Harvard
university, General L. II. Abbott,
United States engineer; Professor w.
Fl. Brewer of Yale university, Alexan-
der Agassiz of Harvard, Clifford Pinch
con and Arnold Hayne. After a thor
ough investigation and patient inquiry
without compensation, the commission
reported in favor of the reservation of
thirteen additional tracts, amounting
in the aggregate to 22,O00,OO0 acres,
and, in honor of the memory of Wash
ington, President Cleveland issued
on the 165th anniversary of the birth
of the first President, the 22d Of Feb
ruary, 1897, an order complying with
the recommendations of the commits
sion. Thereupon the Senators and
Representatives in Congress for the
states in which the reservations are
located, protested that the withdrawal
of so much timber land from use and
settlement would be great hardship
to the people, in that it would deprive
them of the necessary timber for
building and wood for fuel, and a
clause was inserted in the sundry civil
appropriation bill of the last Congress
revoking the order while it was pend
ing in the Senate. The House refused
to concur, and, after prolonged con-
test, the Senate conferees receded
from the amendment But the bill
failed for the reason that it didn't
reach the President in time for his sig
nature.
The western senators, disappointed
over the failure of their plans for the
revocation of the order, turned their
attention to importuning the Presi-
dent to accomplish the purpose by an
executive order, and several confer
ences were had with President Nc
Kinley and Secretary Bliss of the in
terror department. AS a result the
members of the commission were sum-
moned to appear before Secretary Bliss
on the last day of March. At this con-
ference, during which the senators
and representatives for the states of
Washington, Wyoming, Montana,
Utah and South Dakota were present,
the commission agreed to modifica-
tion of its report in order to appease,
to some extent, the clamor of the
western representatives. The report
transmitted to Congress to-day is the
result of this agreement.
The general conclusions of the COM
mittee were announced in an abstract
furnished by the committee some
weeks ago.
Millions of dollars have been ex-
pended during recent years in Europe
in checking the force of floods, due to
denuded mountain slopes, by the con-
struction of stone dams and river beds
and planting sod and trees. The COM
mittee predicts that similar eXpendi-
lures in this country must follow
the destruction of mountain forests if
the narrow valleys of the West are to
continue inhabitable. Fire and pas
trrage are cited as chiefly threatening
the reserve forest lands of the public
damain-illegal timber cutting damage
being comparatively insignificant.
The committee says that the gov
ernment, in permitting free pasturage
of sheep on the public domain in
states and territories is clearly unjust
to people elsewhere who must own or
were visible in all the reserves visited.
The segregations of these great bodies
of reserved lands cannot be with
drawn from all occupation and use,
but should be managed for the benefit
of the people of the whole country,
not for class or section. The report
says that, under strict Interpretation
of the Interior department. 100000
acres of land are thus theoretically
shut out from all human occupation
or enjoyment, condition of affairs
that should not continue.
Land more valuable for Its mineral
deposits or agricultural crops than for
its timber should be taken from the
reservations and sold to miners and
farmers, mature timber should be cut
and sold, settlers within or adjacent to
the boundaries unable to procure it in
other ways should be authorized to
take such material from reserved for
-, for thar ooHS