Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1897-05-15

In an open letter Senator Mcbride,
Hon. T. w. Davenport makes public
the following letter of date, May 13,
1897:
THE STATE LAND AGENTS LETTER.
MY DEAR SIR:-This mornings
Statesman says that you have written
to Mr.. John Mimic, that the Cascade
reservation will be cut down so as to
conform to the recommendation of
Oregon delegation made last year.
1 presume the Oregon delegation
wereI'not fully informed as to the
merits of that proposition.
If there is any rational purpose in
having a reservation, then e;bound-
airy agreeded upon was futile.
Thirty.two thousand acres about,
and Including Mt. jefferson, amounts
to nothing, as it can have no object
except to placate the Eastern Oregon
sheep men. That amount of land
will just fairly take in the base of the
mountain, where there is no timber
to protect and no water shed where
stock can run. The mountain is the
only thing up there. that can protect
itself. Evidently Mr.. Mimic and Ex-
Senator Mitchell have no practical
comprehension of how big a square
$4,000 acres cover. 1t will not do to
be governed by the sound, for that is
big.
A very little more than miles on
side is sufficient, and the base of
Mt. Jeffersons is larger than that.
If forest protection is what they are
after, then they miss the purpose
completely. Or if the guiding idea is
to preserve an uncontaminated water
supply for the Capital city of the
state, the failure is equally emphatic.
Portland and Ashland are provided
with special reservations for the pro-
lection of their water supply, but Sa-
lem is not, and only few years will
elapse until the Willamette water
will be too foul to suit the sanitary
ideas of the medical profession. The
only recourse then will be the noun.
! tains, but if they are to be turned
into logging camps and Ecattle and
sheep corals clear to Mt. Jefferson, our
posteritY will be drinking sewage on
the morning of the Day of Judgment.
The cost of laying pipe to that
mountain is in excess of the means of
of any probable population of our cap
ital.
There is plenty of cold water in
less than half the distance and if we
were wise, it will be so kept for fu-
ture use.
At first Mr.. Mimic was in favor Of
depending upon individual interests,
to save or ptotect in the mountains
whatever needed protection, and in
fact he thought our climate a suf-
ficient protection, but his last article
shows that his opinions haYe changed
somewhat, for now he is in favor Of
such protection as may be derived
from deeds of conveyance, containing
stipulations, limiting the rights of
the grantee,
Such protection, however, you will,
no doubt, consider a mere fancy. /
have known for some time that the
present boundaries are not we'll laid
for there is too much land included
upon the eastern slope of the Cas-
cades, which is really not forest but
parture land and should be excluded.
There is scattering pine timber, not
very good fire wood, and nothing to be
protected.
There is no objection, therefore, to
any proper change of boundary, and it
would be well to let the matter rest
until an examination can be made.
But such an examination must not
be entrusted to the enemies of reser-
vations, or to those unfamiliar with
tho general subject of forestry, and
especially as it relates to the santa
tion of drinking water.
Many persons are inclined to treat
this as a fad, as the science of Bateri-