Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-03-12
Wash]n9ton Standard
0ll 7!PI,. VASE.
FRIDAY I\EllNG, MARCH f.. 1897.
A Disastrous Policy.


lr. afforded il iu-t u h. stepped down
from power II setting apart N,or;,oN1
acr,- al land in tire Stat" ii Washing
TIA ,ur t"l,~t r,.>,.ry'.~. som" id,'.i O.!
iu""Xtrnt ri thu withdrawal from u>r
g: public LANDS which afforded "lpur.
tunity fur Development Of our greatest
resource, may be gathered from the
fact that it includes about one-tifth
the area Of the whole Statc-l2, 900
square miles of the Ga,99l which con-
stitutr lis entire Possessions. 1t in
cludcS all the best mineral lands in
the OkanOgan country, all OF the best
timber tracts IN WhatcOm, -kagit and
Snohumi>h counties, and all OF the
Cascade range on the east and west
slopes. While this reservation does
not prohibit prOSpcctorS and miners
from searching for minerals within
the districts withdrawn, it practically
prohibits the development OF mines by
depriving the operator OF use OF any of
the timber on the reserves.
This order can only be rcscinded by
subsequent action of the President
and already steps have been taken to
secure this boon. \ memorial wa.
passed, Monday, by unanimous vote OF
the State Legislature, praying that
the order he ut once revoked.
The injustice of placing any rcstric-
ton upon enterprise at this time,
when lumber is about the only re-
source of the State that maintains any
rigidity, is admitted by everybody of
every shade of political belief; nor
does the necessity for governmental
guardianship of timber lands of the
country justify the reservation of
nearly half the whole area thus set
aside from single State.
The total number of acres reserved
by executive order issued Feb. 22d,
il, in South Dakota, what is designated
as the Black Hills reserve, estimated
at 1880 acres; in Wyoming, Big
Horn reserve, ,19S, 0SO acres; adjacent
to Yellowstone Park, Teton reserve,
$40 44O acres; in Montana, Flathead
reserve, 1882, 400 acres; in same State,
Lewis and Clarke reserve, 2,426,OS0
acres; in Idaho, part of Priest river
reserve, 552,960 acres; in Montana
and Idaho, Bitter Root reserve, ALE,
200 acres of which is in the former
State and 3,456,OOO in the latter; in
California, the Stanislaus reserve $751;
200 acres, the San Jacinto reserve,
1871 $50 acres, and in Utah the Uintah
reserve, estimated area not given. The
aggregate of these reservations is less
than 100000 acres.
The reservations in this State are
part of the Priest river reserve, in
Northeastern Washington, extending
from a point few miles north of the
line of the Great Northern railroad to
the international boundary, the por-
ton lying in this State embracing 81, :
100 acres; the Washington reserve, of
3,540,24O acres, extending from the
12Oth degree of west longitude to
nearly the 1921 degree, and from the
international boundary southwark to
a little below the 4Sth degree of lati.
tude. 1t extends over both slopes of
the Cascade mountains and is entirely
clothed with forest growth; the Olym-
pic reserve, 2,1SS,SOO acres, occupying
the mountain region of that name in
Northwestern Washington, and con-
tains an area embracing the largest
and most valuable body of timber be-
longing to the nation; the Mount
Rainier reserve Originally established
as the Pacific Forest reserve, by execu-
tive order, Feb. 20, 1889 the late order
extending the reserve southwark along
the two slopes of the Cascade noun
tains nearly to the Columbia river
comprising 1924 $50 acres-a total in
this State of 8,O56, 0S7 acres.
The necessity, if one has existed for
the preservation of forest growth, is
now so completely overshadowed by
the urgency for development of all
aids for subsistence of people depend.
ent upon manual labor for their daily
bread, that the Presidents act can be
regarded in no other light than pub
lie misfortune 1t affords better in
dex to the late Presidents controlling
motives than anything else he has
done. 1t shows that while he is @
man of education, it has been in line
which has rendered him utterly unable
to grasp the Importance and far-reach.
ing effect of various lines of policy he
has adopted. In other words, he has
by education and his environments
become accustomed to look upon but
one side OF questions of public policy.
and that has been in most instances
directly in conflict with the interests
of the producing classes of a great
nation, and this inclination has served
to entrench the trusts behind bull
wark Of almost impenetrable strength.
While conceding, as general propo-
sition, the duty of the general govern
ment to protect the public domain
from unwarranted waste or from pass.
ing into the possession of trusts, the
present is no time to institute policy
which will curtail the opportunities
for labor, or shut off a single available