New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-15
THE aTJONiL FOREST POLICY.

The opposition of few Western Senators ana
Representatives to the forest RESERVATIONS eS'ap-
lished by President Cleveland found expression
during the last session OF Congress in an amend
ment to the Sundry Civil Appropriation Dill
which largely nullified the proclamation. Inc
appropriation bill failed but the opposition still
exists. A similar amendment was recently pro-
posed empowering the Secretary of the Interior
to sell timber, to grant permits for road-build
ing. TO organize forest service and generally
TO provide for the administration not only OF the
new reservations. but for those which had been
set apart by President Harrison; but now the
Clark amendment has been favoraby reported
to the Senate annulling the forestry proclama-
ton outright and without qualification.
The proposed modification of the Executive
order was untmely, but, OF course, the repeater
is infinitely worse There is no doubt that
bonafd settlers in or near those reservations
have rights which ought to be respected. They
need fuel and fencing and the privilege OF
prospecting, and the right to build roads 10
their mines when they have discovered them.
But the trouble has been that our land laws de-
fective in the first place, have never been en-
forced so that the settlers have cut timber and
pastured their focks upon public land as II II
were their own. Every attempt by the Govern
ment to protect its forests from pillage has been
resented by herde"s and prOspectOrs as an in
fringement on their rights, and the constant
friction which this has caused induced the Sec
rotary of the Interior year ago to REFER the
whole question to the National Academy OF Sci
ences, and committee Of experts has been
studying the problem ever since.
This committee now has q bill prepared, and
this with an accompanying report, will be laid
before Congress on May l. Under these circum-
stances It seems premature to pass any enact
ment for the administration Of cur forest lands
before the information which has been gathered
by the scientific advisers Of the Government can
be considered In order to show that the rights
of the settlers and miners will be carefully con-
sldered in their proposed act, the Commissioners
addressed a letter to the Secretary Of the In
terror on April 5. in which they explained the
provisions Of the bill. This authorizes the Sec
rotary of War to detail troops for the temporary
protection Of these reservations from fire and
trespass until forest service Is organized. 1t
establishes a forest bureau Of trained officers to
administer these forest lands. 1t provides for
q commission TO determine what portion of these
lands shall be permanently reserved as forests
and sale because Of their fitness for agriculture.
1t authorizes the Secretary Of the Interior to
establish all necessary rules for cutting timber,
for granting right of way for roads, for irrigat-
ing bitches, for prospecting and for mining.
The fact is that settler Is threatened either
in his property or his privileges At this dis
lance it looks as If no one had any grievance,
except perhaps the great mining corporations,
whose immense profits derived from the timber
cut on Government land might be curtailed.
But the time has come when somebody ought 10
consider the rights OF the Government-that Is,
the rights Of the people Of the United States, who
own these forests, as well as the rights of cor
porations who are destroying them. No pro-
posal before Congress is more intimately con-
nected with the future prosperity Of the Nation
than the adoption of a rational forest policy.
Why not give the Academy Of Sciences an OPP
portunity to be heard on this point before sum-
marily rejecting its counsel?