The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-12-11

n etNflNh pli9i't0hh acres; New
A,e4lel Is third with 56,0S3,Oi7 acres, and
ARIZONA fourth with %, i0O,9ll acres.
me government has not thrown open
~ lls property TO the use OF the home
steauel, but has made certain reserya-
IONS iqr definite purposes. Among
.nese tne most prominent are forest
reservations lS,s93,2SO acres; for milf
taIy purposes, ssjr425; Indians, Sl.Gij.-
10 acres; national parks. s,279 800
acres, ana miscellaneous reservations
amounting to 2l,lOl,G9G acres. The for
~ reservations are FOR preventing. as
4dF 10 possible, the defoTestation OF
great areas, the gOYernmnt fearing the
tohseqaenees OF The rapid denudatlon
OF large districts of country. II Is
known to scientists that telling the tim
Der OF a country has an appreclable ef-
feet upon its climate. Some one has
SAID that every tree cut In Minnesota
costs a life in Louisiana, and TO this
Phase OF the subject the government
has given earnest attention. Timber
may be cut on public land only by per-
NIT from the land office, and although
the utmost care is taken to prevent the
rohhIng OF the government by unscru-
Pulous persons there Is reason TO be-
iieve that a great deal Of timber is UNI
lawfully cut.
Far worse than the depredations of
the timber thieves are the forest fires
which rage In the west and northwest
almost every year Concerning the
prevention OF fires, our land commits
sloner says: THE devastation of public
timber by forest fires has been n mat
TO which the attention Of Congress has
frequently been called, and the impe,R-
tive need of laws to prevent such de-
Naslatlon has been urged, These re-
peated recommendations finally result
ed IN securing actIon IN the desired AZ
rectlon, and an act, entitled 'An act to
prevent forest fires on the punliC do
MAN, was approved February u, 1897,
Experience Thus far has demonstrated
the wisdom and practical excellence OF
that law; 1t should bI retained as to
every part.
information regarding the tenor OF
this act was disseminated as extensive
~ as possible through circular is
sued by the commissioner or the general
land office and sent to the various sub
ordinate officers throughout the United
States. Special forest agents and gu-
pelvisors We're instructed to consider
the protection Of the public forests from
flre as one OF the most important OF
their public duties, and were empowered
to take such action as emergency re-.
qulred to get fires undr control All at
tempts, however, on the part OF the land
office to strictly enforce this act must
largely fail unless n sufficient force of
employees can be placed in the field
The commissioner Is impressed with
the Importance of securing, for the con-
duct of this work hereafter, approprl-
atoms commensurate with the needs OF
the service, in which conclusion con-
cur.
There are now existing nineteen for
est reservations, embracing lands hav-
Ing an estimated area Of 1885, $50 acres,
which from time to time, have been
set aside by presidential proclamations
made pursuant TO authority conferred
by section four OF the act of March s.
1891. Thirteen forest reserves created
by proclamation of February %, 1887
were, with the exception of two in the
state Of California, suspended by the
sundry civil act or June a. 1897, until
March /. 1898. The suspended resGrva-
lions contain an estimated area OF 49,
95l,360 acres, The preservation of the
public forest Is matter Of vital inter-
est to the entire nation. The enact
ment &C adequate laws for their pro-
lection and the proper enforcement
thereof, coupled with the Inauguration
OF comprehensive fores! system, can
only effect such result"
or that portion OF the public domain
which has already passed from the
hands Of the government appropria-
tions have been made In several classes
The cash sales made under various
laws. from time to time, cover 2f,iliS95
acres; homesteaders have taken up lO2,-
$50 22S acres; the entries under the tim
ber-Culture laws. by which home
steader or other settler planting I'VE
acres Of timber could lay claim to a
much larger tract, cover lG,llS.22S acres;
the patents issued to soldiers and sail
Ors, 60,252. 100 acres; the scrip locations
amount to 3,0OSj15 acres; 5GOIS0 acres
have been allotted In severalty to the
Indians. while, from time to time, the
government has donated TO private IN
diyiduals GOGGLES acres, and the grants
for railroads. wagon roads and the like
aggregate 10G.5Si,S0 acres. The gov
eminent has rot withheld It's hand in
donating land to states but at one time
or another has given TO states land To-
Gated within their boundaries, the ag-
gregate OF these grants amounting to
1G5 i76, i02 acre.,
That the business OF entering land Is
not even now a. n standstill, although
the greater portion Of the public land
valuable for agricultural purposes has
already been taken up. Is indicated by
the fac. that during the last year there
were Issued by the land office 32,OS7
patents for settlement under the agri-
cultural act; thrty-two under the act
locating and providing for the disposal
OF Goa! land and ,0Sj for the location OF
mineral claims. That the homestendsr
is still abroad ir the land is evident.
The long procession which DIR. Free
man headed has not yet halted, but
still moves on. and Its march win prob
ably continue until the last available
acr OF public land has ben handed over
by the government for the use OF Its