The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1899-10-14

A desperate effort is being made
by the federal office holders IN this
county to make political capital
out of the proposed extension of
the Priest River Forest Reserve,
as they are pleased to call it. We
do not hesitate to brand the whole
scheme as fraud, a snare and a
delusion, designed and executed
tor the sole purpose of gaining
favors with few who cannot see
the object OF the scheme.
Superintendent Glendenning,
who, by the way, is brother-in-
law of Senator Shoup, seems to be
the ringmaster of the hipodrome.
In the presence of five responsible
witnesses he made this remark in
Spokane on last Wednesday,:
II can put all Kootenai county on
the Priest River Forest Reserve if
desire for | have the Administra-
ton behind me-"
What political jargon! What
fights of fancy! What self con-
ceit-what rot when INDUCED in
by an incompetent who holds his
position through the inf luence OF
brother-in-law! We do not doubt
that Mr.. Glendenning and his lit
tie coterie of political shysters, in
their fanciful scheme would be in
hearty favor of extending the re-
serve over the entire county, if by
so doing they could disfranchise
its citizens, who are not in
sympathy with them or their polit-
ical maneuvers.
The establishment of forest
reserve is not entrusted to range
riders and their overseers. In
1897, when the present Priest
River Reserve was created, the
government had it's special agents
in that vicinity for months collect
ing data and making surveys.
They did not make their mission
known, but when their reports
were received Cleveland, with his
usual pig-headedness, issued a
proclamation on Feb. 22, 1897,
setting apart all that portion of the
county now embraced in the re-
serve, which amounts to one hun
dred and twenty thousand acres of
land, without giving the inhabi-
tants of the county chance to
protest. Eight thousand acres of
this land had been entered in good
faith before the proclamation was
issued, SO not only the settlers
within the present boundary suf-
fered great injury, but the coun-
ty and state an irreparable loss.
William Ryan was sent to
Washington last winter by the cit
liens OF Priest River and vicinity.
to use what inf luence he could to
secure modification of the proc
lamation Of Feb. "a. Whether or
not he succeed in reaching an in
fluential ear while in the gay cap
ital, is not known. but it is known
that nothing good resulted from
his visit.
A memorial to President Nc
Kinley. introduced by Representa-
tive McBee, of this county, was
passed by the legislature, but
nothing came of it.
A short time ago Mr.. Glenden-
ming, in company with Robert S.
Bragraw, who is supervisor Of the
reserve, visited Bonner's Ferry os-
tensibly for the purpose of defining
the lines for an extension of the
reserve. They did not go about
their work like the special agents
sent west in 1896, but seemed to
want every man in the northern
part of the county to know their
business. Their acts look suspi-
cious. 1t is not likely that the
government would send gentlemen
who cannot tell the difference be-
tween quakenasp and a jack
pine for the responsible mission of
defining lines for a new forrest re-