, 1899-12-28

to the trouble of endeavoring to
correct the item if it were not so
wholly misleading and at a vari
ance with the facts. A reading of
the first item of the dispatch, by
anyone at all familiar with tile
facts and conditions of the high
mountain forest reserves would in
dictate what n tenderfoot the fellow
is who wrote the item, which is as
follows, was: Senator Warren and
Congressman Mondell called on
the Secretary of the Interior today
and recommended hat permits
be issued to allow sheep to acinte1'
in the forest reserves in hat state
the coming Tinter.." Whoever
heard of w~intering sheep in the
mountains of a forest reseVe. The
only foundation for the alleged in
terview with the Secretary is as
follows: About the 1lth or 18th of
December, j called on the Secre-
tary of the Interior for the first
time since my arrival here, and
had a talk with him relative to
some matters connected with Ger
tain Indian reservations. AS l
was about to leave something was
said relative to the subject of for
est reserves and during the very
brief conversation the Secretary
stated that the policy of the De-
partment had been to restrict graz
ing on the reserves, as is well
known, but that he was not pledg-
ed to or in favor of a policy of
prohibiting the grazing of sheep
on all the reserves. He said that
the matter was one that must be
decided in accordance with the
conditions existing on each reserve.
He further expressed the opinion
that parties grazing any kind of
livestock on the reserves should
be compelled to pay for the graz
ing privilege This is all that was
said. | did not enter into the
question in detail with the Secre-
tary and did not go to see him
with the idea of taking up the
question, it having been referred
to only incidentally and there was
no request made and therefore no
blunt refusal. The only
in Wyoming where sheep have
been allowed to Craze the past
summer is the Big Horn ser
and the SHOWS drove them out of
that reserve two months ago. To
those who understand the condi-
tions the whole story is almost too
silly to need r~efutation. Senator
Warren vas not with me at the
time of my interview with the
Secretary, though | did meet him
rs ] was coming out of the Secre.
tary's office but had no talk with
him on the subject and have had
none
$50 much has been said on this
subject of grnzing on forest re-
serves, perhaps it might be well to
give briefly my views ON the sub
ject. The entire question of graz
ing in forest reserves is one that
should be passed upon and settled
by the Interior Department after
and thorough i~nvestign
ton and enquiry as to the condi-
tons existing on each and every
reserve. NJ general rule n or
should be laid down. There are
no doubt reserves from which
sheep should be entirely excluded,
over which they never were graZed,
as for instance the Teton and Vel
lowstone National Park reserves
in Wyoming There ARE other re-
serves which have been more or
less grazed oyer by sheep in the
past where the grazing of sheep
under proper restrictions and regu-
lations, is beneficial rather than
injurious, Some portions of re-
serves may br quite properly graz
ed where if would lot be proper
to Craze other portions. II is al
most universally conceded by the
owners of locks as well as others
that all grazing on reserves may