The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-02-10

Sar.n Yakima Feb. $. 80
To the Editor: IN the Sasrda. eei-on .,
yoar paper there g at editorial or ths
su53ec. % mountain parks
II looking az the subject fra-r, the seHseS-
mans ro.rs. ~ view we have the praesi-
cal sssss rather than tze sentimental SIDE
~ L. II seems 20 Tie thai The psacttcSl
side 4. the most .mpo~tar. as the results
a~neSt the creates. number.
That your readers may understand the
subject wifi briefly state tire car1ttions
as they exist today. in TIE four counties
90 Yakima. ktt,stas, klscklsat and Doug
las there are half a million % sheep. Pep
reseuting an investment Of about tao mil
lion dollars TIE low ranges IN these
counties are % course dry and se-sfsl-aFid.
therefore are unsuitable Ger grazing III
taa summer months. Il - therefore, ne-
CESAR COR the sheep 10 be driven 20 tla
mountains, where il Is cooaer and the
grass Is green al summer. TIE ranges
used by the sheepmeu are all az TIE east
slope Of the Cascades and IN son2r places
they reach he ssr-rssuiis. These slopes are
covered with scattering timber. mostly
snsaE and stuntsG very little OF il being
Suitable for iuIuber. On thss greater ait
tades The country IS ski mere open, VITA
long ridges covered with yufcf-grass and
in some places stuuted and scruoby gaiea-
go Of brush. hardly Sufficient for q camp
FIRE. On these raliges the sheep and cat
lie have been grazing for twenty years
bag the grass comes up fresh and green
every year; the trees, shrubs and plants
grow as they have always done IN previ-
Gus years. The waters IN ths rivers run
bright. clear and sparkling. ysSt the same
III fact, from my own personal obseFSa-
ton the native wild beauty Of the
mountains has been rrarred, burned and
destroyed mora around Seattle than on
1a
taiuS
The writer OF the article starts cut on
the assumption that she saeepmen feel
that Il is but right TO allow them tie
uuoccup.ed meadow lands IN the govern
rnent reserves" whereas. IS & matter OF
fact, the ranges desired for pasture by
the sheepr,en have been Used for such
purposes for over twenty years eefore the
government set them aside as forest re-
se-yes.
The sheepmen have used these ranges
on the assumption that the United States
government encourages settlement and
development OF its waste country, and az
ter doing so IS X consistent with our Tree
government that after its citizens invest
ing in and developing these resources. that
the same government would step In and
say now You can't use this as a grazing
ground any longer. because some people
1850 miles away say tina. you ara destroy
ing the forests and the eternal solitude OF
the mountains. II seems strange that AZ
this agitation about forestry reserves has
been inst.gated by the American Forestry
Association, an association composed en-
,ireiy OF Eastern men. who dictate TO the
people Of Washington what is necessary
and what ought 10 be done. Through
their efforts these reserves were formed
without any reference TO the representa-
tives OF the states interested or without
consulting the interests involved.
The mountains and the prasr;es have
been given 1is by nature Tor the purposes
OF providing food and clothes for oUr-
selves. and we can best utilize these gifts
ny pasturing stock on them. II nature
made these mountains for solitude she
would have made them inaccessible TO
man Il third of our state IS gong 70
be closed up sor eternal solitude and
incoming sentiment where DO our cities
expect to look for any further growth or
business. These mountains contain our
undeve,oped resources immensely rich in
sill kinds % minerals and timber. II Il
IS right 10 close these NJ. why did the
government not close up the mountains OF
the other states? What would our eoun-
try amount 70 IL they had? Yours truly,
= J. CAMERON
Secretary Yakima Wool Growers Asso-
citation