The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1902-10-28
MCCONNELL IS AFTER HUNT

Attacks Sale Of States Timber Lands-Declares
State has a Profit Of 81 . Thousand out Of
Profits Of Sio.7i.
~ have just been reading in the
Spokesman Review the report of Gov
ernor Hunts speech at Wardner," re.
marked Ex Governor Mcconnell of
Idaho, who passed through Spokane yes
terday OH his way to Rathdrum, where he
will address a republican meeting this
evening.
81 notice that in speaking of the dis
position of Idaho timber lands he says:
''It has been said that the sale of a
small area of timber land in Idaho. dis.
posed of to create fund for our school
children, has lost for the state $40, 600 900
i'll so years, and that this land should
have been held for future generations.
The land was publicly advertised in all
the lumber journals in the east and west.
1t was sold for 81 per thousand feet on
the stump, the state retaining the land
for future sale as agricultural ground
And although this is acknowledged to be
satisfactory and as high price as timber
in this state is being sold for, it IS claimed
be held for a loss of 10000. 600 Now,
as matter Of fact, 1 believe the welfare
Of the school children of our time is Of
fully as much importance and of more
concern than the alleged loss OF $40. .ooo,-
ooo.'
1T is important to note" said the ex-
governor, "that Governor Hunt admits
that this timber was sold for 81 per 1000
feet on the stump. He neglected to
state, however. that with the sale Of the
white pine timber there was included q
gift of cedar, tamarack telegraph and
telephone poles and railroad ties. thus
reducing the price of the white pine to
less than one-half Of the 81.
"Covernor Hunt seems to be desirous
of having the inference drawn that all of
this timber belonged to the state of Idaho
and that its immediate sale would benefit
the children of our time. The fact Of the
matter is. the timber being sold does not
belong. to any considerable extent, to the
public school fund at ALL When the
state of Idaho was admitted into the
Union, it received from the government
&C. 900 acres of land for the agricultural
college, SC, 900 acres for the state univer
sity, Ioo,o 900 acres for normal schools,
100 600 acres for school of science, loo,-
600 for charitable. penal and other edu-
cational institutions, and so 900 acres for
the state insane asylum-a total Of $780,
600 acres, These are the lands from
| which the timber is being sold. When a
school section falls in these timber lands
the timber on that section is also sold.
But, as will be understood, there are only
two sections in each township, or one
eighteenth as much of the school land as
of the others.
! "But if all the timber land were school
land, Governor Hunts argument falls to
the ground, when we consider the value
of white pine lumber and deduct from
that the cost Of conveying the timber
from the stump to the min and manu-
featuring it for shipment. Had the STATE
received fair compensation for its tim.
ber Governor Hunts position might be
accepted as correct.
"The average price of white pine luin.
ber + q at Occur d'Aiene CITY is approx
imately SaI.7o per 1000 as quoted to me
/ by the coeur d'Alene Lumber Company.
limited. Considering the price of other
commodities and the generally prosperous
condition OF tine country, this does not
seem to be too high. The cost Of cutting
logs, banking them, driving them and
placing them in boom at the mill will
not exceed IS per 1000, leaving $I6.7l
to be dividei between the mill owners
and the state Of Idaho There is no cost
for saving the lumber, as the gain be.
tween log aud lumber measure leaves .
profit sufficient for operating the mill.
'.Will Governor Hunt presume to say
that out Of this SI6.7I the state of Idaho
should receive for its inststutions only 81
per thousand feet and allow the lumber
syndicate or trust to realize q profit ol
j$sI.7I on an Investment Of 81 II the
language Of Abraham Lincoln, you can
fool all the people part Of the time and
q part Of the people all the time, but you
can not fool all of the people all Of the
time.
"These are enormous profits that the
syndicate realises on the white pine, and
the additional fact must not be over
looked that the value Of the timber do
mated with the white pine amounts to :.
much a. that received for the white pins
itself; and yet the state gets nothing fo
this.
| s.Then the estimates made Of the tim
Der selectors enters largely into th'
Transaction. For instance, il by mis-