The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-12
las TO FORESTRY
Questions as to the Purposes OF the
Government Under the Nor
ris Act.
Inaccurate Surveys Of 1881 May
Cause a Resurvey at Lake
Winnibigashish.

Building, Woshi'.0toas.
WASHINGTON, Nov 1.-THE forestry d.
vision Of the agricultural department has
asked Secretary Hitchcock to do some
thing more in connection with the segrega-
ton of a portion Of the Chippewa timber
lands for forestry purposes under the Nor
ris act Some time ago the secretary was
asked to give an opinion whether 1t would
be necessary to select all Of the $4,000
acres to be applied to forestry plans under
act, but this decision has not been rem
dered. To-day the secretary was asked to
order a resurvey of the lands included IN
the proposed Lake Winnabigishish for
ested area, and also to decide whether
there could not be new classification OF
lands included in that area. IT, ~
A resurvey was asked for because OF the
inaccuracy Of the surveys made In 1881 by
the general land office. 1t may be re-
called that about that time scandals de-
developed in connection with the surveys
which were settled in some way appar-
emily satisfactory to the government. The
forestry bureau officials, however, In max
ing an examination recently, discovered
that if they followed these old survey lines
in cutting timber they would run OH In
dian allotments in seven cases out of ten.
Under the law they would have no author
ity to cut the timber from the allotments
and the forestry people want to avoid pos
siblea complications. i24:j 15,,42 Icy
AS to the new classification it Is stated
that a: large portion of the land embraced
In the, proposed forestry area is swamp
therefore neither timber nor agricultural
and that there should be a new classi-
f1cation of the lands to be known as
swamp lands. Both the Nelson and Nor
ris acts, however, provide for only two
Observation-Disclosures and agricultural
and if there is not enough timber on each
forty-acre tract to warrant it's classiflca-
ton as timber land it must necessarily
be noted as agricultural. The object of
the latter inquiry is to determine just
how much agricultural land the forestry
bureau will have to include in the Win
nibigashish reserve. Under the Morris
act the bureau is only allowed to select
5000 acres of agricultural land from that
already classified and 1000 acres from
that to be hereafter classified.
The area Of agricultural land in the
proposed Winnebigoshish reserve Is con-
siderably In excess of what car be Sc
1ected under the Morris act, but 1t will
be reduced by howage when the Winnie
bigOshish dam at the headwaters Of the
Mississippi Is completed. The forestry
bureau also wants to- eliminate the, swamp
lands from this classification. Then they
can go ahead and make the selection In a
satisfactory way r' . -
The secretary has referred the papers
to Commissioner Hermann for report.
Catholic Schools.
The fight for government aid of Cath
Ole and secular schools on or near the In
dian reservations is to be renewed with
vigor at the coming session of congress,
and the Catholic prelates who are in ses-
sion here this week will formulate plans
for, making the attack. Congress in 1895
provided that there should be diminish
ing appropriations for the support Of In
dian pupils in what were known as con
tract schools until the appropriation was
entirely wiped out. The Catholics at
tackled this law vigorously and attempted
to have it repealed and the appropriations
restored in 1900, but were unsuccessful.
The church officials have not given up
hope of again securing aid for their
schools, and have about completed plans
for presenting the question to congress.
The leader of the movement is Father
| Cans Of Carlisle, Penn, who is here to
present the matter to the higher officers,
among them Archbishop Ireland. From
what could be learned to-day, the Off
Gals of the interior department and In
dian office have not changed their views
on this question and will oppose the res
| toration Of the appropriation.
= w. w. Jernane.