The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1902-06-23

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Try IT,
to 100 acres of mountain timber land
under the methods being practiced,
and solely for the timber that is on It.
The timber land act specifically pro
hibits the purchase of timber land
through the subvention of hired man
or promoter. Yet It is being done
right along, and hundreds of thou
sands of acres of the public domain
are being alienated. They are mostly
our mountain lands
On the part of hve-sixths of the loca-
tions there is not a suggestion that
they intend to make a home on the
land, and as to the purchasers, they
are mostly bogus as to themselves
they simply receiving a commission
on their sale of the right to locate, the
actual buyer being a company which
furnishes the purchase money and ex-
penses.
The land Office has not evinced any
serious purpose to put a stop to this
spoilation of the public domain and
swindle that Is being worked upon the
American people. In California re-
Gently, some indictments were found
against some of these timber specula-
tors, but defects were found when the
cases were brought into court, and
they were dismissed. In Oregon, there
has been little or no embarrassment
given to them.
OF the larger areas of wild mountain
lands being gobbled up, much of it is
distinctively mineral land. When title
passes to private hands, 1t is absolute,
and the ground ceases to be available
for mineral exploration With the
lands already alienated to the rail
roads and a continuance OF this tim
Der land grabbing, the mining industry
in the Pacific mountain ranges will
be paralyzed as soon as existing prop
critics are worked out, for few new
properties will be discovered or de-
veloped The stockmen, too, will be
embarrassed. The large companies
which have become the owners of
these lands will see a means Of paying
their taxes in exacting lease money
from the stockmen, who now enjoy the
mountain range free.
The Pacific West, or the country at
large. is not going to be benefited by
the disposal of all these wild noun
tain lands. 1t will not promote indus
tries locally beyond the normal growth
which would follow the progressive
settlement of the country and the con-
sequent gradual utilization of the tim
Der products. On the contrary, there
are distinct advantages TO be appre-
hended from the requirements of these
lands by syndicates or trusts, in con |
tinuous areas larger than counties
and as large, perhaps, as some Of our
smaller states.
This vast timber territory will ulti- |
mately be in the control of one of our
big trusts, as steel and iron and some
other staple products and necessities
of life are now How about the price Of
lumber, pulp for paper and fuel then?
The evils which must arrive from
this wholesale disposition of the pub.
lie domain, now being effected so rap
idly, are manifest, and will be readily
suggested to any one who will give the
matter reflection. One important OBJ.
lection is that on some of these lands
hardy thrifty farmers could clear out
homesteads, and a homestead with
them would be bona fide. but there
will soon be no land available for
them.
The timber craze is working some
benefit to a small number of men in
Oregon who are engaged in locating
and selling claims, but for the people
at large, It is a positive menace to
their interests, and especially so to
their children, who are being robbed
of their rightful inheritance.