The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-03-01
SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 1902.
TIMBER LAWS.

The people of western Montana
are at a loss to understand the rea-
sons which impelled Senator Clark to
introduce the bill relating to the dis
posal of public timber, which is now
pending in the United States senate.
The assumption has been universally
INDUCED that Senator Clark would
do all in his power to advance the in
terests of the people of Montana, but
had the pending bill been drawn by
the worst enemy the state ever pos
sessed it could not have been framed
so as to do the state greater injury
than in its present form.
The bill provides that all timber
shall be at the disposal of the secre-
tary of the interior who is permitted
to sell it in any quantity to any per-
son or corporation who can pay the
cash. Settlers who make application
to the secretary of the interior and
who comply with the red tape regu-
lations of the secretary are to be al
lowed to cut timber to the value of
800 in any one year. All other laws
relating to the timber lands of the
public domain are repealed, and the
settler will no longer be permitted to
use the timber upon his ranch to
assist him in defraying the cost of
improving his land.
There are many settlers in this
county who are struggling to improve
and develop a partly timbered ranch
and the use of the cord wood and
timber from the land is a material
assistance to them in the unequal
struggle. The settlers who have al
ready taken such land will not be
affected by the bill, but there are
hundreds of such claims still vacant
in Flathead county, and if the bill
becomes a law they will always re-
main vacant. Many a poor man in
the west has been helped to get a
start by taking timber claim and
selling the timber to the lumber com
panies, and many home has been
established in this way. But under
Mr.. Clark's bill the big companies
are to be given a monopoly of the
timber without allowing the pool
man to share in the benefits. AL
timber is to be sold at public sale
for cash. This shuts out the poor
man and the settler and gives the
rich man and the corporations the
whole thing The community of in
terest doctrine will prevent any com
petition between the buyers and as
the time for removing the timber is
unlimited, it will be SNAP" for the
lumber trusts and the millionaire who
wishes to invest his money in tim
Der.
ever, is the provision which puts al
of the timber of the public domain
at the absolute disposal of the MAJ
who happens to occupy the position
of secretary of the interior. If thi!
man sees fit he can stop the develop
ment of the west by stopping entirel!
the sale of timber, or if the whin
strikes him he can dispose of all o
the timber on the public domain a
his own price and to such favorit,
persons or corporations as he ma,
choose to select. There is at leas
grave danger in putting. the welfar
of the west in the hands of the maj
who happens to hold the political OF
fee of secretary of the interior
Another grave objection to the bill
is the provision which withdraws al
timber upon mineral lands. Hereto
fore the prospector and miner ha
been allowed to use all of the timbe
needed in the development of hi
claim, and this has added not a littl
to the development of the minera
wealth of the country. But under tn
provisions of the bill now pending
the pTospector and miner can onl
secure $50 worth of timber per year
and to get that he must submit to
lot of red tape; if he wants to us
more than $50 worth of timber h
must file his application and wal
for the timber to be appraised, ate
which he can buy it if the secretar