The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-29
A STRONG PETITION.
Minnesota Officers, Senators and Con.
gressmen Will Be Asked to -
Sign It. "A.
It Will Request Secretary Hitch
cock to Delay Destruction Of
Reservations Forests.

Rather than be compelled to remove by
July t., 1907, all the timber on the Chip
pewa Indian reservation to be offered for
sale by the government this December,
prominent Minneapolis lumbermen will
carry the matter UP to President. Roose-
Welt. 49, =
This much was promised by one Of the
big operators, this morning when he saw
q dispatch from The Journals washington
correspondent to the effect that Secretary
of the Interior Hitchcock would insist on
having all the Chippewa, timber sold this
December removed by. July 1, 1907. -
There Is already on foot a movement
to secure the signatures of Governor Van
SAINT, Lieutenant Governor Ray. w. Jones,
Senators Knute, Nelson and Moses p.
Clapp, and all the congressman. Of the
state on a. petition, to be signed. by the
people of the state irrespective Of bust
ness interests, asking Secretary Hitch
cock to reconsider his determination to
have the reservation, denuded of timber
by the middle of 1907. ~ H.. -
Il Governor Van SAINTS name has already
been affixed to the. petition, which recites
the facts in the case explains the ,condi-
ton under which the government and the
Indians willxlose meaey If the reservation
is cleared bys a9O7, and : asks Secretary
to have all the chippewa forest lands
cleared by that time. ----.--..
If this appeal does not affect the policy
| Of the department OF the interior, one OF
| the United States senators from Mime
! sofa will present: it in person to President
Roosevelt, upon whose sound judgment,
good sense and love of forest preservation
| the Minnesota lumbermen are willing to
| depend.
Il A Business FaIIacy. .s..
ssecretary Hitchcock is a conscientious
1o,,% Io + Slxxyox hot cid
of question" said Thomas Shevlin, an
other large operator, this morning. 'Ev-
eryone out here who is familiar with the
! conditions up the Chippewa reserva-
| ton and with the business Of numbering
knows that timber sold by the government
there this fall cannot be removed by 1907
without great loss to- the government the
Indians and the milling industry Of this
city. =. 81
"Conservatively estimated by those who
| l<now--net by s6-a-day. government en-
! ployes-the timber to, be sold Dec. will
run 3O0,0OO,O0O feet and that to be sole
| Dec. %, 500, 100000 feet. Any one knows
that numbering operations cannot be sue.
cessfully begun after Sept. 1. That gives
us onesy year to get out 300, 900, 900 feet an6
three years to get out 500,0O0,0OO.
''The act of Jan. "A, 1889, under which
this timber Is to De sold, provides fol
| IllS OO11O11lS VI AAlA1tS OAA-SAAS SsSh HoIASA
but is anybody going to build a mill which
he can use for one year only when, under
ordinary conditions, a mill is used for ter
years? The expense of preparing road
ways, setting up the mill and. doing al
the other work incidental to getting out
lumber is so great that at ordinary prices
| it would not pay to install and operate g
mill for one year or three years only.
TN my opinion, lunnbermen bidding or
this government timber should have al
least five years to clear the aoooo0,ooo feet
to be sold Dec. IS, and ten years to clear
the 100000, 900 feet to be sold. Dec. %, an6
before the department Of the. interior gets
thru with. this subject T. believe it will SEE
it in this light, too.'a s.:.s-as 49, ..:.s.f