Williams news., 1903-09-12
PEOPLE MUST
 STOP FORESTERS
Concerted Action Should Begin to Stop Wholesale Creation
 of Reserves.

AllLolia ID lioS lllC oilay oOO1fOal where forest reserves have been created which worked a hardship on the actual settlers and filled the pockets of corporations with good coin from the script received in ex- change for the land. In the early days the government gave away much land and other land could be and was purchased at $2.50 and less per acre. The creation of for est reserves is a scheme whereby worthless land may be turned back to the government for which script is issued-having a face value of five dollars per acre-and this is placed elsewhere on valuable tim Der lands. Millions of dollars are made every year by dealers in script. Of course the dealer is not to blame but the government should stop the wholesale frauds perpe- trated against itself under the rep resentation that the ''people" are being benefited. Not alone is the land being withdrawn from entry but it has already reached the time when a stockman must get permis- sion to drive his herd across the government domain. This is sup posed to be free land and a citizen should have right to go where e'er he likes, but 1t seems that a few have set themselves up to stop us. It would appear that because all are not on the ground to avail themselves of the opportunities of fered these few say no one shall en- joy the benefits, so a forest super intendent is appointed with a corps of uniformed assistants to see that the people do not enjoy what right fully belongs to them. At least such is the case in this immediate section where there is absolutely no use for forest reserve, not even toprotect the headwaters of streams. Following is an article on the sub- ject which appeared in Sundays Albuquerque Journal Democrat:
 "The foresters of the United States will have to be checked soon by the national congress, or else they will have it so that there won't be a bit of public domain with a stick of timber on it that will be subject to entry in any state or ter ritory," said delegate B. s. Rodey to the Journal-Democrat yesterday. MT. Rodey was asked for his opinion concerning the proposal to with draw 1, 100000 acres of land lsa the Jemez mountains from settlement looking to the ultimate creation of a forest reserve.
 "The tract begins east of Bland and extends along up the Rio Grande, almost to Abiqui, and away west, crossing the Baca loca tion and all the land west of it and over the Jemez grant, taking in all the present public domain there is there. It won't be but a few years until these pernicious foresters have every bit of mountain country and good deal of the plain count ry in New Mexico in charge of rangers, and all stockmen will be shut out and one of our chief indus tries will be ruined
 Forest reserves are good enough in proper places and to a proper extent, but when the foresters once start at it there is no stopping them. They have half the state of Wyoming now in forest reserves. They have already in New Mevico about 5,OOO,OOO acres in forest re- serves, and now it is proposed to add a million and a quarter more, and this is only a beginning"
 Delegate Rodey has protested re- peatedly; Senators Warren and Clark of Wyoming, and Congress man Mondell have protested re-