The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-19
FINANCIAL.
DESTRUCTION OF TREES.


To the Editor Of the Indiana tolls Journal:
Forestry under the present laws is an ex-
act equivalent of forestry without any law
whatever. Twenty years ago there were a
great many forests in the State which had
about all the trees standing that were there
when the land patented At present
there are very few, If any. Why is this
condition of things? Any scalawag or thief
can enter upon the lands of another and
cut the most valuable tree thereon, and
though he is well known. all the punish
ment he can be given under our present
statutes is fine and Jail sentence. He is
not worth six bits, and there you are. He
can spend short time in Jail if anybody is
fool enough to prosecute him for it, and is
out again ready for doing the same thing
over. One a party may enter upon an
owners forest land and have picnic, JAM
boree or "any old thing" and by malice or
carelessness set fire to the leaves, and the
fire goes until the forest is burned over and
the tenants of the farm may have a hard,
fight TO save the buildings. The fences gen.
orally go before he can put the fire out.
The trespasser has no visible property, and
your forest and fences gone in smoke
and you have to cut and sell what is left
of the damaged trees. The remedy is as
in the first case.
Another modest citizen trees coon.
Down comes $40 tree for a 50-cent coon.
Same remedy as preceding. Still another
wants tree. He goes and cuts and takes
II. You can't steal real estate" That is
saw as old as English Jurisprudence. All
the same, he converts 1t into a chattel and
steals the chattel. But as the act of con-
version and of carrying away is supposed
to be continuous one your tree is gone,
and financial responsibility is a refuge out
of which you cannot draw him. The firing
of the forest or of adjacent lands so the
forests are burned is rather the severest
calamity. Whether 1t destroys the large
trees or merely damages them, it is to
make worthless, even if il fails to kill, the
smaller growths that would in time replace
the trees cut for timber.
But the evil does not end there. The song
and game birds have their nests destroyed
much OF the time, and in any event they
have their means of subsistence destroyed.
The birds are the farmers best friends
The Legislature is in session. AS legisla-
lures are constituted there are generally
enough incompatible persons to block any
very useful legislation that is not watched
and pushed from start to finish. Make the
offenses cited above felonies, with room
for a good long term in the penitentiary
and we Will be able to save the forests we
love to look at and hope to leave for the
delight of posterity. ANY and all acts tina
listing forests nor guarantee the safety of
forests that enterprising and patriotic peo-
pie are planting. Make these offenses
felonies with power for any citizen to ar
wards the owners will offer to secure evil
dence to convict and you will have a law
that good citizens will respect AS one who
suffers every year from all the enumerated
offenders have not told half what / could
say, and If L did justice to the subject IL
would be departure from diplomatic lam
guage. A VICTIM
| Bedford, Ind, Jan. IS.