Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-02-02
Congress is Wrestling With the
Question, Can They be
Protected?
THE LIEU LAND LAW ABUSES
Have Become Very Great--But Few
Actual Settlers Taking Advantage
OF is Provisions.
Special Correspondence.

hl'NA ltl NhAl NNpNl4hNh'''
Washington, d. c. Jan 2S,--Just at
the present time Congress is wrestling
with the proposition How can the tim
Der lands OF me public domain be pro-
tected?" Ten or 10 years ago 1t was de-
cided to segregate from the lands open
for settlement, vast areas In the TIM
bered regions which should be rescry-
cd as national forests, Under this poll
ley total Of nearly 6j00O,00O acres
have been withdrawn from settlement
and placed in the list Of forest reserve
lands In carrying out the executive
orders creating these reserves it was
found that many thousands Of acres
within the confines Of the areas 80 seq
rcgated were the property Of railroad
corporations and individuals and In
consequence II was found necessary to
give these private owners an OppOItu-
nifty 10 select other lands I'm lieu Of
those surrendered to the government
LIEU LAND LAW
This so-called lieu land law has
been greatly abused Railroads have
denuded their holdings Of the original
timber ana have then selected in lieu
Thereof some OF the most valuable pine
lands the government stll owns. Up
to the present time about 100000 acres
have been surrendered and almost ~
many acres Of valuable timber lands
have been transferred from the govern
ment as compensation therefor SO
great has the abuse become that Con-
gress Is called upon to act promptly TO
prevent the further lootIng Of the re-
naming pine lands.
PRINCIPAL BENEFICIARlES.
In reporting a bin for the correction
OF existing abuses Representative Nor
dell OF Wyoming, from the committee
on public lands. says: 1T Is very clear
that comparative few actual settlers
have taken advantage Of the prOvi-
sions Of the lieu land law; that the prin-
cipal benehclaries I been the own
ers Of railroad and ate school lands
Ii also appears from the tables that
there is at this time over IRREGULAR
ters OF a million acres Of land within
the primary limits Of railroad land
grants, which are available as basis for
the selection Of an equal area Of valua-
bic timber land that there Is over &c.,
600 acres Of such lands under contract
for survey which vii be available for
the same purpose when surveyed In the
near future and that there Is over a
million acres Of such lands which will
undoubtedly be surveyed I'm the near
future, making In all 2,4Sl $50 acres Of
lands within the primary limits OF rail-
way land grants which are or win be
in the near future available for lieu Sc
lection and for which an equal acreage
Of the most valuable timber lands Of
the nation may be and undoubtedly
will be exchanged II the bin in ques-
ton does not become a law.
RAILROAD LANDS.
in addition to this vast acreage OF
lands within the primary limits Of rail-
way land grants which can be eX-
changed for valuable timber lands there
are undoubtedly large areas In the for
est reserves Of indemnity railroad
lands, as we'll as other large holdings,
which can be exchanged Tor timbered
lands Some Of these lands are now
covered with forests, of which they are
heng depIded as rapidly as possible
IN oldpr that tso denuded, or cut.Oyer,
lands may be exchanged for other for
est l6nOs.
The Inclusion within forest reserves
of so large an area Of railroad lands
lin the nelghborhood of 3,5O0.OOQ acres
within primary limits, and thousands %
acres mere OF indemnity lands) which
could he used as bases for lieu selec.
tiOns, II such lands were all Of them
Of Il character imperatiYely demanding
their veserY alton for the conservation
OF water supply and the preservation
OF timber for future use as contemplate
ed by the spirit OF the act authorizing
the creation OF forest reserves. might
perhaps be justified and defended on
the ground u wise public policy, even
though such action resulted IN the ab.
sOrptiOn Of large tracts Of the public
domain In lieu selections, But large
areas of railroad and other lands In
private ownership have been included
In forest reserves which are neither
generally timbered or OF any consider
able value for water conservation, or
i,or any o'ner purpose cVn'yn'tialen py
which within reserves has given the
O mers OF such lands an opportunity to
possess themselves, by exchange of
some Of the best timber lands Of the
nation
TO SAVE LANDS,
erie committee agrees with the Soc
rotary uf the interior and the commits
Moner OF the general land office that
1 he mss ago nj ma min is I'm th, tpt.r..ts