Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-01-15

But while a governor proposes the gov
eminent diSposes, ana further progress
has been materially hindered by the
prevailing plan Of forest reserve, II
brings us face to face with q dilemma
which causes us great concern, not only
for the grave reasons already cited,
but for the menace confronting our i'm.
portant grazing Industry. It Is
true, there are certain coalitions
and regulations under which the leas.
ing Of some OF these reserves to stock
men may be effected, for which all
honor and thanks TO the Hon, CHORD
PlnchOt, the present government for
ester. But while this modlhes the evil
II does not remove IL. The actual pur-
chaser or settler IL still left out I'm the
cold. He can neither lease nor buy; and
yet he Is more avail than many steers
or sheep. For eight years | have oc-
cupied the chair Of state executive with
the limited veto power. Five sessions
Of the legislature have com and gone
during this period, and q goodly por-
ton of each has been devoted to a dis
discussion Of the relative rights TO the
public domain Of cattle and sheep and
succulent grasses and fair young
quakenasps. Naturally ! lave imbibed
some notions on the subject. for | am
a good listener, Calmly and without
prejudice | have heard elaborate argu-
ments against the lowly sheep as being
the greatest living despoiler OF the
range, the arch befouler Of the water
supply and the pitlless plllager of the
plniOn pine. ! believe that ] have be-
come convinced that he may sharpen
his teeth on the bark OF a tree, and
devour with equal gusto bunch grass
and shad scale and stlnkwood, sweeten-
ing his breath meanwhile with migno-
nette and wood vlolets; yet ] resist the
aspersiOn that he will stand on his hind
legs and stamp the ground like a mar
putting in a fence post or that he ~
In every other respect a bosom OF de-
struction 10 the forests OF our fair land,
OF The mild.eyed, rollicking two.year-
old steer | also have a pretty good opin-
ion. / do not believe that he rellshes
the gum OF the white balsam, or loves
10 wallow constantly In a running
stream like the prehensile 400 As
between the two sides Of the great cat
tle and sheep controversy ! am not here
10 announce a decision. When a noted
humorist was asked where he stood
with reference TO Ignatius Donnelly's
claim that Lord Bacon was the author
OF Shakespeare's works, he replied that
he could not bring himself to take either
the side Of Shakespeare or the side OF
Bacon. With similar caution, and In
the same spirit, far he II from me, IN
the presence here OF such a large num-.
Der OF cattle and sheep men, to take
either the side Of the beef or the side
of the mutton, 1t would be safer In my
Judgment TO take TO the forest reserve,
which at last brings me back 10 the
point from which / started,
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEsT.
In conclusion / have to say that the
policy OF the government In regard to
these reserves Is more popular with the
community In which | live than II was
when II started out a few years ago
The reason Ia that there is less OF Il.
The more the area OF the reserves IL
cut down, the less objection there Is 20
them--in other words the popularity OF
the policy Increases In an inverse ratio
to the size Of the reserves, Every time
q thousand acres or so OF land that
never had a stick OF timber ON II and
could not grow one TO save its life, ia
eliminated from a proposed reserve
there is rejoicing throughout all our
borders. We look upon the question,
after all, as one depending upon the
survival Of the httest, Ia the land more
valuable for a precoclous attempt to
cultivate forests where they have grown
but scantily II at all, or for the making
Of homes for settlers, and for the graz
ing Of live stock, for which purpose lts
adaptabIlity has been proved II the
former, 90 on with the forest reserve
policy; II the latter, give the man, the