The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-12-09

tntouEn export Dy iuufDtT VosHpdihtd
when timber lands adjacent to their
mineS pass into private Uwnership lum-
bermen. transportation companies. build
AIthoush e' the Wisdom Wise ssS''s Of creating Tor.
est reserves is nearly everywhere heart
iiy recognized, yet In a few localities
complaint. The following statement is
therefore desirable:
The forest-reserve policy can be sue
Of the oeope of tbe hsy sae fn
safely, and should not In any case, be
imposed upon them against their will.
But neither can we accept the views OF
temporary; who are anxious to reap what
they have not sown and then move
away, leaving desolation behind them.
On the contrary, II Is everywhere and al
ways the interest of the permanent set
tier and the permanent business man.
the man with q. stake In the country,
The making of forest reserves within
railroad and wagon-road land-grant
limits will hereafter, as for the past
vent the issue, under the act of June 4,
1897. of base for exchange or lieu selec-
tion Casually called scrip.l In all cases
where forest reserves within areas COW
cred by land grants appear to be essen
tial to the prosperity of settlers, miners,
or others, the Government lands within
such proposed forest reserves will, as In
the recent past, be withdrawn from sale
or entry pending the completion of sucn
negotiations with the owners of the land
grants as will prevent the creation OF
II was formerly the custom to make
forest reserves without first getting def
Mite and detailed information as to the
character OF land and timber within
their boundaries. This method of action
often resulted In badly chosen boundar-
les and consequent injustice to settlers
and others. Therefore this Administra-
ton adopted the present method of first
withdrawing the land from disposal, fol-
ground and tho preparation of detailed
maps and descriptions. before any forest
reserve Is created.
1 have repeatedly called attention to
the confusion which exists In Govern
ment forest matters because the work Is
scattered among three independent or
ganizations. The United states Is tho
only one of the great nations In which
the forest work Of the Government is not
concentrated under one department, In
consonance with the plainest dictates or
The present arrangement Is bad from
every point of view Merely to mention
1t Is to prove that It should be termin-
atcd at once. As 1 have repeatedly re-
commended. all the forest work of the
Government should be concentrated in
the Department of Agriculture, where
done, where practically all of the trained
foresters of the Government are en-
ployed, where chiefly In Washington
edge of the problems of the reserves ac-
quired on the ground, where all problems
relating to growth from the soil are al
ready gathered, and where all the scien-
ces auxiliary to forestry are at hand
for prompt and effective cooperation.
There reasons are decisive in themselves,
but 1t should be added that the great
organizations of citizens whose interests
are affected by the forest reserves. such
as the National Live Stock Associa-
ton, the National Wool Growers Asso-
the National Irrigation Congress, and
the National Board of Trade, have uni
formly, emphaticaily. and most of them
vor of placing all Government forest
work In the Department of Agriculture
because of the peculiar adaptation of
that Department for 1t. It Is true, also,
that the forest services of nearly all the
great nations of the world are under the
respective departments of agriculture,
and in one colony are they under the de-
partment of the interior. This Is the re-
suit of long and varied experiences and
II, agrees fully with the reaulrements
The creation of a forest service In the
Department of Agriculture will have for
Its important results: ~.
First: A better handling of all forest
work, because 1t will be under single
head. and because the vast and indis-
pensable experience of the Department
in all matters pertaining to the forest re-
serves. to forestry In general. and to
other forms of production from the soil.
will be easily and rapidly accessible.
Second. The reserves themselves, be-
ing handled from the point of view of the
man In the field. instead of the man in
the office will be more easily and more
widely useful to the people OF the West
than has been tho case hitherto.
Third, Within comparatively short
time the reserves will become self-sup-
tHinuaiiy and rapidly increasing appro-
priations will be necessary for the prop
er care of this exceedingly important in
terest OF the Nation, and they can and
should be offset by returns from the Ma
tional forests. Under similar cfrcum-
stances the forest possessions of other
great nations form an important source
of revenue to their governments
Every administrative o. Ger concerned
is convinced OF the necessity for the pro-
posed consolidation Of forest work in the
Department of Agriculture, and my
self have urged II more than once In
former messages. Again I commend 1t
to the early and favorable consideration
Nation at large and OF the West in par
ticular have suffered greatly because Of
PUBLIC LANDS.
I call the attention of the Congress
again to the report and recommendation
of the Commission on the Public Lands
ferwarded by me to the second session
sion has prosecuted It's Investigations
actively during the past season. and a
second report is now in an advanced
GAME PRESERVES.
In connection with the work of the
forest reserves 1 desire again to urge
upon the Congress the Importance of au-
thorizng the President to set aside GER
tain portions of these reserves or other
public lands as game refugees for the
preservation of the bison the wapiti,
and other large beasts once so abund-
ant In our woods and mountains and on
our great plains, and now tending to-
ward extinction. Every support should
he given to the authorities of Yellow
stone Park In their successful efforts at
preserving the large creatures therein;
and Mt very little expense portions OF
the public domain In other regions which
are wholly unsuited to agricultural set
Elements could bc similarity utilized
We oowe 1t to the future generations
to keep alive the noble and beau
tiful creatures which by their presence
add such distinctive character to the AM
erican wilderness. The limits of the
Yellowstone Park should be extended
southwards. The Canyon OF the Colo
rado should be made a national park;
and the national-park system should In
clude the Yosemite and as many as pos
ifornia.