Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1904-04-14
LIVE NEWS FROM PROyOLf REPEAL OF The LAND LAWS
". B Sherman Gives His Views
on the Subject.

Recently much has appeared in the
press respecting the abuse Of the pres
ent land laws and demand is heard
in some quarters for the repeal OF
these laws. a. y. S. grand jury in
session in the city Of Portland has
made startling statement and recon-
mendation in reference to the matter.
The decision they render NEST ocoa-
sion surprise to the fairminded. At
tention is called to the fact that the
laws have been abused by corporations
and land grabbors But what law
has not been abused? The fact that
a law has been abused does not argue
that it is a bad law Twenty and
% years ago many quarters were in
tested by horse thieves. The wrong
was gotten rid Of, not by repeating
the law against stealing but by get
ting after the horse thieves. Not
many years ago. timber stealing was
quito common in Eastern states, but
in 'tead of repeating the law against
stealing, they kept after the thieves.
Timber stealing is now unknown,
practically speaking.
Why did the grand jury not give at
tention to the crime proper, namely,
that spectators owning scrip have
succeeded in having vast tracts Of
land cast into fore,t reserve until
such time as the timber and stone
act and commutation laws are repeal.
ed, when the forest reserve would be
thrown open to lie owners of the
scrip.
i is certainly clear from what
quarter comes the demand for the
repeal Of these laws. Governor La
Toilette OF Wisconsin in recent
speech made tie startling announce
ment that the evidence was olea1
that scarcely a law was made at
Washington that WAS not made nnder
pressure. with this high opinion we
are lead to believe that there is some
pressure at present in Washington
with respect to the repeal Of the pres
ent land laws. However, we want to
believe that our honorable board Of
United States Jurors are not work ing
in conjunction with the syndicate
lobbyists.
We hnrdly know where to place our
townspaper, the Observer, judging
from Its recent editorials of March
90, entitled climber Limits. " Per.
haps Tor want Of material, tLey have
copied in part from other papers.
For they show themselves to be in
deep waters when they speak Of
timber limits, no such term being
known in connection with timber
laws Moreover, we believe if they
were writing what they believed, ere
this they would have seen the error
and folly of having allowed $4,000 for
80 acres of timber lands in Southern
Oregon, in recent deal and would
have hunted up some pious "manu-
factuTer" to whom to give this land.
Certainly good manufacturer would
accept such with grace. This, they
of the Observer, ought willingly to
do, since they tell us further that
timber "ls of no utility whatever to
persons who are not lumber manu-
facturers. -
The Observer tells us that, accord
ing to the present method, timber
lands ure passing into the hands Of
spectators. " Will the editor, with
his timber land see to it that his does
not pass that way, or has it already
gone that way? Further, we would
like to have them define tho word
"speculator this case. In The same
paragraph the word manufacture"
is used. We would like to know if
the terms Spectator and "manu-
facturer" are synonymous; for the
speoulator makes lumbes out of tim
her and the manufacturer makes
lumber out of timber, according to
the Observer, yet one appears to be
bad and the other good
Is the "good manufactures" spoken
Of an ordinary man who has taken
advantage Of the present timber laws
and secured q quartor section and
then by proper handling of his hold
ings and careful management became
himself a manufacturer? Or is this
manufacture" an infallible creature
that God has carefully designed and
placed upon the earth, whose mission
is to see thar the forests are properly
slaughtered and the lumber properly
distributed to the people?
Since we have no largo mills
manufacturing lumber in Southern
Oregon, what would this section Of
country he without the small mills
and is it not possible for some Of
these mills under the wise manage
meut Of men with small holdings to
grow into larger manufacturing
plants L, it possible that the Obser-
ycr would discourage progress in this
direction. The grand jury charges
that syndicatcs have practised tho
fraud Of sending out crut rs to locate
lands, right aud lcft Gle upon and
prove up and their turn them over to
the syudicateS Later, these lands
are thrown into forest reserves and
th2 syndicate receives scrip for tine
Same, which may be- placed ON other
valuable lands,
But notice the Inconsistency For
hoso lands gotten in this way. the |
syndicate through tbo one Gling for I.
it, pays the government 500 for
quarter section Tho cxrensc tor the /