Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1904-01-09
OUR POSITION OUTLINED
A Clear Enumeration of Our ~Rights-Answe to Forester Pin
chot's Letter, Asking for Additional Information Re
lating to Our Petition for Relief.

THE ELK CITY MINING NEWS has been founded by the public spirited ch
zes of this community, first, in the general interest of this immediate territory
and secondly, though not least, with a far broader aim in view, namely, that of
carrying into practical effect, the soonest possible, the spirit and aim of our
memorable mass meeting of November Goth last. This meeting vas truly rep
resentatve of not only Elk City and its mining district but of all the contig-
uus mining districts Of this territory as well, the leading citizens OF Which had
fully endorsed or action.
Indeed, now after a fair trial. Forest Reserve laws, rules and regulations
arestl intolerable topu whole population. And even in high places at Wash
neton, they are admitted to be a decided failure, the repeal of them being al
Thus, the same is N the walls at the famous feast of Beshazzar the ia
tai "Mene, meme tekel upharsn" was, at Gods command, written by a psychic
hand, SC likewise, by the hand of public opnon-"vox popul, vx Dei'-the
Federal Forest Reserve department of this section, in spite of its recognized
good intentions, has also been weighed in the balance and found wanting"
Thus, it must 10 be eliminated from our midst.
Furthermore, by reason of or former total inexpeience in such matters,
this whole official experiment, in Forest Reserve administration, was forced up
on or msophistcated and unsuspectng population, as a "tmef IN the night -
or as Involves break into the fold"
In fact. it would 10 seem, that, in Federal language, the word ere
serve could convey to the official mind, no other meaning than that of the
word Reservation = Indian reservation for example etc. And thus by natural
g, as it were, thought Of us far more as of American Indians than ii as Amer
lean citizens. -.
whole territory has been practically 'tncked' and placed indefinitely beyond
Thus far we have been "s lambs, dumb before the shearer's' of our
rights We have "borne VI cross and worn, IS complacenty as possible, our
official" crown of thons - but W e now object being nailed indefinitely "to,
the cross. Indeed, we ire not going tO allow our best and most vital interests
and those of GU children, to be uselessly and stupidity 'crucifed" simply to
create snecures, more or ies' and political "paps' generally. In other words
we are going to be free, like all other citizens of our great state.
Let us remember that the tax n tea IN l73 wa really not heavy Or
budensome. But our forefathes threw the tea into Boston harbor just the
same because of the PRINCIPLE involved. Again, at the time of the great
from beng tyrannical or oppressive. But in 1920 Luther burned the papa
bull" at the Ester gate of wittenberg just the same, by reason of the prnci
pie involved. And, finally, we fought ut or long and cruel civil ar in the
"6Odes' IN the principle of slavery, in which, practically speaking, our whole
North had n tangible concern; the same as our late Spanish wa was begun
more a a matter of principle, than for any practical consideration, % called.
In other words, nations, states and communities must be guided in al
their general politics by PRINCIPLE, and by principle alone. Consequently as
the community of intelligent and patriotic American citizens, which we are, lei
us profit by this experience among all nations, past and present, and abide
wholly by the fundamental principles involved lin the common laws of our lane
and under which all other American communities have lived and propered since
our Constitution was framed and our Republic founded.
Now the principle involved is this that the Federal authorities at Wash
ngton is practically the cusOhans simply of government lands in each STATE
which are to be held as such until the state judges it to be in the interests o
the local population that these lands be thrown open for settlement under thu
common laws ruling elsewhere all such public measures And the end wisely
proposed is to assure the absolute control definitely of all its own territory b.
the state a. well as aforing the greatest facilities and freedom possible for tn
building up and maintenance of free and independent homes and family center
throughout all our Union. This, indeed, is the final end and aim of all GU
characteristic American institutions, IS the best incarnation yet realized of tn
fundamental economic principles and movement of our whole democratic an
Christian civilization since the three thousand years ago when the ancien
Children of Israel entered the Promised Land of Palestine, where the first an
second republics of our grand civilization were founded as prototypes and pre-
cursors of our great scientific and evangelical republic of the present day.
In fine, to create in N everincreasng number Independent and respecta
BILE homes and famlycenter, throughout the length and breadth of our fi
lane, is the only reliable and enlightened criterion, Is a measure by which w
can Judge what is right and what is wrong, on general pmncipes-what is to b
i accepted and what rejectcd-n the present Forest Reserve 'imbogho'
d which official stupidity has now thoroughly involved us.
n