Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1904-12-15


20 rean what they have not sowh and then
move away, leaving desoiatlon behind them,
On the contrary, u Is everywhere and aiwavs
the interest ot the permanent scttier ana
the permanent business man. the man with q
stake In the country. which must he con.
sidered, and which must decide
The making OF forest reserves within rail.
road and wngan-r0ad iahd-grant limits will
hereafter. "a fer the past three years, he 10
manaEed as 60 prevent the issue, under the
act OF June 4, 1897, " base Tor exchange or
lieu selection usually called scrtpl, In all
i eases Where fefVst reserves within areas
covered by land grants appear TO he essen.
ttal 20 the prosperity ot settlers. miners or
Othera the Government lands within such
proposed forest reserves win. as In tho recent
past, be withdrawn from sale or entry pond.
tng the completion Of such Negotiations with
the owners 0t the land grants as will prevent
the creation Of so-cailed scrip,
| II was formerly the custom TO make foreAt
reserves without nrst getting definite and
I detailed Information as to the character OF
land and timber within their boundaries, This
method OF action often resulted In badly
chosen boundaries and consequent Injustice
to settlers and others. Therefore this Ad.
/ ninlstratien adopted the present method OF
fret withdrawing the land from disposal
/ followed by careful examination on the
/ ground and the preparation Of detailed mapa
and descriptions. before any forest reserve
| IL created.
/ have repeatedly called attention TO the
CONFUSION which exists In Government farea,
matters because the work Ia scattered among
three independent organizations, The United
states II the only one OF the great nations
| 10 which the forest work Of the Government
! u NOT concentrated under one department.
( IN consonance with tho plainest dictates ot
good administration and common sense. The
present arrangement Is bad from every point
ot view, Merely to mention Il Ia to prove
that u should ha terminated at once. A.
nave repeatedly recommended, all the ferosl
work OF the Government should DO couceR.
trated in the Department ot Agriculture,
Where the larger part OF that work is already
/ done, where practically all ot the trained
toresters OF the Government are employed,
| where ehieny In Washington there ls com.
hrehensive nrst-hand knowledge OF the prob
| ielns OK the reserves acquired on the ground.
whore all problems relating 10 growth from
the soil are already gathered and where all
the sciences auxiliary 20 forestry are az hand
Tor prompt ana effective cooperation, Those
/ reasons are decisive in themselves but II
should be added that the great organizations
I OF citizens whose Interests are affected by tho
torest reserves. such as the National Live
stock Association. the National woolgroweFs'
| Association. the American Mining Congress-
| the National Irrigation Congress, and the
| National Beard OF Trade have uniformly.
emphatlealIy, and most Of them repeatedly,
expressed themselves In favor OF placing
! all Government forest work In the DEPART.
ment or Agriculture because OF the peculiar
| adaptation OF that Department for IT, II
Is true. also. that the forest services of
nearly all the great nations Of the world are
under the respective departments OF aErlcul.
| ture, while In but tive OF the smaller ma
| tions and In one colony are they under the
department OF the interior, This Is the
result % long and varied experience and Il
agrees fully with the requirements OF good
administration In our own case.
The creation OF a forest service In the De-
par'ment OF Agriculture will have for Its
important results
First--A better handling OF all forest work.
because II will be under a single head. and
because the vast and Indispensable expert
ence OF the Department IN all matters per.
tanning TO the forest reserves. TO forestry IN
general, and to other forms Of production
from the soil. will bo easily and rapidly ae.
cesslble.
Second--The reserves themselves beins
handled from the point OF view OF the man
in the field. instead OF the man in the office.
viii be more easily and moro widely useful
20 the people OF the West than has been the
case hitherto
Thlrd--within a comparatively short time
the reserves VIII become disappearing. This
| Is important because continually and rapid
iy increasing appropriations will be neces-
sary for the proper care OF this exceedingly
important interest OF the Nation. and they
can and should be onset by returns from the
National forests. Under similar circum-
stances the forest possessions OF other great
nations form an important source Of revenue
20 their governments
Every administrative officer concerned In
convinced OF the necessity for the proposed
consolidation OF forest work In the Depart
IL more than once in former messages. Again
commend II 10 the early and favorable con-
sideratiou Of the Congress, The interests Of
the Nation at large and Of the West In par
ticular have suffered greatly because OF the
delny.
call the attention of the Congress again
to the report and recommendation OF the Com
mission on the Public
Public Lands. Lands forwarded by
me to the second aea-
sion Of the present congress. The Commission
has prosecuted its Investigations acdyely dur
ing the past season. and a second report u
now in an advanced stage Of preparation
The progress OF the Indians toward civillza'
tion, though not rapid, ts perhaps al that
could be hoped for. In view OF the circum'
stances. Within the past year many tribes
have shown, in a degree greater than ever
before, an appreciation
Indians. OF the necessity OF
work, This changed at
titude Is in part due to the policy recently
pursued Of reducing. the amount Of subsist-
ence to the Indians, and thus forcing them
through sheer necessity, to work for HVell.
hood. The policy, though severe. Is useful
one. but It Is to be exercised only with tudg-
ment and with fun understanding Of the
conditions which exist In each community for
which II Is intended. On near the Indian
reservations there Is usually very little de.
mand for labor and II the Indians are to
earn their living and when work cannot be
furnished from outside (which is always pref
erable) then II must be furnished by the Gov.
ernment. Practical instruction Of this kind
would In a few years result in the forming
OF habits OF regular industry, which would
render the Indian producer and would effect
a great reduction in the cost of his main
tenance.
In the Postofnce Department tho service
has Increased In efficiency, and conditions
as to revenue and expenditure continue sat
isfactory The increase OF revenue during
the year was 80. .35S. .1Sl.10, or 90 per cent
the total receipts amounting to Si43,3S2.-
62434. The expenditures were Si52.362,-
1870, an Increase Of about per cent over
the previous year, being thus $500 i92 80
In excess OF the current revenue Included
In these expenditures was a total appropri-
alton Of $i20J6, 35 for the continuation
and extension of the rural free delivery
service, which was an increase of $4902,-
237.35 over the amount expended for
this purpose In the
Postal Service. preceding fiscal year.
Large as this expendi-
ture has been the benehcent results attained
in extending the free distribution OF malls
to the residents OF rural districts have
justified the wisdom OF the outlay. Stats-
tics brought down to October 1. 1904. show
that on that date there were q. 1873 rural
routes established, serving approximately