The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-12-07
EXCERPTS FROM THE MESSAGE
rious Questions of State.
Forests.

rious Questions of State.
Forests.
1t is the cardinal principle of The
forest reserve policy of this admins
tration that the reserves are for use.
Whatever interferes with the use CT
their is t be avoided by
every possible means. But these 10
sources must be used in sue a wav
as to make them permanent. The
forest policy of the Government ~
just now a subject of vivid public in
terest throughout the West and 20
the people of the United States in gen
eral. The forest reserves themselves
are of extreme value 20 the present
as we'll as to the future welfare of all
the western public-land States. They
powerfully affect the use and disposal
ial Importance because they preserve
the water supply and the supply of
timber for domestic purposes, n SO
promote settlement under the rGc!e-
nation act. Indeed, they are essen
tia1 TO the welfare of every one OF
the great interests of the West.
Forest reserves are created for twu
principal purposes. The first is to ERE
serve the water supply. This is their
most important use. The principal
| users of the water thus preserved are
irrigation ranchers and settlers. cit
les and towns to whom their munich
pal water supplies are of very frs
water power, and the users of water
for domestic. manufacturing, mining.
and other purposes. All these are Ii
rectly dependent upon the forest re
serves.
Public Lands.
| call the attention OF the Congress
| again to the report and recommends
| ton of the Commission on the Pub
lie Lands forwarded by me to the
End session of the present congress.
The Commission has prosecuted its
Investigations actively during the
| past season. and a second report IS
now in an advanced stage of prepare
ton.
The second reason for which for
| est reserves are created is tt pre-
serve the timber supply for various
classes OF wood users. Among the
more important of these are settlers
under the reclamation act and other
acts. for whom a cheap and accessible
supply of timber for domestic uses is
absolutely necessary; miners and
p~rospectors, who are in serious dan
| ger of losing their timber supply by
| fire or through export by lumber com
panies when timber lands adjacent
to their mines pass into private owner
ship; lumbermen, transportation com
panies, builders, and commercial in
terests in general.
Although the wisdom of creating
forest reserves is nearly everywhere
heartily recognized, yet in a few To-
calities there has been misunderstood
ing and complaint. The following
statement is therefore desirable:
The forest-reserve policy car be sue
cessful only when it has the full sup
port of the people Of the West. 1t
can not safely, and should not in any
case. be imposed upon them against
their will. But neither can we accept
the views Of those whose only inter
est in the forest is temporary; who
are anxious to reap what they have
not sown and then move away. leav-
ing d~esolation behind them. On ths
contrary, it is everywhere and al
ways the interest of the permanent
settler and the permanent business
man, the man with a stake in the
country. which must De considered
and which must decide.
The making of forest reserves with
in railroad and ~wagon-road land-grant
limits will hereafter, as for the past
three years, be so managed as to pre-
ven the issue. under the act of June
4, 1897, of base for exchange or lieu
selection CASUALLY called scrip. II
all cases wher forest reserves within
areas covered by lane grants appear
to be essential to the prosperity OF
settlers, miners, or others, the Gov
lands within such proposed
forest reserves will, as in the recent
past.b withdrawn from sale or entry
pending the completion Of such nego-
tiations with the owners of the lane
grants as will prevent the creation of
so called scrip.
1t was formerly the custom to make
forest reserves without first getting
definite and detailed information as
to the character of and and timber
within their boundaries. This method
of action often resulted in badly choS-