The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-12-09

I have repeatedly called attention To
the confusion which exists In Govern
ment forest matters because the work
Is scattered among three Independent
organizations. The United states is the
only Of the great nations in which
the forest work OF the Government is
not concentrated under one department
I'm consonance with the plainest dictates
OF good administration and common
sense. The present arrangement is bad
from every point of view. Merely to
mention II Is to prove hat IL should be
terminated at N As I have repeat
edly recommended, all the forest work
OF the Government should be concen-
'trated in the Department OF Agricul-
ture, where the larger part of hat work
is already done, where practically all
OF the trained foresters Of the Govern
ment are employed, where chiefly In
Washington there Is comprehensive
first-hand knowledge Of the problems OF
the reserves acquired on the ground,
where all problems relating to growth
from h soil are already gathered, and
where all the sciences auxiliary to for
estry are at hand for prompt and effect
v SO|opCA III ICooOAAo III 0G
cisive in themselves, but it should be
added that the great organizations of
citizens whose interests are affected by
the forest reserves. such as the Ma
tional Live Stock Association, the Ma
tional Woo Growers Association, the
American Mining Congress, the Nation-
al Irrigation Congress, and the Nation
al Board of Trade, have uniformly, en-
phatically, II most of them repeated
ly, expressed themselves in favor OF
placing all Government forest work in
the Department of Agriculture because
Of the peculiar adaptation of the De-
partment for it. 1t is true, also, that
the forest services of nearly all the
great nations of the world are under the
respective departments of agriculture,
while in but two of the smaller nations
in n colony are they under the de-
partment OF the interior. This is the
result of long and varied experience
and 1t agrees fully with the require
ments of good administration in our
own casc.
The creation of a forest service in
the Department Of Agriculture will
have for it's Important results:
"a "a OSSNS4 ~ oi "
est work, because it will be under a
single head, and because the vast and
Indispensable experience of the De-
partment In all matters pertaining to
the forest reserves, to forestry in gen.
eral, and to other forms of production
from the soil, will be easily and rapid
ly 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 the case hitherto.
Third. Within a comparatively short
time the reserves will become self-sup-
porting. This is important, because
continually and rapidly increasing ap-
preparations will be necessary for the
proper care of this exceedingly impor-
tan interest of the Nation, and they
can and should be offset by returns
from the National forests. Under SINH
lar circumstances the forest possessions
OF other great nations form an impor-
tant source of revenue to their gov
ernments.
Every administrative officer concerns
ed is convinced of the necessity for the
proposed consolidation of forest work
In the Department of Agriculture, and
I myself have urged it more than once
IN former messages. Again / commend
1t to the early and favorable considera-
ton Of the Congress. The interests of
the Nation at large and OF the West in
particular have suffered greatly because
of the delay.
Public Lands.
1 call the attention or the Congress
again to the report and recommends
ton Of the Commission on the Public
Lands forwarded by me to the second
session of the present Congress. The
Commission mas prosecuted it's invest1-
cations actively during the past season,
and a second report is now in an ad-
vanced stage of preparation.
Game Preserves.
In connection with the work of the
forest reserves l desire again to urge
upon the Congress the Importance Of
authorizing the President to set aside
certain portions, of these reserves or
other public lands as game refugees for
the preservation of the bison, the
wapiti, and other large beasts one so
abundant in our woods and mountains
and on our great plains, and now tend
ing toward extinction. Every support
should be given to the authorities of the
Yellowstone Park in their successful
efforts at preserving the large creatures
therein; and at very little expense por-
tons of the public domain in other re-
gfons which are wholly %unsuited to ag-
ricultural settlement could be similar
ly utilized. We owe it to future gener-
atoms to keep alive the noble and beau
tiful creatures which by their presence
add such distinctive character to the
American wilderness. The limits of the
Yellowstone Park should be extended
scuthwards. The Canyon of the Color
ado should be made a national park;
and the national park system should
include the Yosemite and as many as
possible of the groves of giant trees in
California.