Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1905-04-22
THAT FOREST RESERVE POLICY

: Senator Hepburn is a persistent OPP
ponent of the forest reserve policy OF
the government, and goes to the ex-
tremes in the matter. Forest reserves
will not retard the development of the
state. Even the timber on them may
be cut under proper regulations; mining
companies can get timber, and, gener-
ally, business can go right along. 1t
is true that, in laying out such reserves
land is often tentatively included which
should be omitted, being better adapted
to other purposes; but the department,
after making the necessary investiga-
lions, is always ready to restore any
such portion to the public domain. The
forest reserve policy is wise and neces-
sary, and, while care should be taken
to see that no serious mistakes are
made, it is unwise to oppose that policy.
Boise Statesman.
The Statesman is wrong as usual,
but as that is the Statesman's fixed
Dolicy, it excites no unusual amount OF
Intention. The Statesman would rather
be wrong than to be a newspaper.
Senator Hepburn is not opposed to the
forest reserve policy of the government.
The government has no forest reserve
policy. Senator Hepburn is unalterably
opposed to the narrow indefensible sys-
tenn of obstruction toward the develop
ment of the west, employed bye group
Of gentlemen who are, temporarily, In
charge of the governmental machinery,
and whose stalking horse is the so-called
forest reserve ''policy," which ''policy"
is yokemate to that other policy so
dear to the hearts of the Statesman
government, 1.-THE repeal of the timber
and stone actE dictated by the land
grant railroads 'end advocated openly
by their recognized lobby at Washing
ton. and by lobby quite as powerful
which as yet is not recognized as such,
even by the members of it, perhaps,
which makes it the more powerful, for
there is no paid LOBBYIST so powerful for
mischief as the blind, unreasoning, con-
centious, enthusiast, whose very enthus-
iasm is apt to clothe with the dignity of
a problem, national in its scope, any
absured notion which may for the time
find sanctuary within his dome of
thought. For example, forest reserve
policy which withdraws from settlement
5000, 900 acres of land in one state alone,
considerable of which land is sagricul-
tural and broadly speaking, the balance
mineral, for which act no reason is
given; that is, no reason worthy of con-
sideration at the hands of rational men
of business.
The fiction that the mining business
is not interferred with thereby has been
used tilk threadbare, and is still being
used ITS dilapidated condition, which
shows the straits to which the apologists
for this monstrous wrong are driven If
the hope of obtaining ever the shadow
of support for their indefensible policy
1t is a fact that the mining business is
hampered to an almost prchibitive de
gree. AS an example, mining com
pany cannot cut stick of timber with
out a permit. First permit must be
secured; second, block of timber sur
veyed; third, advertised for sale for si'
weeks. which pieces said company il
the position of competing against al
corners who may wish to bid, and ma!
lose the timber after all, besides losing
the four to six months time required
from the application of the permit til
the sale is consummated. Similar re
strictions will be found in the way O.
any public improvements, telephones
telegraphs,. roads, buildings, bitches
fumes, ETC..
'Disclaiming any desire to criticise Mr.
Heyburn's course in this matter, it i
the opinion of the MINING NEWS that h
does not GO far enough. He shoul,
adopt the policy of the complete Grad
ication of the government forest re
serve policy as applied TO Idaho.