Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-08-02
Government Timber Lands.

ToTtldIlu OTegOnlan
While the air is thick with tales,
true and exaggerated, of the robber-
les OF the public timber domain, it
is in order to repeat that, when the
government uses all its energies to
detect and punish such land frauds
as are matters Of history, Its powers
are exhausted. The laws which
have given color, opportunity and
shelter to those who have learned
the easy way to handle timber lands
stand unrepoaled. These finger
posts on the road first to frand and
so on to the penitentiary still strike
the eye in plain light of day. 1t is
useless to say that those who break
the terms Of the law are responsible,
and that tits the breach, not the OBJ
servance. of the ,imber-land laws
which has dragged the culprits
down. The facts are plain. In the
first place, the bait is too enticing.
When one can for $500 got from
the public timber worth $4,000 or
more it is a terrible inducement to
step as close as possible to the rag
ged edge of con~ piracy and perjury.
Next, these temptable people all
know that the day will soon, and
possibly very soon, dawn when the
chance will be gone for good. Hence
the hurry to get in before the door
is shut.
This talk about a chance for the
poor man is contemplate. There is
no more reason why the poor man
should either steal the nations heri-
tage, or be presented with slice of
it for one-tenth of its value, than
that the rich man or even the bug
bear corporation should have similar
chances on large sclle.
Let us see the things as they ire.
The per cent, whatever it is, Of the
forests and woodlands yet in the
public domain should be at once
Withdrawn from sale, in large guam
titles or in small. There is no need
for any more timber land being
opened to provide for the business
needs-of the nation for many years
to come. Already timber specula-
tors and purchasers, large and small,
own enough, and more than enough.
to feed the market for the next forty
years in these states of the North
west-and in Oregon in particular.
Let them have chance to work off
some of their spoils, and meanwhile
what is left in the nations owner
ship will increase in worth, and may
be handled in more businesslike
way than by selling it for tenth or
fifteenth of its value. The timber
and stone act was passed while the
nation was sleeping on its owner
ship. President Roosevelt has still
another chance TO prove himself the
true guardian that we all believe
him to be of the timber lands of the
United States.
There use TO be talk that the
timber.should be cleared off and the
hardy settler have his chance to get
a cheap farm on the soil where the
timber grew. This is pitiful stuff
to us who dwell in sight and knowl-
edge Of the forests Of the Pacific
States. What is the value of an
acre, or of a mile, of land, hanging
part on edge over the canyon, where
the big stumps, six feet across on
the average, stand as thick as apple
trees in an orchard? Who will pay
for the powder to blow them out, or
will feed the fires to consume them?
President Roosevelt has wise ideas
about reforesting the logged-off
lands. He made this very clear the
other day There are immense areas
available for this process now, with
out stripping the mountains, glades
and canyons Of the standing trees
that have been centuries maturing.
No, the nation has wasted its heri-
tage and opened its treasures to be
stolen under the guise of a law, long
enough. Let us save the fragments
that remain. The interests of the
nation very Ear outweigh the poss-
ible chances that any individual
may have from the continuance of
the timber and stone act. Let it be
repealed.