Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-04-29
written for The Journal. }

stitutions more or less embarrassed
through the investigations Of the Unit
ed States government into the land
dealings Of the past. in other words
had it not been for the ownership and
control Of cooperative bodies, capacity
for any development in Oregon would
have failed to meet the public needs
and demands.
Under the theory that corporations
alone are capable Of handling the i'm.
mense concentration of facilities it is
argued that cooperative land grabbing
has, perhaps without whole intent
made Oregon q great lumber state and,
by combining railroad with timber in.
terests. it becomes possible to open up
isolated sections of timber and get TO
market. When a timber corporation
desires to establish operations in some
certain locality, it acquires under the
law what timber land il can and builds
its mill and proceeds to saw up the
trees and make lumber. According TO
one way Of figuring the matter, the
creation Of an industry makes money
for the sawmill company. An equitable
eye sticking through knothole says
that the money invested by the cor.
porationinduce industry, for which all
creation, aud especially Oregon, should
weep with great joy. So it should.
And that, without the investment Of
this corporation, no development would
come TO the state and we would still
be hunting the deer and bear with our
bows and arrows, in maple.leaf tunics
Soon after establishing a sawmill.
which could saw up all the trees the
corporation before the machinery got
the green worn of, it became evident
that a mistake had been made The
mill had such an enormous capacity
that the land holdings were stripped
bare in a very short time aud left the
corporation without any timber-al.
though it so happened that the mill
was located in the very heart Of
great timber belt. so long as the tim.
Der Cover the fence" did not belong
TO the mill company IL could not be
used, Of course.
The question was argued at a meet.
ing Of the stockholders. why an
enormous mill had been erected by
three men who could hold under the
law only 100 acres each. could only
be solved by passing resolutions that
since a mistake had been made in the
capacity of the mill, in that il should
have been buck and saw in com.
parison, the only right way TO remedy
this mistake of installing a 100000
feet day mill 10 saw the holdings OF
three men, was to get more timber.
But, SAYS one. il is contrary to law
for a man 20 hold more than one claim, /,
and holding that one bars him from
lgaiu using his right. Here the works ;
n our noble congress came into play.
The statutes were called mp from the
basement and, after being busted of,
were found 60 contain more serious
mistake than that made by the com.
pany. The great mistake Of the law
n the eyes Of the company was this;
No man could take up government
and (Which was donated him for the
express purpose of getting him 10 set.
lie up the country and to improve. eul.
.ivate and raise crops) and sell the
'ame as a matter Of speculation.
The intention Of the law was 70 en-
courage settlement and not speeula-
ion. Speculation was no safeguard
70 the Roosevelt idea Of suicide. while
settlement was. That the law was de-
'eetive 10 the interests Of this corpora
ion there can be no doubt, but there
AN also be no doubt but the interests
would have been better served had this
aw been busted OF before ordering the
Mill. While the law was good for the
ettler il failed OF any benefit to this
corporation Owing 20 the andeveloped
condition OF Oregon, the promoters
we're prompted 10 act hurriedly in or
ler 10 reclaim the state from its con.
litiop, and thus overlook this clause in
he law which related 20 speculation,
u taking up claims 20 make money.
he law claims 20 furnish a legal
emedy for any legal wrongs done, but
hese three "settlers" could not 6nd
NY relief from their predicamenG IL
) true that the law asked them, why
ia you three holders Of 100 acres
aeh plant mill which could saw up
township in dayi But, as none Of
Ae ineorporatOrs knew, the law went
'ithout answer,
Finding no relief in the Law, the in
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