Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1905-09-30
The Forest Reserve.

oeeH injured by the establishment OF
the reserve is doubtless true. But that
the Black Hills as a whole, has been.
and will be for all future time greatly
benefited, can not be denied by anyone
who has taken the care to investigate.
All will remember that fought the es-
adjustment of the reserve in congress
and before the department of the i'm
terror, and obtained a special hearing
before President Mckinley to get him
to rescind President Cleveland's procla-
nation establishing the reserve. And
yet, after eight years experience of its
benefits, | am compelled to admit that
my position was wrong at that time,
that the establishment of the reserve
has been and will be of inestimable
benefit to the Black Hills. | recently
made trip through a portion of the re-
serve and was astonished to see a large
growth Of timber where, ten years ago,
the ground was as bare as the streets of
a city. There has been no damaging for
est fires since the present management
has been inaugurated
One reading the CHRONICLE article is
impressed with tho fact that it had its
inspiration in the destruction the lum.
Der industry which formerly had its CEN
ter at Custer, is admitted, but the peo.
pie of this section of the state could not
afford to have this whole section denud-
ed of timber for the benefit of any par.
ticular industry or any particular town.
Beside, the lumber industry would have
been very short-lived under the process
which formerly obtained. The article
in question is inconsistent, and carries
its own refutation. For instance, read
this:
"On the other hand farms that few
years ago were raising grain and feed,
now stand waste and uncultivated be.
cause it has been the policy of the re-
serve officials to stop settlement in the
reserve, and to let the land go back to
the original condition in which the In.
dams left it,"
This is not true. Under the law as
amended by the fifty-ffth congress, no
man who settled upon land previous to
the establishment of the reserve, was in
any way injured or interfered with by
such establishment. These men are still
cutivating their land, unless they choose
to sell their rights, or take more desr-
able lands elsewhere.
The gist of the whole article seems to
be, that the timber Of that section is
doomed TO destruction anyway, and
that those in the lumber business might
as well have the benefits of its destruc-
ton. The writer admits that the forest
rangers have done much to prevent fires
and that their care and warnings to
campers have done much in this direc-
ton. But he seems TO blame the forest
management for the bugs that are des.
troying the timber. This is rather
far-fetched objection, but it is about as
consistent as the rest Of his arguments"
These pests to the timber are like many
others that have swept over the coun-
try. They will probably have their day
and disappear but they are much more
apt to be successfully dealth with, and
the damage be repaired by the depart
ment the government, than they would
be by any private enterprise The arti-
Gle further says:
at must in fairness be conceded that
in the reserve the forest rangers have
done much to prevent the outbreak and
spread Of forest fires, and their warnings
nailed on the trees have undoubtedly
caused careless campers TO take better
care of their camp fires but it is within
our own observation that the forest re
serve bug has appeared, and many peo-
pie are beginning TO wonder if the con-
nection between the two was not some
thing more than mere coincidence, and
are thinking that after all the timber
fires may have had their use in the des-
truction of harmful insects"
fit is necessary to burn down the
forest to kill the bugs, we can do this
yet. But the department will, in all
probability, find better way, and in the
mean time will so care for and conserve
the new growth that in few years we
will forget all about the bugs. Finally,
Mr.. Way gives his whole case away in
the following paragraph:
THAT some restriction on the waste
ful cutting and destruction oftimber that
was going on previous to 1897 was neces-
sary if a supply of pine timber for future
use was TO be secured, was sufficiently
apparent to any one familiar with the
that existed in the Hills pre-
vious to that time but that all the acts
of the forest reserve officials have been,
or are the best TO conserve the timber
supply without undue hardship on the
individuals who incidentally happened
to be living on the land. is question on
which there may be more than one
opinion"
This is supposed to be government
of the whole people; and while the
rights of individuals who incidentally
happened to be living on the land"
should be, and have been, carefully
guarded, am convinced that the estab-
lishment of the Black Hills forest re-
serve has been and will be of inestima-
bio value to the present and future gen.
erations. | believe that the new growth
of timber already attained has bad much
to do with the greater rain fall in this
section, and that this great fact will be
more noticeable in the future. This has
been an unquestioned fact all over the
west. This whole section that was for
merly designated as 'the great Ameri-
can Desert" has been made to blossom
as the rose by planting timber. On the
other hand, drouth has inevitably fol-
lowed the destruction of timber, the
world over,-Freemap Knowles in the
Lantern.