Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1905-06-16
Hepburn Alright.

AHCiC HCNCl hdS DCCu any SlOuuu
for the newspaper reports that Senator
Hayburn is tool of the trusts and is
at this time working in the interest of
the Weyerhauser timber syndicate on
the forest reserve question, which Du-
bois is favoring so strenuously. Re
garding this Senator Hepburn says:
The mistaken impression is being
given out that 1 am opposed to all
forest reservations. This is not cor
rect. I am opposed to the creation OF
any forest reserves which excludes
settlement from within its limits. l
think that if settler is satisfied to
make his home within any section of
the state he ought to have the right to
do so, in other words, that the ques-
ton Of location should be one deter
mined entirely by the choice of the
settler, and not be the judgment of
someone else as to what ought to be
his choice.
X X
I do not think that the question of
the title to the land should enter into
the question of forest reserves at all.
The government holds these lands as
trustee for any qualified home maker
who desires in the exercise of his own
judgment to make his home there.
While, theoretically, they belong to all
the people of the United States, prac-
tically they are for the use only of
those who go to them and take them
up under the law. To admit that it
was necessary to withdraw them from
settlement and sale because the ex-
ecutive branch of the government is
incompetent to administer the laws for
their protection against despoliation or
fraud, or that congress was incompe-
tent to enact legislation for such pur-
pose, is not to be considered as afford
ing any reason for their withdrawal from
location and sale. 1t would create
humiliating admission that the public
would not receive kindly. If the
parties entrusted with the affairs Of
government cannot enact and enforce
adequate laws, the question remains
for the people to deal with.
my objection to the creation Of the
reserves is more particularly directed
to the manner of their creation and the
effect given to it, than to the abstract
question of creating forest reserves. 1t
was charged in the dispatches an
nouncing the action of the president in
sustaining the forestry bureau in its
recommendation for the withdrawal Of
the Idaho reserves that it was in the
interest Of protecting timber lands in
the state from the greed of the great
lumber corporations, mentioning the
Weyerhauser corporation by name.
And it has been asserted and insinuated
that my action in regard to the reserves
was prompted by sympathy or more
direct connection on my part with the
lumber trusts and these lumber
organizations. This was a gratuitous
, falsehood in letter and in spirit. Dur
l ing the last session Of congress sup
ported as openly and persistently as
was capable Of doing, the law that cut
off the right of script entries in the
state, in lieu OF lands surrendered out
! side of the state, and spoke for and
, supported measures for the prevention
of the selection OF lieu lands within the
, timber belt. I offered and succeeded
S in having adopted an amendment tc
e the agricultural appropriation bill
4 which prevents the government or for
t estry bureau from selling any OF the
= timber upon the forest reserves within
: Idaho for shipment out Of the state.
!, do not believe that the laws should be
e so interpreted as to permit them to dc
so. I believe in the individual owner
e ship of the timber lands Of this state
: by its citizens, in tracts not exceeding
T 100 acres to the individual. The
market can then be supplied by thC
product of lumber from the individual
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