Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-25
Endorses Recommends
lions Of Sec. Wilson
In Regard to Rules to Govern
Granting Of Grazing Permits.
Sends Letter in Which He Discusses
Question From the Facts.

| Roosevelt IN a letter addressed to Sec
| rotary Wilson of the department of ag-
| riculture, on the subject of fees for
| grazing horses and cattle in the nation
al forest reserves upholds the ,secre-
| tary in the regulations, formulated by
| him and which will be come effective
Jan. /, 1906, whereby certain rules are
| laid down for the granting of grazing
permits.
The communication is the result Of a
protest sent to the President by cattle
| men from one Of the Western states,
| and is based on Il report by Secretary
Wilson 10 whom the protest was re-
fcired. The letter Of the President fol-
lows:
White House, Washington.
Dec. p, 1905.
My Dear Mr.. Secretary:
l have received your letter Of Dec. Goth.
] cordially approve of the policy YOU are
| carrying on. Your effort is to keep the
grazing lands in the forest reserves for
the use of the stockmcn and especially
| the small stockmen who actually live in
the neighborhoOd of the reserves. To pre-
vent the waste and destruction of the
reserves and to keep them so that they
can be permanently used by the stockmcn
no less than by the public you have to
spend a certain amount of money. Part
of this money is to be obtained by clarg-
ing 4 small fee for each head OF stocl.
paStured on the reserve. Less than n
third of the actual value of the grazing
/ is at present charged, and it is of course
perfectly obvious that the man who pas
I u
the preservation of that pasture. He gets
all the benefit CT the pasture and he pays
for its use but a small fraction Of the
value that it is to him. and this money
is in reality returned to him because it is
used in keeping the forest reserve per-
manCntly available for use. You this
year make a special reduction by which
the small rarchmcn pay but half rates.
This is in accordance with the steady pol
icy of your department IS regards the
Western lands which is to favor in every
way the actual settler. the actual homo
maker. the man who himself tills the
soil or himself rcars and cares for his
small herd of cattle. In granting grazing
permits you give preference first to the
nearby owners, after that to regular oc-
cupdntS OIL inc reserve range, ana 1inaIly
to the owners of transient stock. This is
exactly rs it should be. The small nearby
owners are the homestcaders, the men
who are making homes for themselves
by the labor of their hands, the men who
have entered to possess the land and to
bring up their children thereon.
The other regular occupants of the re-
serve range-that is. the larger ranch
Owners-are only entitled to come after
the smaller mon. If after these have
been admitted there still remains an am
pie pasturagc. then the owners Of tran
silent stock. the mon who drive great
herds or tramp flocks hithcr and thither
should be admitted. These men have no
permanent abode. do but very little to
build up the land, and are not to be ia
vored at the expense of the regular occu-
pants. large or small. This system pre-
vents the grass from being eaten out by
the great herds or flocks of non residents.
for only enough cattle and sheep are adj
mittcd upon the reserves to fattcn on the
pasturage without damaging it. In other
words, under the policy you have adopted
the forest reserves are to be used AS
among the most potent influences in favor |
of the actual home maker, of the man
with few dozen or score of cattle. which |
he has gathered by his own industry and
is himself caring. This is the kind of
men upon whom the foundations of our
citizenship rest and it is eminently proper
to favor him in every way.
Sincerely yours,
(SigncO THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Hon. James Wilson,
Secretary Of Agriculture.