Martinsburg statesman. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1869-1906, 1905-12-15

mere the entryman swore that the claim wa
dense that camera showed onl
Secretary Of the Interior should be au-
thorized, in his discretion, to accept the
REIMBURSEMENT to the United States of any
tract OF land within forest reserve COW
cred by an unprotected bona fde claim
lawfully initiated or by a patent, and to
grant to the owner In lieu thereof tract
OF unappropriated, vacant, surveyed, non
mineral public land In the same State or
Territory and of approximately equal area
and value as determined by an examina
ton, report, and specific description by
public surveys Of both tracts to be made
on the ground by officials of the Govern
ment. When exchange under these condi-
tions cannot be affected. lands privately
owed within forest reserves should be paid
TO rim cases where the public interest, re-
public ownership. The Secretary of the In
terror should be authorized to take the nee
essary proceedings as rapidly as the neces-
Eary funds are provided.
Timber and Stone Act.
The recommendations made for the re-
! peal of the timber and stone act In the
previous reports are renewed and empha-
sized Additional facts showing the de-
; struetive effect of this law have strength
4 ened the belief of your Commission that on
the whole it's operation Is decidedly harm
full. This law has been made the vehicle
for innumerable frauds, and the Govern
4 nient has lost and Is still losing yearly vast
sums OF money through the sale or valu-
able timber lands to SPECTATORS, aud hence
far below their actual value. From the
passage of the act, June 3. 1878. to June
80. 1904, 55,372 claims for 7,596,ofs acres
Of timber land were patented under Its
provisions, and on last date 7,6i4 claims
for 1,10S.3s0 acres were pending. Many
transfers Of land patented under this law
are made Immediately upon completion OF
title, often ON the same day. to individuals
and companies. In this way monopoly OF
the timber supplies OF the puDllc-and
States is being created by systematic col
IytIn th.a owls tina rrrla md q.
tees of the courts 1t Is difficult TO prove
this collision, except in cases OF open
fraud and 1t Is therefore practically I'M
possible to secure conviction. Furthermore,
under bona fide compliance with the actual
provisions of the law the effect Is almost
equally bad. The law itself is seriously de-
feetlve.
1t has been urged In behalf of this act
that 1t enables poor men to enjoy the
bounty of the Government by obtaining
tracts of timber which they can afterwards
seems to show. on the contrary, that the
original entrymen rarely realize more than
ordinary wages for the time spent In max
Ing the entry and completing the transfer
The corporations which ultimately secure
title usually absorb by far the greater par'
Of the profit.
In addition to the direct loss to the
Government from the sale of the lands fal
below their real value, timber lands which
should have been preserved for the use Of
the people are withdrawn from such use
tarded until the corporations which owl
the timber see fit to cut it. The bona fd
settler who comes into a country, the tim
Der resources of which have thus been alb
sorbed, may be very seriously hampered b.
his inability to secure timber except from
a foreign corporation. All of the timhe
land has often passed beyond his reach
= End ttrr- development of his farm may b
retarded and his expenses greatly increase
because he can no longer obtain the nee
essary supplies Of fuel, rails, posts, an
lumber.
AS in the case of other laws, instance
Of the beneficial operation of this act ma
be cited, but when 1t is considered froT
the point of view of the general interest Q
the public 1t becomes obvious that this lay
should be repealed.
Sale of Timber on the Public Lands
= Necessity for the enactment of a lay
authorizing the sale of timber on nonrt
serve public land is becoming more ev
dent, and the recommendations made 1
the preceding report OF this Commissio
are reiterated. For the best use of tn
public lands 1t Is absolutely essential t
hold public timber for sale when needle
and In quantities necessiated by the COZ
tlnuous growth of prevailing industries
Provision should be made for a Unite
free-use right by miners and actual SCI
tiers.