The Glenwood post., 1905-11-25
THE PURPOSE OF
FOREST RESERVES
The Policy Of The Government
Concerning Protection Of the
Forests, Grazing Areas
int Water Supply
ROOSEVELT SAYS THEY WILL STAY

DullnH the recent controversy con
corning government forest reserves
there have been many erroneous state
ments, many wild and erra:ic theories
and many insinuations and inuendoes
with absolutely no foundation in the,
ory and in fact Many of the cattle
men have been suspicious Of every
movement made. They have scented
conspiracies and all sorts of danger at
every turn. They have employed a
man with no knowledge of either the
stock business or the forest reserves to
do the work of an agitator. his sole
object apparently being to scare and
infiame the people without any regard
to the truth or the facts in the prem
ises.
In carrying out this policy Of pes
simism and opposition, definite for
est reserve plan whi ch has been under
consideration several years and which
has the unqualified support of Presi-
dent Roosevelt, Secretary Wilson and
Forester Pinchot. has been assailed.
No three men have ever held govern
ment positions at Washington who
have had the welfare of the farmers
and stockmen of the West more thor
oughly at heart than this THO just
mentioned.
In the TRADE against the reserve
system many good citizens and well
MI
on the theory that the reserve system
was not well established ana to abol =.
ish the same would only require few
resolutions forwarded to Washington.
The Post has acted upon the theory
that the government is not against the
people as some seem to suppose. that
the disposition of the officials in
charge is not to work any undue
hardships on the settlers of the West
and that the forest system is and will
prove of untold benefit to present and
future generations of the West and
that the reserves were here to stay
and any attempt to abolish them were
but mere waste of energy.
Hot air is cheap and plentiful hut
we desire in proof of the attitude as
sumed by this paper to. quote some
authorities which we believe justifies
our position.
To the National Irrigation congress
which met in Portland, Oregon, last
August, President Roosevelt sent a
letter of greeting in which, among
other things, he said:
''By your advocacy of forest pro-
lection you are doing great service
to the West. Give your hearty sup
port to the forest service, which is
engaged in protecting both the pres
ent and the future of irrigation by
protecting and using the forests. Its
task, like that of the reclamation ser
vice, is a difficult one. Both services
7eed, both deserve, and am certain
both viii have your vigorous backing
and assistance.
At the same session Hon. Clifford
Pinchot. chief forester, addressed the
meeting, explaining the work of his
department as follows
"The forest service is young, Wig
orous, hopeful and enthusiastic, and
means to do good work. When the
forest service was created it was
given charge of all the forest work of
the national government, and with ii
the opportunity to have and execute q
definite and consistent policy. That
policy, SO far rs the forest reserves
are concerned, is not only intimately
related to the work of the reclamation
service at every point. but it has also
the closest relation to every interest
and industry of the whole west. That
is why speak Of it today.
THE motto of the forest service
might we'll be, ''to help, not harm.
or we might paraphrase Lincoln's i'm.
mortal words and say that we are try
ing to do our work with helpfulness
to all, with enmity toward none.
THE streams which you are using
. or will use. for the irrigation of the
,,,-urid west. rise in the forest reserves
The first duty Of the forest service ii
to protect the forests against fire, ant
the streams against the disastrou
effects of Ere. To that end it mus
have men and men the reserves hav,
hitherto sorely lacked. Congress ha
now given us the right to apply thu
mony paid for the use Of the reserves
in protecting them, and gradually WI
shall get together an adequate fore