The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-12-26
Pay Government s'56,ooo For
Timber Cut on Bitter Root
STRIPPED LAND OF 100000 FEET
ANACONDA COPPER MINING COM.
PANY JOINTLY INVOLVED
WITH ESTATE.

HELENA, Mont, Dec. 2S.-lt mas
transpired that the DAILY estate and
the Anaconda Mining company have
suit, regarding the stealing Of timber
in the Bitter Root region north of
Hamilton, by the payment to the Unit
ed States government of the sum of
$3.50 the amount of lumber sup
posed to have been illegally stripped
from the land being about 9O,00O,00O
feet. This statement will probably be
finished in Washington within the next
few days, and the case against these
companies will be dismissed.
The cases were commenced in 1901,
but have dragged along through the.
difficulty of procuring evidence, and
various troubles, the subsidiary COM
panies that cut the timber as long as
fifteen years ago having gone out OF
existence.
1t is said that there are other cases
of a similar nature amounting to many
thousands of dollars which will In all
probability be settled now that the
Anaconda company and the DAILY
estate have arranged settlement. A
J. Campbell Of the Amalgamated legal
department has been in Washington
UP to the time of the death of his
wife, and it is supposed that he has
been engaged in helping to settle up
the matter.
Hitch in Negotiations.
The matter of the settlement was
known some time ago to be well under
way, but there was some hitch in the
negotiations. which has put off the
| final settlement until now. 1t Is now,
however, understood to be practically
settled in Washington, and will be an
nounced here to the federal district
attorney as soon as contaminated in
order that he may attend to the dis
missal of the suits. The local office
will not give out any information in
regard to the case except that they
are waiting for word from Washing
ton as to the settlement of the case.
| In the interest of the Anaconda Min
| ing company, which is a part of the
Amalgamated Copper company, the
DAILY corporation literally moved down
standing timber for a distance of 80
miles in a strip about five miles wide.
| During a period of 10 or II years
the Daily corporations, it is charged
stole from the government millions
of feet of timber and converted it to
| their own uses. The discovery of the
devastation was not made and the
matter was not put into shape by the
attorney general so that anything
could be done legally uutil years after
the fraud was committed. The suit
| when at last begun. had varying for
tunes in the courts for several years
until the defendants had exhausted all
their legal resources for delay and
were about to be forced to trial. Now
comes the unexpected offer of settle
ment with the government.
Fruitful Source Of Wealth.
Timber stealing from the United
States has been until recently a most
fruitful source of added wealth for
mining corporations. The ability thus
to rob the government came about
by the passage of a peculiar bill.
No one seems to know by whom it
was fathered nor by whom it was
lobbied through congress. The sequel,
however, mas made it pretty clear that
the bill was passed by the influence Of
the big mining corporations of the
west. IF an innocent measure, it
proved exceedingly costly to the gov
eminent and resulted in such a ruth
less slaughter of the western forests
that the country will never wholly re-
cover from the effects The bill per-
mitted the secretary of the interior
at his discretion to grant licenses or
permits for cutting timber where it
was needed for mining or for "Other
domestic purposes"
The timber was to be cut in limited
ton of the secretary. Nothing more,
however. was specified in the law re-
garding the amount Of timber that
could be cut, but anyone was at lib
erty to show the required necessity
and go to cutting. The law provided
that the timber so cut should be given
without charge to the parties securing
the permits. and, as might be ex-
pected, these permits were sought
diligently.
Regulations Were Strict.
The regulations, as adopted by the
department Of the interior, were very
strict and very regular. They per-
mitted small amounts Of timber to be
cut. not to exceed one half Of the
standing timber on the land from
which it was taken.
This did not mean one half geo.
graphically speaking, but the require
ment was that the timber should be
so selected as to leave one half Of it
standing and well distributed over
the land. 1t was also required that
monthly reports should be made to
the local land Office of the acts of