Amador ledger., 1906-02-02
SCENE m MINNESOTA.

his sentences struck me very forcibly
He saidc I'VE want to change the
hope OF accomplishment to the khowl
ing to do that we must have a clear
cut idea of what we are going to do
and of what We want Congress to do
olI;a SO PLAIN ana clear that there is no
that he cannot Understand It.
We have listened to these gentlemen
here today telling of the necessities of
tice brought about by Insufficient
laws. There is a most simple way to
get all the things done that they have
recommended, and more, too. The first
is to come to a perfect understanding
with a business bureau of the govern
ment, If we can create such a bureau,
and the way to do that is to pass the
bill consolidating the forest reserves
(Applause.) And after you have done
that and he has consulted with the
lumberman and the miner and the far
mer and understands what they want,
then back him up and make your con-
gresham help to get it done.
= A Case of Mastery Inactivity.
Let US look at the business end OF
that proposition. Other things be-
sides bees have business ends. For
number of years the president of the
United States, the secretary of the in
terror and the commissioner of the
general land office have been trying to
impress upon congress, without Sue
cess, the necessity of repeating the
the exact facts. The president, in De-
cember, 1902, more than two years
ago, called the attention of congress in
the strongest possible language to the
necessity of doing something to stop
the frauds and depredations upon the
public domain under the timber and
stone act. The secretary said in his
annual report more than two years
ago: go -t--
THE timber and stone act will, if
not repealed or radically amended, re-
suit ultimately in the complete de-
struction of the timber on the unap-
propriated and unreserved public
lands"
I find these words in the report of
lands, and the date is February 10,
1903: ~
TT can be plainly seen that all the
valuable timber lands of the United
within three years if the opportunity
continued"
That was February 10, 1903. 1t is
now pretty close to February 19, 1906,
and one year from that date the three
years will be exhausted and all the
timber land will be gone according to
this official statement
Has the bill been repealed? No!
Has the house of representatives
done anything to stop this shameful
timber and stone act? No!
They have done nothing whatever to
stop the abuses and frauds constantly
teing committed under that act.
President Sees the Necessity.
Again, the following year the presi-
dent in his message to congress made
substantially the same recommended
tions. They were reiterated by the
secretary of the interior. The senate
committee on public lands recon-
mended a bill~to repeal tie timber and
Stone act and the senate passed the
bill in the last session of congress. IL
went to the public lands committee Of
the house of representatives. Il. y.
Walker appeared before that commit
tee and waved his magic wand AMI
the bill out of eighteen members of
the committee. Two votes. And the
bill is lying there in that committee
In this session of congress without
waiting fer anything, or for anybody
to do anything, they passed a resolu-
ton in the public. lands. committee of
the house continuing this whole sub
5ect over until The next session OF
congress. 4
The next session of congress, will
of the expiration of the three years
within which the senate committee
told congress that all the timber land
would be gone ualesS they got action.
III AlS lWO celi I'LL iletN PAAOO
since the president has called the at
tentioa of congress to that timber and
stone law there have been located fhder
the timber ami stone act over S.OoO.-
600 acres of TIMBER land, the greater
part of it the magnificent timber of
the northwest. which, according to the
report of the secretary of the interior
and the commissioner of the general
land office, is worth anywhere from
$40 to 800 an acre for the mere value
of the stumpagc. to saw nothing Of the
young timber or the land itself.
Four Million Doi.a- Loss,
In other words. as result of re
deliberate delay of the public lands
committee of the house. instead of
havingsthe value of the stumpage from
that 5000 900 acres of timber in the
national treasury we have parted with