Churchill standard. (Fallon, Nev) 1903-1908, 1906-02-03
SCENE IN MINNESOTA.
Timber Devastation After LAUNDERING and Fire.

- ~ -
Timber Devastation Ate
dents address yesterday and one of
his sentences struc me very forclbly.
he said: we want to change the
nope OF accomplishment TO the knowl-
edge OF Things done II we are go
ing TO do that we must have a clear
cut idea of What we are going 10 do
and Of what we want Congress TO do
SO PLAIN and clear that there is no
possibility Of any man being so stupid
that he cannot understand 1t.
We have listened to these gentlemen
here today telling of the necessities of
the mining Industries and OF mus
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. Tx nrst
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
under the control of Clifford Pinchot.
(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 1t 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 a
number of years the president of the
United States, the secretary OF the in
terrier and the commissioner OF the
Peneral land Office have been trying to
impress upon congress-, without sue
cess, the necessity of repeating the
timber and stone act. l want 10 give
the exact facts. The president, in De-
sember 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 depredatlons upon the
public domain under the timber and
stone act. The secretary said in his
annual report moro than TWO years
''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not repealed or radically amended, re-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 unreserHed pubic
lands"
l find these words in the report of
the senate ommitte on the public
lands, and he date is February 10,
1T can be plainly seen tina all the
valuable timber lands of the United
states will be owned by spectators
within three ear if the opportunity
20 acquir them at $3.50 an acre Is
continued"
That was February 10, 1908. It is
now pretty close to February 10, 1908,
and one year from that date the three
years will be exhausted and an the
timber land will be gone according to
this official statement.
has the Dill DEEu repeated NJ.
Has the house of representatives
done anything 10 stop this shameful
waste of the public property under the
timber and stone act? MOI
They have done nothing whatever to
step the abuses and frauds constantly
being committed under that act.
President Sees the Necessity.
Again the following year the presi-
dent in his message to congress made
an hGfa ntiql1U the sauna recon- mRnnH-
tons. They were reiterated by the
secretary of the interior. The senate
committee on public lands recon-
mended a bill to repeal the timber and
stone act and the senate passed the
bill in the last session of congress-. II
went to the public lands committee OF
the house of representatives. /. -
walker appeared before that commit
tee and waved has magic wand and
they gave two votes for the repeal of
the bill out of eighteen members oil
the committee. Two votes! And the
bill is lying there in that committee
In this session of congress without
waiting for anything, or for anybody
to do anything, they passed a resolu-
ton in the public lands committee OF
the house continuing this whole sub
feet over until the next session OF
congress. -,
The next session of congress will
convene at a time within two months
of the expiration of the three years
within which the senate committee
told congress that all the TIMBER lahe
would be gone unless they got action.
In the two years that have expired
since the president has called the at,
tention Of congress to that timber and
stone law there have been located undeT
the timber and stone act over 3,0'0,'
600 acres of timber land, the gre -el
Part of It the magnificent timber OF
the northwest, which, according. 10 tht
yrport of the secretary of the interior
and the commissioner of the general
Ian Office, Is worth anywhere from
$40 TO 800 an acre for the mere vaint
of the stumpage. to say nothing Oh INT
young timber or the land itself.
-Four Million Dollar Loss.
In other words. as a result of this
deliberate delay of the public lands
committee of the house, instead OF
having the value OF the stumpage from
that 5000, 900 of timber In the
national treasury we have parted with