Amador ledger., 1906-02-02

SSo,Vov,oVV d year, ana ~ IS much more
than that-win go right along and
continue until all the timber land Of
| the government has been stolen. That
Will be little oyer a year, according
lands committee. And after the land
is all gone-after the horse has been
stolen--the house public lands COM
! Wrinkle slumbers and close the stable
door with a bang.
Some Things to Do.
Before I close 1 wish to specify
some definite and specine things which
should be done:
First-Repeal the timber and stone
act
Second-Pass the consolidation bill
| putting the government forests under
the management of the bureau of for
Third Provide by national legis1a-
ton that every acre OF agricultural
land that can be reclaimed under the
national irrigation system must be
saved for the homemaker who, will go
| there and make a home upon it.
In that way you can break up the
timber combinations, and in that way
only; because the land thieves of
| North Dakota, under the Communication
clause; the land thieves of Montana,
under the desert land act; the land
| thieves under the timber and stone act
in-well, perhaps 1 might be permitted
to mention oregon laughter) are
working together. You will have to
explode some of those japanese shells
among them to break up the combi-
| nation.
To show you why we cannot depend
F, upon congressman from the timber
nous evil, year ago both oregon
| senators and both representatives
from oregon were bitterly opposed to
any change in the land laws. Repre-
both went before the committee and
protested against any change. Mr..
| Hermann was before the committee.
AT that exact moment the Oregon
| grand jury was in session in the city
of Portland, composed of men drawn
by lot from all over the state, and that
grand jury urged the repeal of all
| those laws-the timber and stone act,
| the desert land act and the commuta-
ton clause-and sent a memorial to
the public lands committee to that eff
feet. Now the grand jury has had
some business with Mr.. Hermann since
that time. daughter and applause.)
In all those western states the state
has the. power to form districts for
local public improvements, such as ir-
rigation districts, sanitary districts,
drainage districts or levee districts,
is the right policy that the national
government Should assume the burden
of protecting from fire forests now
owned by men who have gotten them
from the government for. one-tenth of
their value. The state and nation
| should cooperate to form forestry
districts. and have assessments levied
on all private lands in the district, and
every acre should contribute its pro-
portion to the cost of preserving it
from fire. (Applause)
There is one more thing that I was
going to urge as mere matter of per-
sonal opinion. In making the sugges-
tion I do not speak for California or
for the National Irrigation Associa-
tion, but for myself alone l have
leen al my life republican and in
my earlier years advocated the repub-
lican doctrine of a tariff for protection
il many political campaigns in my ma
tive state of California from the Or
cScn line to Mexico; but because 1 be.
lieve il preserving our industries and
not in destroying them l believe that
in order TO preserve the forest indus
tries of. this nation we should repeal
every tariff law imposing a tariff upon
the. products of the forest, whether
rate for u limited number of years and
until we shall have planted forests
enough to harvest annually from out
own forests "a al oh the Nv WOOD and timber
There are a number of other things
that 1 have in my mind to suggest
that ought to be done:
Pass the Appalachian EiI.
One is to pass the Appalachian for
estry bill, which is ready to be passed
Another is to stop now and for all
,, time all exchange of lands in forest
reserves for other lands If the gov
ernment needs any such land let it buy
! them and pay for them their fair value
should be called in and Cancelled and
no more ever issued under any circu-n-
stances. Tho Nforest lieu land ex-
change law should be repealed.
The bill providing for the consolida-
| ton of the government forestry inter-
| ests is ready to be passed by the
senate and should be passed in this
passed the house; and if this session
of congress adJourns without the bill
heirg passed by the house which has
her and stone act every, member of
| tho public lands committee ought to be
held up to popular obloquy and
| whipped at the carts tail with lash