Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1906-01-24
SCENE IN MINNESOTA =.
Timber Devastation After LAUNDERING and Fire

dents address yesterday and one of
his sentences struck me very forcibly.
He said: 1--WE want to change the
hope Of accomplishment to the knowl-
edge of things DONE" If we are go
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
SO plain and clear that there is no
possibility Of any man being so stupid
that he cannot understand it.
We have listened to these gentlemen
here today telling Of the necessities Of
the mining industries and Of the injus-
tice brought about by insufficient
laws. There is 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 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
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-
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
cess, the necessity Of repeating the
timber and stone act. I want to give
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
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not repealed or radically amended, re-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
the senate committee on the public
lands, and the date is February 10,
TT can be plainly seen that all the
valuable timber lands of the United
states will be owned by spectators
within three years if the opportunity
to acquire them at $3.50 an acre is
continued"
That was February 10, 1908. It is
now pretty close to February 10, 1905,
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 house of representa- tives
done anything to stop this shameful
waste of the public property under the
timber and stone act? No!
They have done nothing whatever to
stop 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
substantially the same recommends
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. 1t
went to the public lands committee of
the house of representatives. T. B.
Walker appeared before that commit
tee and waved his magic wand and
they gave two votes for the repeal of
the bill out Of eighteen members of
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.
tion in the public lands committee OF
the house continuing this whole sub
ject over until the next session OF
congress.
The next session of congress will
convene at time within two months
Of the expiration of the three years
within which the senate committee
told congress that all the timber land
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 under
the timber and stone act over 3,000,-
900 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 500 an acre for the mere value
of the stumpage, to say nothing Of the
young timber or the land itself.
Four Million Dollar Loss
In other words, as a result Of the
deliberate delay of the public lands
committee of the house, instead Of
having the value of the stumpage from
that 10000 900 acres of timber in the
national treasury We have parted with