The La Jara chronicle., 1906-02-02
SCENE IN MINNESOTA.
Timber Devastation Aftar Lumbering and Fire.

dents address yesterday and one of
his sentences struck me very forcibly.
he said: We want to change the
edge OF things done" II 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
ucG 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 perfect understanding
with a business bureau of the govern
ncnt, II 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 Plnchot.
tApplause.) And after you have done
that and he has consulted with the
lurn herman 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 Innctivity.t
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
terror and the commissioner OF the
general land office have been trying to
impress upon congress-. without sue
cess, the necessity of repeating the
timber and stone act. want to give
the exact facts. The president, in De-
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:
The timber and stone act will. If
ultimately O.
struction OF the timber on the unap-
proPriated and unreserved public
1 lind 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 viii be owned by SPECTATORS
10 acquire, them at $3.50 an acre is
That was February 10. 1908. 1t is
now pretty close to February 10. 1905.
and one year from that date the three
years Will be exhausted and all tho
timber land will be gone according to
this Official statement
Has the bill been repealed? No!
done anything to stop this shameful
waste of the public properly 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 recomme enda- !
lions. They were reiterated by the
secretary of the interior. The senate
committee on public lands recon-
meuded 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, i. B'
walker appeared before that commit
tee and waved his magic wand and
they gave two votes for the repeal Of
The S 2qf OF TGo yocs And the
bill is lying there in that committee
yet.
waiting for anything, or for anybody
to do anything, they passed rcsplu<
the house continuing this whole sub
ject over until the next session OF
congress, u,, 90 oorcress will
convene ut time within two months
OF the expiration of the three years
within which the senate committee
would be gone unless they got action;
In the two years that have expired
since the president has called the at,
stone law there have been located under
the timber and stone act over 3,OOO,-
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 generai
land office, is worth anywhere from
s2e TO 500 an acre for the mere value
OF tho stumpage, to say nothing OF the
young timber or the land itseit.
Four Million Dollar Loss.
In other words. as a result OF the
deiiberate delay of the public lands
eomnittee of the house, instead of
sonYne, tho value of the stumpage from
that 100000 acres OF timber in ths
national treasury we have parted win