The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1907-10-19
Get Them Knee Pads, Too.

There Is again talk of uniforming
the rangers in the forest reserve SER
vice, with short sword, green uni
form, an Alpine hat with hawks
feather stuck in it, and a carbine.
Now If they could be trained to run
rabbits like dog, to smell out birds,
to scratch holes in the ground like
terrier hunting rats, to swim like
an otter and catch fish for their mas
tiers, they'd be just about right.
Some one up towards the head of
the forest reserve service Is making
an eggegious ass of himself. Grant
ing that the forest reserve idea, as
originally conceived. is really good,
and it was not the main idea to give
a few million acres OF lieu land to
a horde of grasping land grant rail-
roads, or the establishing of great
national game preserve where the
inside" ones may come and hunt,
1t Is un-American to chase in foreign
costumes. foreign ideas of paternal-
ism In local affairs, foreign every
thing connected with the service,
boosting itself with editorials sent
out from headquarters, not, with fair,
impartial news, but with padded eu-
logies, and conducting itself with the
idea "the people be d." so far as
proflting by fair criticism.
That the forest reserve system is
here to stay, and perhaps rightfully
80, is not to be denied. 1t will with
out doubt become one of the BRAN
ches of the government. 1t Is really
OF vast Importance that the country
guard against lumber famine that
will in the end all but check progress
by putting prices beyond the reach
of the small buyer, and so discourage
home building, which would be ma
tional calamity. 1t Is not an In
herent right that the stockmen of
any one particular section shall run
their stock free of cost on the public
range when the same privileges are
not open to the people of other Sec
tons. 1t is perhaps not even an alb
solute. inherent right for the people
Of one state to demand control OF the
public land within their own state
land which belongs to the general
public Of the United States and not
to the people of Idaho or any Other
state where 1t may be located. This
= land Is government land and as opeI
to the man from Maine or Florids
as to the man Of Idaho. T., way Il
give the general public bench
to which they are entitled In theil
mmon ownership Is to administer
1t as government asset and pla,
no favorites to those who live near
Without catering the forest reserv,
administration, there Is in this al
irrefutable argument that some O.
the opponents of the reserve system
cannot hope to meet. 1t Is, indeed
the one solid foundation stone fol
the whole system.
But granting all these legitimat,
{ reasons for the service. the Uniform
ing Of the rangers In the costume O
the imported hunter servant Ia ont
Of the sinister corroborations of tn,
popular idea that the forest reserve
what part Of 1t was not designated
to meet the needs of the billionair,
land grabbers, Is meant primarily Il
furnish great game preserve for tn,
favored few. Swords and hawk
feather hats! Train them to ga
laam and crook the knee to their su
perior officers, to grovel In the dus
when Ne Lud this and Is Ighnes
that and the prince of Hamburger
wurst comes into their servile pres
ence. and you've got -Shoshon,
Journal.