Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-03-06

and to give the subject that careful
consideration to which it is entitled
Secretary Garfield is in perfect har
mony with the president on publi
land questions and will exert his in
fluence to have the recommendation!
of the public lands commission car.
ried out. But his methods are mo-
the methods of Mr. Hitchcock; it is
mot his intention or his policy to hu-
initiate every honest entryman in or
der to detect few who are crooks
Garfield Practical Man.
He is too practical for that, and for
this reason will have friends in the
senate and house.
With the new house committee on
public lands, new secretary Of the
interior. and a general desire to get
together on land law reform. there Is
fair prospects for remedial legislation
next session.
The next session will be a long one;
there will be ample time to consider
the various bills in connection with
the findings of the public lands com
mission and the recommendations Of
the president and annie time 70 re-
oonficting views of western
nf inf
not be as radical as have been recon-
mended by the president, but they
will be a great improvement over the
existing laws.
Much Mooted Timber Question.
How to solve the timber question
is a problem that will have to be
worked out
Recently the senate committee on
public lands recommended a bill pro-
posing to reserve every remaining
acre Of public timber lands and pro-
vide merely for the sale of the timber
at not less than its stumpage value
There is objection to this bill in
many quarters. but with time and ef-
fort 1t is probable that this objection
can be overcome. Congress realizes
that something must be done to put
an end to the injustices that are le-
gally committed under the present
law
The government is now selling it,
timber at nominal price when it
might be realizing ten to one hundred
times as much, according to the luca-
ton of the land and TIE quality of
the timber.
Sell at Stunpage Value.
The most practical idea yet adj
vanced is the sale of the timber at its
stumpage value. It may be that the,
bin viii be amended to provide for the
sale OF the land as well as the tim.
Der. but this is question not yet de-
termined.. because the bill In question
has never been brought to vote.
If the land as well as the timber Is
sold. much Of the objection to the
pending bill would be removed. for
there are few men who object TO
change In the law which will permit
the government to recover something
like the actual value of the timber
disposed of.
If, on the other hand, the bill is adj
opted in its present form, Senator
Fulton of Oregon and other western
senators will insist on the retention of
the Fulton amendment requiring that
25 per cent of the receipts from the
sale of the timber shall go to the
county from which the timber is cut
Amendment is Misunderstood.
If the government timber land is
sold 1t becomes subject to taxation as
soon as it passes to private ownership.
but If the title remains in the govern
ment, as proposed by the pc
the land will never be subject to tax
alton, and the counties will be de-
prlVed OF certain revenues that might
eventually come to them if Iumbermen
acquired the land as, we'll as he tim
Der.
There has been some misunders-
standing of this Fulton amendment |
1t having been charged in certain quar-
ters that it would operate to relieve
lumber companies from the payment
Of taxes.
That is not the purpose at all. 1t
has just different effect, in that it
enables the counties to recover from
he purchasers of timber lands one
'ourth Of the money which they pay to
he government, whereas II this am
sndment was not adopted the coun-
les would get neither taxes nor any
i