The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1907-10-11

acres of upland blooming like a vari-
table garden, that to day is covered
with the flower of the desert"
Forest Reserves and School Funds.
Another question that is non-po-
litical and yet of state interest,"" said
Congressman French, lis the forest
reserve question. You are doubtless
familiar with my attitude on that
question. yet | desire to refer to it
here. Almost one third of Idaho is to-
day in forest reserve, and we are
not like the old lady who took medi-
cine upon the theory that IL little
is good whole lot ought to be better
Because forest reserves are essential
to the conservation of the water sup
ply and the preservation of a great
body of timber for future use, it
does not follow that large areas of
agricultural land and lands whose
highest use is TO agricultural pur-
poses should be held within forest
reserves when the land withdrawn
can have no possible value in main
tanning water for reclamation of arid
land. Yet such is the case and thous-
ands of acres are set apart in north
Idaho. We are fighting to have such
lands as these excluded from the
government forest and we are going
to succeed. ! made this statement in
Lewiston, Idaho, in public debate
with Hon. Clifford Pinchot about
three months ago. Mr. Pinchot did
not deny it, but some one through
the columns of a paper outside of
the state did deny it or intimate that
was mistaken. Yet, sirs, my posi-
ton was INDICATED within four weeks
after the discussion when over one
hundred thousand acres of land was
taken away from the Bitter Root for
est reserve and opened up to settle
ment and entry. And we are going
to continue this fight until the lands
in Idaho whose chief use is agricul-
tural, can be made available for the
homebuilder This is to your inter-
est and the interest of the entire
State again, within the forest re-
serves in Idaho are about one million
acres of land belonging to the public
school system of Idaho. The enabling
act under which Idaho became a
state gave this land to the public
school system Of our state. The same
thing was done in other states of, the
great west A limit was placed upon
the price of this land of ten dollars.
an acre below which 1t can not be
sold. Similar lands outside of the
reserves have been sold by the state
at several times ten dollars per acre.
The average sale of lands last year
by your state land board netted the
state nearly twice this price per acre.
This vast tract belonging to the state
and now held within forest reserves
has distinct value. 1t Is worth mil
lions of dollars, and next winter am
going to bring before congress
measure asking the government to
pay the state ten dollars per acre for
this land, or to arrange some plan
by which ten dollars per acre may
be realized. This land is your land.
1t does not belong to the United
States, nor to the people of other
states. 1t belongs to you for the bene-
fit of our public schools. Think what
an endowment that will be for the
maintenance of our common schools.
The interest on the principal alone
will every year equal sum as large
as that required to maintain our state
government for the same period at
the present time. We owe it to our
| selves and to our state, we owe it to
| the children of the state to see to it
that this vast heritage is maintain
editor the purpose of our public
schools through future years.
Japanese and Chinese Immigration.
LAS deeply as feel upon the ques-
ton of Japanese and Chinese immi-
grafton l would be recreant to my
duty If | failed at this time to refer
thereto. 1t is the duty of our nation
to have a guard for, not only our
commercial and industrial we'll be-
ing, but for our people as well. The
west is going through great form
ative period and more important than
the construction of railways, the
building of cities, or the reclamation
of land is the safeguarding of our
population. To the west of us two
mighty peoples are breaking the
bonds of lethargy that have held
them down throughout the centuries
gone by. Rch in latent power the
people of the japanese and Chinese |
nations are rapidly taking their place |
|