The San Francisco call., 1907-06-02

WASHINGTON, June LIT is ex-
pected that a lively storm will develop
at Denver June Is, when the secre-
tary of the interior, James R. Gar
Held, will make a speech. which has
been read and revised by the president.
outlining the attitude of the admins
tration toward the great questions that
affect the west Some of the boldest
and most able of the presidents op-
ponents will attend the Denver meet
Ing. and it is possible that Jimmy"
Garfield may have lot OF trouble on
his hands answering the questions that
are to be propounded to him. After
meeting the enemy on his own ground
Secretary Garfield will make an ex-
tended tour through the west, includ-
ing California
In spite of the remarkable attack
upon the presidents land and forest
policies in the senate last winter. 1t Is
confidently believed here that the west
is overwhelmingly in sympathy with
water. coal and forests of the west for
the individual, instead of having 1t
gobbled by corporations. The pressure
upon the government by cattlemen,
irrigation interests, the lumber trust
and other members of the allied "sys-
tenn" is something terrific. and under
ordinary conditions, with ordinary
way. But these are extraordinary
times and President Roosevelt and his
lieutenants are no ordinary men,
The most paternalistic system ever
inaugurated under this government is
that under which the forests are ad
ministered. Everything centers in the
forester. He has absolute power over
the forests and the grazing within
them. He grants to settlers the righ-
to fence in their tracts or he denies
It He issues permits for grazing or
withholds them, as he sees fit. He die
tates the manner In which timber
shall be cut and fixes its price. The
extent Of his territory is greater than
that of France and Germany COM
bined- Within this empire 1t is within
his power to create settlements or to
prohibit them. State and county lines
have no meaning to him. He is just
as potent IN a state as he is in ter
ritory. The force of Capitalization
could not go much further than In his
case.
This enormous power meets with
strenuous objection from some of the
influential men of the west. who think
development is retarded by too arbf
trary administration OF the national
forests. Some of these men are un-
questionably honest and are inspired
by motives Of state pride. Others are
known to be closely connected with If
not actually under the pay of the lum-
Der trust. Unfortunately for the honest
ones, the cause they advocate is that
Of the corporation as against the in
dividual. However eloquently they
may point out the danger Of too much
Capitalization of power in the hands of
the Washington authorities, the reply
is Instantly made that Capitalization is
inevitable and that the hands Of the
government are cleaner than those of
the lumber trust.
According to Forester Pinchot, the
fear OF arrested development on ac-
count of the forest policy is exagger-
ated- He points out that all public
lands. whether in forest reserves or
not, are open to homestead entry. No
man can be prevented from settling in
a forest reserve IL he finds a piece of
land that suits him. Not only must
he be permitted to settle. but he has a
right to build a road to his place and
can not be shut in by any regulations.
He has the right to appropriate lumber
for house. the right to Craze his cat
tie on public land and so on. Pinchot
insists that this is all that anybody
could ask and all that is enjoyed In the
west outside of the reserves.
POLICY LIKED IN OREGON
Information from Oregon inclines Of
f1cials here to the opinion that the ma
tfonal forest policy is heartily support
ed there by a majority of the people, In
spite of the intense opposition of GER
tain interests. The same attitude is
reported in Idaho and other states. Call
ifornia is not within the radius of the
antiforest reserve feeling. The admin
istration believes California is In SYM
pathy with its plan to preserve and
increase the forests, conserve the graz
ing lands, safeguard the water supply
and prevent monopolists from getting
control Of the forests.
"a new system for leasing grazing
lands is to be started If the administra-
tion has sufficient influence with con-
gress to obtain the necessary legisla-
ton. At present the forester has con-
troll over grazing lands within forest
reserves and can conserve the grazing
lands by carefully supervising the is
suance OF permits Sheep and cattle
men are required to pay SO much q
head and are granted specified lands
upon which to Craze their stock. Thus
the continual crowding of herds is
avoided and grazers know how to pro-
vide for their herds year or two
ahead. Some of them report an Increase
in the weight of their lambs, due to
the better feed obtainable under the
new system and the absence OF crowd
ing.
Outside the forest reserves, however,
grazing is still conducted in haphazard
fashion. The cattle barons still con-
troll thousands of square miles of pub
lic lands by sheer force of arms They
are not so bold in fencing In Uncle
Sans domain. but there are still in ex-
istence many hundreds of miles Of
fences. Settlers are elbowed out of
these lands and II they persist in try
ing to homestead lands they are ha-
rassed until they are glad to quit.
Nevertheless. the glad old days of the
cattle barons are swiftly passing. The
settlers are like ants and they creep
and crawl along In spite Of the frantic
efforts OF the cattle people to roll them
back.
It is now proposed that congress
shall enact a law authorizing the leas-
ing Of public lands for long terms for
grazing purposes. The right os home
steading is to be preserved. Cattlemen
are to be permitted to fence in the
lands they lease. but they are to permit
settler to take up quarter section
wherever and whenever he likes. If
they object they are to forfeit their
leases BY the leasing plan. cattle will
be kept on regular ranges, instead of