Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-10-30
FOREST SERVICE
misunderstood
UNREST SEEMS To PREVAIL IN FAR
WEST AS TO CERTAIN OF IT'S
OPERATIONS.
H0ME-MAkING is DIFFICULT.
Western Farmer Has Far More to Con.
tend with in Combating Against
Nature
FOREST RESERVES SURE TO PAY

Much unrest seems to prevail in the
| far west with reference to certain opera
| tons of our national forest service. This
attitude has been but little understood
east of the Mississippi Recently in
the New York Sun, Francis Perry FL
lott throws an Illuminating ray upon
some of the causes for dissatisfaction
lie shows that criticism seems rather
directed ut certain regulations and poll
cies of forestry officers than nj forest
reserves as an institution. These are
popular enough. The writer says:
Westerners Well Informed.
I'm the first place no people on the
continent are in such intimate and de-
pendent relation with mountain forests
as these far western folk, They know
ii full well and need no convictions as to
the benefits of forest reserves. In fact,
they seem 10 be far more generally in-
formed on the subject than our people
back east
The writer warns that in the reaction
| following our panic over Che forest con-
sumption that accompanied the develop
ment of our marvellous industries. there
/ has resulted some inconsiderate zeal IN
rather OVERRIDING a good thing THE
| popular idea of forest reserves" he re-
minds, is that they were created for
| the protection of timber and the regula-
| ton of the flow of the waters. II was
not designed that lands more suitable
/ for agricultural purposes should be in.
Guided IN the reserves. In proof OF
this. he cites the establishing act of June
| 4, 1897, which definitely excludes such
lands. He continues:
ut is unfortunate that SO much agri-
cultural land is included in the forest
reserves, The employees of the service
| like the big cattle barons, never seem 70
become reeonciled to the incursians of
| the settler. When the latter presents
| himself To take up homestead in for
est reserve, seldom does he get a plot of
| his own choice. but one which some OIL
| Ger throws his way, much as he would Il
bone to II cur, 1t is not altogether slim
! ulating to self respect. but choice and
self respect are things which in the main
| the settler must be prepared to leave be-
hind when he enters a forest reserve.
There he is u citizen under suspicion,
nm unwelcome, unwanted interloper; no
longer resident or citizen of town or
country, but crown yassal, Il man walk
ing on eggs in an apprehension lest he
fall undF~ the ban of some forest ranger.
| 'drest il little oref authority
Home Making Difficult.
''The making of a home in the arid
west Is not what it was with our pio-
neer forefathers back east in the long
| ago" declares the writer. Here one
sees men in daily, hourly combat with
nature in the effort to wrest Il home
stead from the jealous clutch of the des-
ert It does seem that things should be
made easier, it anything, for these peo-
pie rather than more complex"
Probably the most startling charge
made by The Sun writer Is with refer
ence to scheme to tie up, under Ieas-
ing system, practically all of the remain
der of the unapproprated public do
main-some 3JOU0O,0O0 acres: land
area equal to over one-sixth that of the
| whole country. Behind this is the in
fiuence of the big cattle magnates.
against ii are the little fellows" and
! homesteaders
Settlers from the east are uneomfort-
ably crowding the range operations of
the big cattle barons, So the latter are
| planning to have Congress turn over the
remnant Of the public domain to the
| forest service to be leased out for
! grazing purposes in blocks of 10000
! acres or over for ten-year periods The
big operators are urging upon Congress
and the President thas the range Is be-
ing ruined by over-grazing. Com.
menting upon this, Mr., Elliott says:
Cattle Men Shrewd.
at is a sbrewd move on the part Of
the big cattlemeD, aud one can scarcely
| blame them. They have taken adysu.
| tage of the Presid ent's soliritude about
! everything included IN our natural re-
sourccs--eyeu forage on the open range.
| Then they know the aversion of settlers
| 10 placing themselves under forest sery-
! ice dominion, deprived of citizenship,
| away from churches, school, roads and
| neighb0rs. Lastly. they know that set
! tiers. however privileged under the law.
cannot, will not 70 into private
fenced domain, pte-empted by lease by
| cattle or sheep men. The leasing syS.
! TEN appears to he fine thing prOsper-
lively for the big cattle barons. but such
an institution under forest service man
agement would be the knell of further
settlement IN the west"
The point il well taken that 'it Is only
the people Of the far west who are
| brought into actual, every day business
Irplatious with the forest service. and that
they should certainly be competent to
demand fair consideration Of any cnndi-
tions which they charge as needlessly
menacing their happiness or prosperity.
Certainly the original purpose Of forest
reserves was not to make them n revenue
producing agency by mulctiRg western
citizens and settlers
Popular interest in the situation is il-
vitpd aud timely investigation urged. ow-
ing to the fact that these western hands
are open for settlement and do not be
long 10 the west, but TO the uation-at
large-to the citizens Of every state. 0ht
strong point made by the writer IL that
such criticism as has appeared Of certain
features Of administration of the forest
reserves comes almost entirely from east
ern nrn who have gone west to make
Ihomes.
Forest Reserves Pay.
AS the writer says. there is no more
valuable institution in any land than vel
conducted forest reserves. He asks fol
fair play for the west at the hands Of th,
nation and pleads for the settler against
mere bureaucratic rules aud regulations
He c0ncludes
''Wholesale condemnation Of western
people for their general dissatisfaction
with certain present features of fores
reserve management II illogical Wher,
there is SO much smoke there must bi
some FIRE.
eve are not in contact With forest re
serves In the east, and these people il
the west are. and their feeling is genera
irrespective Of politics"
cs& ne Had n.,av uynv-an.