The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-24
NATIONAL FORESTS
Senator Brandegee Puts Bill Into Senate to Acquire
 Them.
PROPOSES TWO TRACTS
One Is to Be in South Appalachians, Other in the White
 Mountains.

ppHutor bIdHueSee ndS introduced into the senate the following bill in the interests of forests for the acoui- sition by the government of national forests in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and White Mountains:
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House
 of Representatives of the United
 State of America in Congress as-
 sembled:
 That the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized and directed. in his discretion, to acquire for national for est purposes by purchase or gift lands more valuable for the regulation of stream flow than for other purposes and situated on the watersheds of navigable streams in the Southern Appalachian Mountains within the States of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina. South Caro- lima, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee. and In the White Noun tains within the States of New Hamp- shire and Maine. Such acquisition may in any case be conditioned upon the exception and reservation to the owner from whom title passes to the United States of the minerals and of the merchantabe timber, or either or any part of them within or upon such lands at the date of the convey ance, but in every such case such ex- ception and reservation and the time within which such timber shal be re- moved and the rules and regulations under which the cutting and removal of such timber. and the mining and removal of such minerals shall be done, shall be expressed in the writ ten instrument of conveyance, and thereafter the mining. cutting. and re- moval of the minerals and timber so excepted and reserved shall be done only under and in obedience to the rules and regulations so expressed.
 Sec. 2. That the Secretary of Agri- culture shall advertise in the several States named in section one for lands to be acquired under the provisions hereof; and as between lands of equal value the lowest bids shall be ac- cepted: Provided, That the Secretary of Agriculture shal have the right to reject any or all bids
 Sec }. That no deed or other in- strument of conveyance shall be ac- cepted or approved by the Secretary of Agriculture under this Act until the legislature of the State in which the land lies shall have consented to the acquisition of such land by the United States for national forest purposes.
 Sec. 4. That the Secretary of Agri- culture may do all things necessary to secure the safe. title in the United States to the lands to be acquired un- der this Act; but no payment shall be made for any such lands until the ti- tie shall be satisfactory to the Attor- ney-General and shall be vested in the United States
 Sec 5 That the sum of five million dollars is hereby appropriated to car ry out the provisions of this Act. out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and said sum shall be available immediately and until expended for said purpose: Pro- vided. That the Secretary of Agricul- ture shall each year make a detailed report to Congress of the lands pur- chased under this Act. and the cost thereof.
 Sec. 6. That whereas small areas Of land chiefly valuable for agriculture may of necessity or bv inadvertence be included in tracts acquired under this Act. the Secretary of Agriculture may, in his discretion. and he is here by authorized, upon application or otherwise. to examine and ascertain the location and extent of such areas as in his opinion may he occupied for agricultural purposes without in jury to the forests and which are not needed for public purposes. and may list and describe the same by metes and bounds. or otherwise, and offer them for sale as homesteads at their true value. to be fixed by him. to act ual settlers in tracts not exceeding eighty acres in area. under such joint rules and regulations as the Secretary bl E iC tAtNuIt anu lH- NttTbldTN or the Interior may prescribe. And no right. title, interest. or claim in or to any lands acquired under this Act or the waters thereon, or the products. resources, or use thereof after such lands shall have been SD acquired shall he initiated or perfected. except as in this section provided And the Secretary of Agriculture may. under rules and regulations to he prescrib- ed hy him. authorize the sale of any products of the lands acquired under this Act and the use of any such land or the resources thereof consistent with it's reservation for forest pur- poses
 Sec. :. That subject to the provi- sions of the last preceding section. the