Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-03-17
Johns Letter,

Our thanks are due to Ex-Secretary
Long for copies of a magazine called
Government" a magazine packed with
solid matter with no nonsense about il.
The articles in the February number are
"Civil and Religious Liberty" the "Con-
scieuceless Watch Trust" the National
Forests" and others. OF the National
Forests the writer says:
There are undoubtedly those who
associate the national forests with ma
tional parks, and have vague idea that
In withdrawing the forested areas of the
country from location the Government
has taken something of value from the
people and locked il up. That is what
the timber and mine thief in the West
will tell you, but il is no such thing.
National forests are created and so
administered as To be of the greatest
possible benefit to the people. They are
not kept as widernesses nor in order to
try doubtful experiments. The Forest
Service is applying to them system Of
well-known efficiency. From being
mere storehouseS for wood they are
turned into manufactures of wood.
Instead of shutting people out, as the
land hooters will whisper to you is the
case, the government builds trails, roads
and bridges, locates waterpower sites,
marks mature timber for the axe of the
lumberman, stakes off grazing ranges;
in fact does everything in its power to
induce the proper persons to come in.
No actual tiller of the soil is excluded il
he can find land suitable for agriculture.
The prospector may roam at will, and IL
he strikes pay dirt il is his by conforming
to the regulations in force in every part
of the United States. And the lumber
man, and the grocer, and the miner, and
the settlers all are assured of their legal
rights and are protected in their material
possessions.
GAS rule, the people of the country
do not realize the vital Importance OF
conserving our forest and water supplies.
This is a matter that intimately concerns
every part of the land. 1t should not be
possible for any section to say, Our
forests and our rivers belong to us alone
and we will use them as We please We
are a nation, and as a nation we need
wood, therefore the forests should be
handled so that we may secure the
maximum amount of wood with the least
damage to the forest itself. Also we
need farm products; therefore again the
forests should be conserved so that there
may be an abundance of water and
regular supply of il to moisten the soil
in the East and irrigate the desert places
in the West
"This forest policy forms one of the
grandest undertakings in the history of
the country, and its results will consti-
tute in the future a monument TO the
memory of Theodore Roosevelt, who has
thrown the weight of his tremendous
influence into successful effort to ex-
tend aud make il permanent. There are
no votes to be won in trying to benefit
posterity. On the contrary, his efforts
in this direction have won Roosevelt
many powerful enemies. A large num-
Der of the great men of the West have
risen to wealth and power by robbing
the public domain"
The paper is an interesting and an in
structive one, and should be read and
needed by all who own wood lot. 1t
wouldn't be pleasant reading for the
lumber thieves, and it would be casting
pearls before swine. 1t is the madness
of greed that is destroying the homes,
and it is the same madness of greed that
is banking the fires of the future.
"woodman. spare that tree,
Touch not a single bought
In youth IL sheltered me.
And III protect IL now"
A large party from Union Grange
visited Buckfield Grange Saturday, the
It'll. A very pleasant gathering.
JOHN.