The St. Mary banner., 1908-02-08

Smiths Magazine has the best arti-
Gle that has been printed IN loHS
time on a subject that is sure. sooner
or later. to mean a great deal TO the
majority Of Americans. The questions
which it deals with are the decreasing
forest areas of the country, suil
shrinking rapidly in spite OF all that
the government can do to the con
trary. the increasing cost OF lumber
and the growing difficulty that poor
man meets with when he tries to pui
up frame house for himself.
S. c. Hutchins. the writer OF the
article, says that the country is in the
grasp OF veritable lumber trust. He
tells of the inception Of the trust
and it's growth.
Long before the government awoke
to the significance Of the rapid growth
of our INDUSTRIES he writes, private
interests had become fully alive to the
Importance of the matter. AS long as
80 years ago, a few far-sceinS men
NA-C' AA'>'>'S
sumption of lumber, and realized that
at the end of decade the northwest
ern states must become the chief SOUL
ces of the country's supply. In 1888
the lumber product was valued at lit
tie over sGo,o0OO00; last year it was
in excess of $500, 600. At the former
period, the bulk OF the cut was secured
in the Eastern states; now Pennsylva-
MIA is the only one OF that group that
figures in the ranks of the eight pin
cipal productive states. Then New
York was at the head Of the list; now
Washington leads the country
This movement of the lumber indus
Try was foreseen BY sroup OF asso-
ciated Westerners, at whose head was
Frederick Weyerheuser, of ST. Paul
Before the industrial demand had be-
| gun TO make drafts upon that section.
they secured, at small cost. and TO a
considerable extent for nothing. ihou-
sands Of square miles OF tinberlahds
in Michigan. Wisconsin. Minnesota
/ ard the Mississippi River section. len
years ago the vast holdings or tnls
syndicate were practically exhausted.
They had made many millions cut OF
almost aothiug The demand Tor !In!-
Der was on the increase, and the avail
able sc"I~s of supply were still FAR
ther to thc west. in the states OF Mon
tana Idaho. Oregon. ard Washington.
Here were millions Of acres of the
finest timber in the word. but It be-
ionGed to the people. .shl the go
nlent had BY this tiEie awakened t.
the value of it. Thcre WIS only enc
way of le.itinately aeq"iring any cI
this land. ard that was through tht
,Iomes.ead law, whi,h restricted thf
applicant, who must he hola-.iof
setter, to one GuG tor-s-, ticn.
Lying, bribery, ;aeft, perjury
every crime III s.ic caleiidar-has b2ei
colnm"tsd ~ tic Western land-grao
bels for the purpose Of cir>un3t cIUn.
the Homestead Act. Hundreds oI thou
sands Of squ;,.n miles of public domain
have thu, rasa~,! ont OF tie hands o
the government, il the last decade. /
great deal Of this ill-gotten propert.
was transferred To the Weyerheuse
syndicate, bnt Tat groap of maste
Earipulators did no: descend to III
!, methods Of the ordinary lard-thlei
Such methods wcle not only risky
several state officials aad members @
Congress have been sent 10 prison
within the year for Dracticins them
but also SLOW Thousands OF acres
even though they should run iIto hun
dreds Of thousands, couid not satisf
Weyerheuscr ana his assoc a:,,s Thei
plans involved m;ll:cn. To lie acquire
by legaliZed robbery.
THE Lieu Selection Set enabled til
Weyerheuser syndicate, employing Con
gress and the Northern Pacific Rail
road as tools, tc acquire several mil
lions of acres Of The lcCst ralIab.
timber-land in the country at a nomi
nal cost. This iniquitoEs measur
,, passed in 1897, during the closin
days of the session. when Congress
habitually endeayors, by slipshcd leg
islation, to make up for time sense
lessly wasted An Insignificant appri
priation bill for forest preseryaJio
; was introduced and passed, with, th
following apparently innocent ride
, attached to it:
".In cases in which a tract ccvere
r by all unprotected patent Or unpel
fected bona-fide claim is include
| within the limits Of public forest n
| serve. the settler or owner there'
t may. if he desires to do so. relinauis
+ the tract to the government, and
/. lieu thereof select tract OF vaca;
= land open to settlement. not exceedir
t in area the trac: covered by the clal
or pateat; and no charge shall
| r,a1a in these cases for the making