Semi-weekly herald., 1908-11-02
Forest Reserves

letter to the Denver Post showing tn,
falsfty of the articles published In th
Post in regard to the forestry policy O
the government. The Post published
the article after it appeared in tn,
Republican. Space will not permi
giving the article in full, especial,
the quotations from the Post which
Mr.. Pinchot shows to be absolutel,
false. In regard to the statement.
made by both the Post and enlarged
upon by Shafroth when in Durango. VIC
quote Mr.. Pinchot as follows:
The fact is that no regulation ol
the forest service has ever denied the
right of any prospector to stake a
claim where and as he chose, in any
national forest in the state of Colo
rado or elsewhere. No prospector has
any need to ask permission of any
one to stake claims in the national
forests. The law of June 4. 1897,
quoted on page ZIG of the last edi.
ton o; Tile Use Book, says: Nor
shall anything herein prohibit any per-
son from entering upon such forest
reservation for all proper and lawful
purposes, including that of prospect
ing, locating and developing the min.
eral resources thereof. Provided, that
such persons comply with the rules
and regulations covering such forest
reservations No rules and regula.
tions of the forest service have ever
interfered with the right to prospect,
locate, and develop mineral claims
The forest service has done its best to
make the law and the regulations
known by printing them in the man
ual which tells how to use the national
forests.
Even If the forest service desired
to prevent prospecting in the national
forests, and it emphatically does not,
it could not do SO under the law. If
any forest officer has ever undertaken
to prevent prospecting in Colorado or
elsewhere, he was himself breaking
the law and disobeying the regulations
OF the forest service, and no such
case has ever been brought to my at
tention.
THE fact that the forests of Colo
rado are freely open to prospecting
may be verified In a moment by ref
erence to the statutes of the United
States. The hastiest consultation OF
accessible authorities would have pre-.
vented any mistake. So far from the
national forests of Colorado being
closed to prospecting. numerous min
eral locations have been made and
will continue to be made In them, as
the mining men of Colorado well know
"The fact is that the regulations of
the forest service have nothing what
ever to do with the validity of min
ing claim. The validity of a mining
claim is determined by the laws of the
United States. and decisions of the
courts and of the department of the
interior interpreting those laws. The
-
PIT and 21S of the Use Book, specifical.
ly excepts from the duties to be per
formed by the forest service on the
national forests any connection with
such laws as affect the surveying,
prospecting, locating, appropriating
entering. relinquishing, reconveying,
certifying, or patenting" of any lands
within their boundaries. All these du
ties are retained by the department
of the interior, and are exercised by
that department under the laws OF the
United States"
After discussing other misstate-
ments in the Post Mr.. Pinchot con-
cludes as follows:
"The forest service stands now, and
has always stood, for the development
not only of Colorado. but of every
state in which any national forest lies,
through which any river flows whose
headwaters lie in a national forest,
or whose people use the timber, the
minerals, tne WOoi, thc lhuetoht oi NA'N
beef produced by the national forests
The forest service stands for the de
velopment and conservation OF all our
national forests. The forest service
stands for the development and con
servation of all our natural resources
Certain duties have been imposed upor
it by law. These duties 1t has beer
performing to the best OF its ability
with the means placed at its disposa
by congress. 1t is a new organization
confronting a gigantic task, and /
would be remarkable in the extreme
II its administration at the beginning
showed the polish and perfection
which may fairly be expected, but l
not often realized, from organization
of long experience in well know
fields"
Have you read the libelous attack
of the venal and corrupt press upo
Drasidapt Roosevelt and the fOreStr