Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-26
Indian Land Forest Abandon
ed to His Jurisdiction.
PINCHOT GIVES UP RECORDS
Still Willing to Aid, Says Wilson,
But Sees No Use.
NONE NOW TO ACT ON ADVICE
Secretary of Agriculture Indicates
That Absence of Experts Will
Vitiate Cooperation.

| Clifford Pinchot. chief II The f"res
! service. Department Of Agriculture has
| relinquished all jurisdiction over tho In
| dian lands in the west and has turned
owe" all papers. maps and charts as vel
| as Information and statistics regarding
Indian land forests. TO the Secretary OF
| the Interior.
| This action settles a misunderstanding
| that said to exist between Secretary
Balinser and Secretary Wilson regard
ing the Interpretation of the law in ref
erence to an agreement made last Janu-
airy between the Department of Agricul-
ture and former Secretary Garfield OF
the Interior Department. This agree
ment gave the chief of the forest service
| jurisdiction over the Indian lands, which
come strictly under the Interior Depart
ment. for the purpose Of selling the
timber. experimenting the logging and
protecting the forests generally.
Secretary BalIinger doubted the legality
of the agreement He interpreted the
law differently from Secretaries Wilson
and Garfield. Mr.. Pinchot has completed
the transfer of the maps and other ma
terial to the Department of the Interior.
Comment of. Secretary Wilson.
In his report TO Secretary Wilson he
says. in part:
IN accordance with the decision of the
acting secretary of the interior, this serv-
ice will Immediately transfer to the In
dian Office all forest work on Indian reser-
yationS now under it's direction. Such adj
vice and assistance as the forest service
may be able to render along the line sug-
gested will. with your approval, be cheer
fully given.
Il note the suggestion that the Depart
ment Of the Interior should still be en-
abled to avail itself of the knowledge and
skill of the officers of the forest service.
''One of the duties Of this service Is to
advise forest owners how to handle their
holdings under the principles OF practical
forestry. The service will be prepared. so
far as may be consistent with the per-
Torrance of other duties intrusted to it,
to advise regarding the care of forests
within Indian reservations.
Promised Aid of Small Value.
1T should be noted at the outset. how
ever that the absence Of men in the In
dian office technically qualified to carry
out the advice given will necessarily de-
prive it of the greater part of its value.
Since the decision OF the acting secretary
of the interior forbids the direction of any
phase of forest work on Indian reserva-
tionS by the experts of the forest service.
the responsibility for this work in all its
parts will necessarily rest wholly upon
the Department of the Interior
Since the termina ton of the plan for
cooperation is clearly within the dscre-
ton OF the Department of the Interior. il
would serve no useful purpose to discuss
the legality of that plan. But lest the
forest service might be thought to have
acted hastily in recommending the plan
for cooperation to you for approval
have the honor to report that it's legality
was fully considered In both departments
at the time it was agreed upon: that the
auditor for the Department Of the In
terror has approved the accounts under 1t
since cooperation began. and that similar
cooperation between departments is now
and has long been i'll existence.