The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-19
SECRETARY BALLINGER DETERMINED
TO ENFORCE THE FORESTRY LAWS

lands arc no longer needed Tor forestry
purposes.
Some time ago certain lands in Utah.
Colorado and Wyoming, alleged 10 con-
tain valuable deposits of phosphate,
were Withdrawn. This withdrawal is
still effective, except as TO very
small portion. which from examination
by the geological survey has been found
To be not valuable for the purposes for
which Withdrawn. The lands remaining
withdrawn will be subjected to care,
ful field examination, as the result of
which they will be classified in acc0rds
ancc with the general scheme followed
in classifying coal lands.
The fact that the Withdrawal of land
for these so.callcd administrative
sites" is illegal is easily proven by ref.
crcncc to the act of congress approved
June 1, 1897, and subsequent enact
ments. 1t has been said that Secretary
of Agriculture Wilson was standing be-
hind Forester Pinchot i'll his opposition
to Secretary Ballinger's orders respect.
ing tho restoration of lands withdrawn
in The restricted states and other states
for administrative sites. The fact Is
that al present there is no difference
whatever between Secretary Wilson and
Secretary Ballinger, and the latter has
the cordial support of President TAFT,
The secretary of the interior holds that
The laws already referred 10 expressly
declare that lands within forest rcserva-
lions shall continue subject To bona fido
exploration and acquisition by quail
fled persons under the mineral land
laws, He holds that such Withdrawals
rs were made by q former administra
ton at the instance of Forester Pin.
chot have had the effect of suspeuding
the operation OF these laws as to the
land affected by the order, and his
opinion is that in the absence of addl-
tional legislative authority these with
drawals have been made entirely with.
out legal warrant
Secretary Bailiuger believes that rs
mineral land within national for
estS cannot be acquired under any
land laws of tho United States it is
unnecessary TO have sort of double
barrcled, iron-clad and copperrivctcd
withdrawal on top of another for any
such purpose as is described in the at
tractiYc phrase, administrative sites. -
He sees no reason why these admins
trativc sites should not be selected
within the reserves and on non mineral
bearing ground.
Here is list Of Withdrawals that
have been made for administrative
Sites outside of national forests. and
which Secretary Balllngcr declares arc
probably unnecessary in any state, and
certainly illegal in six of the states
where congress has prohibited any fur
ther Withdrawals for forestry purposes:
Arizona, 400 acres; California, ESQ;
Colorado, 34I3; Idaho, 15l7; Montana.
2449; Nevada. 300; New Mexico, 1920;
Oregon, l9l; South Dakota, 400; Utah,
go; Washington, 800; Wyoming. 1850.
The following is the letter which See
rotary Ballingcr wrote to a citizen of
Des Moiues, Ia. who had written to him
deploring what was reported as being
Il reactionary administration in the in
terror department in respect 10 the for
est reserves and the conservation move.
ment generally:
"Pcrmit me to acknowledge the re-
ccipt of your letter of May %. and to
thank you for the courtesy of enclosing
a newspaper article There is not the
slightest intention of reversing the
policy Of President Roosevelt in under
taking to conserve and develop the pub
lie utilities of the west. There has
been no change whatever in the policy
of conserving the coal, timber and phos-
phate lands. with the power and other
public utilities on the public domain,
and congress will be asked at the uext
session TO furnish needed additional
legislation 10 give the administration
power TO carry out lawfully these poll.
cIcS -