Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-09-16
COMMITTEE WILL START INvEs
LEGATION OF QUARREL OVER
FOREST LANDS.
INQUIRY TO BE lMPARTlAE
FROM COMMITTEES VIEW
Unexpected and Highly Interesting De.
veIopment Involving One Issue Of
Conservation Question = Grows Out
Of Pinehot- Ballinser ouarrel-Waste
Of Money is Charged.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence.1
Washington, Sept. 16.-The senate
committee on Indian affairs is going to
spend two or three weeks of the early
autumn making an investigation of its
own into the merits of the quarrel be-
factions, over the conservation ques-
tion.
If the now famous feud between the
antagonistic conservation programs Of
the interior and agricultural depart
ments ever gets formally before con-
gress, the senate will have it's own in
formation, gathered by its own mem
bers, in it's own independent fashion,
to enlighten the subject.
More than this, there is every in
dication that if this feud doesn't find
some other way of demanding sena-
torial attention, the senate investiga-
tors will take steps to get jurisdiction
of it.
The Indian committee of the upper
set out on a junket of investigation
among some of THE most important
Indian reservations, with the purpose
of finding out whether the Indian for
ests and other natural resources have
been best administered when they were
in charge Of Pinchot's forest service, or
since they have been directly under
the interior department.
Inquiry to Be Impartial
In order that the inquiry may be i'm
partial and entirely just to all con-
cerned,. the committee has requested
that especially equipped representa-
tives of the interior and the agricul-
tural departments accompany it on the
trip. 1t is frankly accepted, at both in
terror and agricultural departments,
that this junket is likely to resolve it,
self into an investigation of the merits
of the conservation quarrel; and both
sides claim to be entirely satisfied to
have such showing made
This unexpected and highly interest
ing development grows out of the fight
of Senator LaFoleltte for reform of adj
ministration of the Indian reservations
in Wisconsin. Some of the most mag
! HAAiSViil ItooicS VI SldHulnS C1fnDer IN
the country are on the Indian reser-
vations of that state. Perhaps the most
important of these is the Menominee
reservation. Two or three years ago a
great storm swept this reserve, and a
vast amount of the timber was blown
down. In order to log and save this
timber, special legislation was passed
under which the forest service was
given authority to erect works, build
roads. improve streams, etc This work
was undertaken at once; a splendid
logging camp was established, a great
sawmill installed, and the timber
sawed as economically as possible. In
cident to this logging streams were
improved. logging railroad was ex.
tended into the reservation to move
the timber, and the Indians We're EN-.
ployed in doing the work.
The business seemed to be going O,
swimmingly until recently the admin
istration of the Indian forests wa.
transferred from the forest servic
back to the Indian bureau. Since tina
time there has been protest. LaF'cl
lette secured an order of the senate
directing the Indian committee to max
a general investigation of condition