The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1909-03-17

ing care OF that property would not
be Obliged to take the precautions
to protect it which are now absolutely
necessary.
IF, by mistake injustice has been
done to any man. it viii be corrected
so far as / have the power. But re-
member two things; in the first place
the forest service is not responsible
for the law as it exists or for the rul-
ings Of the department Of the inter
ior. but it is governed both by the law
and by these rulings with both, IN
most particulars. it is in hearty ae-
cord. but if either is wrong, it isn't
within the authority of the forest ser
vice to correct it. Secondly, during
the last fiscal year, timber worth more
than six millions of dollars standing
on invalid mining claims was saved
to the people of the United States by
the examinations of mining claims
The forest service has no apologies to
make for having defeated the men
who tried to get this timber under
color Of the mining laws. Where
similar illegal attempts are made in
the future, it proposes to defeat them
II it can, in every single instance,
whether the attempts is to take the
claim for timber, for power, or for
any other than legitimate mining pur-
poses. On the other hand it will do
its best to help the legitimate pros
pectors and miners and to give them
advantages and protection which they
do not enjoy on lands outside the ma
tional forests" Mr. Pinchot said that
ne was determined not to question the
validity of any mining claim appar-
emily held in good faith for mining
purposes. and not adverse to the in
terests of the government, no matter
whether or not it probably contains
a paying amount of minerals.
IN other words" he said, the ben
eft Of every reasonable doubt is to be
given to the miner
There is a certain kind OF opposi-
ton to the national forests which can
not and ought not to be removed. If
there were no opposition whatever to
the forest service, it would be the
clearest possible indication that the
service is not doing its duty In the
exercise of the duty imposed upon it.,
the service has time and again pre-
vented certain men or certain inter
ests from getting things they wanted,
but ought not to have, and from these
men and these interests the bitterest
and most persistent part Of the op-
position mas steadily come Such in
terests are found, for example, in
some ol the great sheep men who OBJ
ject to making room for the small set
tier or to sucn reduction in the num-
Der of their stock as is necessary to
protect the irrigation interests and
trom men who engaged in the forma-
ton of a great water power trust. For
the opposition it has excited from
these interests. the forest service has
no apologies whatever to make 1t
proposes to stand resolutely by the
policy of preferring to help the small
man make a living than to help the
large man make profit, and it will
not abandon the policy of government
control of the water power to prevent
monopoly. If the attitude of the ser
vice in these matters leads to irrita-
tion and denunciation, then let the OPP
ponen's of the service make the most
OF them. Neither in this nor in any
other salutary policy adopted and
maintained by the forest service viii
there be a single backward step"