The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-04-29
IDAHO SECURES IT'S OWN
Lands Valued at $50, 10000 Will be
Recovered for School Fund,
Col. Hamer the Hero of
the Hour

Col. Hamers land bill enablin,
Idaho and other western states to Sc
cure the lieu lands" heretofore EN-
braced in forest reserves passed tn,
house and is now up to the senate
By its provisions millions of acres O.
school lands, untold in value, will
be restored to the state of the north
west and over 100000 acres to Idaho
The determined effort of the member
from Idaho to regain those vast
areas of wealth, of which his own
and other states have been deprived
by reason OF their summary inclusion
IN forest reserves has born it's first
trult Is what Is regarded as most de-
clslve recognition of the justice of his
vigorous and persistent contention by
the lower branch of congress.
The ultimate passage of this bill
Will mean more to Idaho and the
northwest than the success of any
other measure now before the nation
al legislature, although it perhaps has
not received as widespread publicity
as some which have been injected in
to the program of the present admin
1stration. Millions upon millions of
dollars will accrue to the states af-
fected. The aggregate has not been
exactly determined, but it will prob
ably exceed $150,OO0, 1000. The cof
fers OF the public schools of Idaho
alone will be swelled by at least $685.
100000, for the right isgranted to
designate lands within forest reser
YES, and the state will thereby Sc
cure some Of the richest timbered
tracts IN the western country, worth
IN certain instances hundreds of dol
lars per acre. The enactment of this
legislation by the house is regarded
as an unusual achievement for a man
VINO is serving his first term.
Chapter one of the story of a long
and strenuous fight by the Idaho rem
resentative is ended. The initial
victory was won when Hamer Sc
cured the promise of Secretary Will
son of the department of Agriculture
that he would not oppose the bill, al
though he had previously proven A
most potent obstruction to such legis-
lat1on. With that formidable bar
rier removed, he turned to the com.
mittee on public lands to meet and
over come the threatening opposition
OF fellow members of that body who
from precedent and prejudice had
arrayed themselves against this legis-
latlon, and after series of the most
sensational sort of sessions, in which
ne round himself also beset by I'M
toward influences emanting from out s
sue OF the committee, he ACCOMPLISH s
3D. his second victory, and the bill :
vas favorably reported to the house G
IND placed on the union calendar. =
Inc measure in the final form in q
when 1t was presented and passed a
S as follows:
Where any state or territory owns =
ands lying within the boundaries of +,
national forest, or where it's right II
u indemnity selection in respect to s,
chool sections within the boundaries 81
as not been fully exercised, the said n
tate or territory is hereby authori- n
cd, subject to the approval of the CT
eecretary OF agriculture, to be given
MS discretion, to exchange such a,
lnds for, or make quantity ano +,
alue, the same to be selected in rea- al
'nabiy compact bodies, which lands r.
lall thereupon be excluded from the e az
atlonal forests for the benefit of the as
I'D state or territory" II,
The title was amended by the COM al
ittee to read. 80 =,
"A bill providing for the adjust NJ
ent OF the claims of the states and al
to lands within nationa, IN
rests" 'if
In Endorsement of the measure. fo,
e committee makes this statement On,
us report THE enabling act of ar
any OF the states admitting them To m
Q union, granted sections 16 and wa
IN each township TO the state for riC
1ool purposes. Since that time tio
'est reserves have been established mn
llch included considerable num- of
r OF the sections granted to the
ties by congress for the above nam div
purposes. The object of the pro- alo
sed legislation is TO enable the arc
ties desiring to do so to select lands all
reasonably compact bodies of equal rat
"a and value to those now included ria
the reserves and have the same mr.
minated from the reserves, thus rec,
King them more desirable from an acr
illustrative view point both for bee