The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-08
I. j. Walsh, Eminent Attorney
of Montana, Discusses
Great Question.
DOES NOT BELIEVE SYSTEM
OF ADMINISTRATION RIGHT
Declares That No Officer Should
Have Unlimited Power Given
Chief Forester.
CBy a stan CorrespondentD

prominent attorneys In that state
twice candidate for congress, one who
has made careful study Of the forest
service as it relates to state lands,
delivered an address at the convention
today. Mr. Walsh discussed the elm
ination of public lands from the pub
/ lie domain by reason of the creation
of forest reserves, and discussed that
all.important question. always with the
| sheep owner-the grazing tax.
| Mr. Walsh denounced the system
whereby an administrative officer IS
given such unlimited powers as Clifford
Pinchot, the chief forester, and, IN the
| beginning, said that his address was
more in the nature Of an appeal to the
powers that be than anything else. Mt
Walsh said, substantially;
| Whatever diversity of opinion may have
| existed In relation TO the general policy
| of forest preservation. its wisdom ana
propriety are now universally acknowl-
edged Nowhere is It supported by a
| more enlightened public opinion than In
the states wherein arc the national Tor
ests. Moreover, the eXpediency OF m
| Guiding within reserves all timbered areas
OF the public domain, in order to preserve
| them from appropriation generally. that
| the forest they bear may not be mdls-
| Criminately sacrificed, or utilized after
methods seriously imperillng the safety
of adjacent tracts OF like character Is
quite generally recognized.
Some time since, with n view TO dls-
| crediting ideas advanced by me i'll REFER
| cnce To a policy only related to that under
consideration. my picture was printed
| In connection with magazine article,
accompanied with some commentary ap-
! proprlate TO that purpose, while on the
| opposite page was that of senator from
| the state OF Wisconsin, commended TO
the reading public as a steadiast friend
| Of the forest service. The senator In
| M pSfl on
| lumber barons OF his state who devas-
| tatcd it's magnificent forests, was main
| tanned by them In place that they might
despoi the public with the least possible
hindrance, and retired from the public
service when the machine they estab-
| lished went TO pieces under the influence
OF the moral awakening which has been
| conspicuous feature OF recent political
life.
| Now, should we, at the risk of acousa-
| ton OF unfriendlness to the main cause,
| be deferred from inquiry into the cost
OF maintaining the present system? This
| association may very properly consider
| the subject, seeing that Its members con-
tribute largely to the aggregate sum In
deed. il Is not TO be conceived that the
| officers of the forestry service, what
| ever divergence of views may exist on
other matters. Will be ayerse TO can
vassing with us before this meeting. or
elsewhere, and in the most businesslike
spirit, the propriety of the prevailing
charges for grazing privileges for sheep
on the forest reserves.
| In the investigation of the subject |
| have been embarrassed by the paucity
| Of the information from official sources
supplied by the public documents dis
| tributed to the libraries. None OF the
libraries in our state has any report
from the forester later than 1907 An
| act of that year required the secretary
| of agriculture TO submit annually TO con-
gress a classified and detailed report of
receipts and expenditures of the forestry
service for each fiscal year. but mono
of our libraries have been favored with
copies OF these reports submitted later
qulry at the public library of this city
| dscloses that ii has also been over
| looked, II, indeed, such reports have been
printed or circulated.
| The total appropriation for the forest
service for the gear 1908 was So, 1896, 200,
for 1909. s4,6i6, 200. In each instance
| $500, 900 was set apart for the making OF
permanent Improvements on the national
| forests.
| 1t would be Of interest to you to know
| just how much of this amount is made up
| from the various sources OF revenue
which the forests supply; what portion
OF 1t comes from the sale OF timber; how
much from grazing, and OF that amount
how much the sheep Industry contributes
and how much the ralsers OF cattle. and,
| finally, what sum other resources" TO
employ the language OF the Use Book -
provide. l had hoped. also, 10 lay before
you the aggregate number OF cattle and
L
! average charge for each class of stock,
but even the report OF the forester for
| 1907 affords no basis for computing the
| average charge per head nor the varia
tions In the charges. II any such obtain.
| Following that line or inquiry, IL would
| be interesting 10 know how much more
or less is charged In Arizona than in
Montana; what differences there are In
the prices for privileges on the different
reserves within any state or territory.
and finally whether uniformity Is OBJ
served among all users on the same re-
serve
The report Of the secretary of agri-
| culture for the year 1905 discloses how
| ever, that nearly sl.000.00 were realized
| from grazing charges for that year. IT,
| In the absence OF definite, knowledge,
the one-half of that sum should he con-
sidered as coming from the sheep inter-
ests-a reasonable assumpton-the I'M
portance Of the subject OF the grazing
| tax 10 the interests represented By this
| association Is evident.
| While l am thus unable to advise you
as TO how the 81 900, 900 which went into
| the treasury in 1908 from the stock In
terests OF the states within whose borders
| are situated the national forests is ap-
| the courtesy OF f. A. Silcox. acting dis
| trct forester at Missoua. Mont. able TO
advise you that the amount paid during
| the last fiscal year on account OF grazing
permits on forest reserves within Mon
tana was $40. 0.3S5.11. This amount repre-
| sents the income from 10000 cattle and
| horses and $4,000 sheep and goats. He
reports that a request for information as
to the amount derived from each class
! of stock cannot be complied with, as the
Inquiry would require more time than can
| be spared from office work from which
| J infer that no compilation Of tho figures
| has been made. and that presumably
| there Is no available source OF informa-
| ton in relation TO some OF the questions
| above suggested.
| am not unmindfu OF the fact hat %
J per cent OF the sum realized by the
| forestry service is. under the law. re-
! turned 10 the states from which It
comes. But 1t Is apparent that only
| about one-eighth OF that. or a little more
| than per cent OF the whole amount
paid. comes to tho relief OF the class OF
| taxpayers from whom IL was eXacted. tho
! remainder relieving, pro tanto, the great
mining corporations and railroad COM
panies from the burden which they woulI
otherwise be required 10 assume. Ii IL
! most humbly submitted that this showln
| is one that reflects little credit upot
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