The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-04-29
Idaho Country Life

the states and the forest service, an
more valuable to prospective pull
chasers."
The proposed enactment will re
move the bar to such exchanges un
der existing laws and decisions an
will legally authorize full compensa
ton for those school sections whicl
were given to Idaho upon its admis
sion into the union. At that tim
they were unsurveyed, and although
the state made application for thei
survey, in order that title might b.
perfected, they were withdrawn b,
executive or legislative order an,
placed in forest reserves before tina
could be done.
| In his speech in support of the bill
Colonel Hamer upon the floor of tn,
house today made the assertion, bas
ed upon statistics at his command
that many of the school sections in
cluded within national forests were
covered with valuable merchantable
timber, the stumpase value alone OF
which in many cases, was from $685.
600 to SIS, 900 pc rsection.
His address in part is as follows
The act admitting Idaho into the
union contained the usual provision
granting sections 16 and SO of each
and every township to the new state
for the support of the common
schools, and in case any such sections
or any part thereof had been sold or
disposed of by or under the authority
equivalent thereto, might be selected
for that purpose.
In order to protect and safeguard
the lands so granted, the people of
Idaho prohibited, by constitutions.
enactment, the sale of the same for
a less price than $40 per acre.
Idaho, in common with several
OF the far-Western states, has never
been able to fully avail itself of this
just and generous grant of the ma
tlonal government, and this failure is
IN no wise due to negligence or laches
on the part of Idaho, the grantee. but
solely to the affirmative and appar-
emily inconsistent action of the Uni
ted States, the granter.
In other words, no sooner had
the grant been made by the nation
than the state government of Idaho
began making selections under the
of the secretary of the in
terror, as provided by law, and con-
tinued with due dispatch so to do
Until the most desirable and valuable |
part of the public domain within its
borders was made unavailable for
such selections by being included
within sundry natioanl forests. BY
lct OF congress, approved July 8,
09O, Idaho was admitted into the
lnlon with land-surface area of
'3,61 $3.50 acres--good, bad and in
by 1907, 2O,O99,O29
ores of the choicest and most valu-
BILE of this magnificent domain were
Included in national TO, ests, and out
that 2O,O99,029 acres of forest the
ommon schools of my state had been
ranted by solemn act of congress-
nd the act was a present, uncondi-
onal one, and are now in good con-
cience entitled to one-eighteenth. or !
Vo sections, of each township, which
to 1,11S,612 acres. Of this :
rea we were able to save few thou
inds acres before the first blanket
rest proclamation came, and since :
len have discovered ana se1ected in
ell of said sections 16 and SO some :
lands in other parts of the y
ate, which sometime in the dim and !,
lsty future may command the mini II
UNI price for which the same can be Il
ia under our constitution. "
But, after making all due credits 1,
"a allowances, the public school y,
nd OF my state is still entitled to u
out 100000 acres, and in order
secure this and carry out the very e'
laent intention of congress we are q
KING the enactment of this legisla- =
m, not in the interests of Idaho NJ
me, but in common justice to the
states that comprise the Rocky
and Pacific west, almost
of which have been caught in a
e fortunate pred1cament. 10
The lands in Idaho now available RI
lieu selections are mostly in the ca
lthern half of the state, and are M
q and semiarid in character. re- err
ring the artificial application of re
ter to make them valuable for ag- -
ultural purposes. There irriga-
projects are becoming constantly fol
re complex, difficult and expensive as
accomplishment. thi
Because of these conditions in fol-
ldual and neighborhood efforts pei
lg the line of canal constructions
lmpracticable and impossible, and me
er the government or large corpo- are
ons commanding immense finan- ste
resources alone can and now do cor
ertake these enterprises. In very Ing
mt years approximately 5000, 900 AS
IS of these lands in Idaho have Wis
4 segregated under the Carey act sch