Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1910-04-23

the committee makes this statement
in its report: "The enabling act of
many of the states admitting them
to the Union, granted sections 16
and So in each township to the
state for school purposes since that
time forest reserves have been es-
tablished which included consid-
cradle number of the sections
granted to the states by congress
for the above named purposes. The
object of the proposed legislation
is to enable the states desiring to
do SO to select lands in reasonably
compact bodies of equal area and
value to those now included in the
reserves and have the same elimi-
mated from the reserves, thus max
ing them more desirable from an
administrative view point both for
the states and the forest service,
and more valuable to prospective
purchasers"
The proposed enactment will re-
move the bar to such exchanges
under existing laws and decisions
and will legally authorize full COM
pensation for those school sections
which were given to Idaho upon
its admission into the Union. At
that time they were unsurveyed,
and although the state made APP
plication for their survey, in order
that title might be perfected, they
+ were withdrawn by executive or
legislative order and placed in
forest reserves before that could be
done.
In his speech in support of the
bill Colonel Hamer upon the floor
of the House today made the asser-
ton, based upon statistics at his
command, that many of the school
sections included within national
forests were covered with valuable
merchantable tim Der. the stumpag
value alone of which in many
cases, was from $3.50 to $4,000
per section.
His address in part is as follows
1.-THE act admitting Idaho into the
Union contained the usual provi-
sion granting sections 16 and SO Of
each and every township to the
new state for the support of com.
mon schools, and in case any such
sections or any part thereof had
heen sold or disposed of by or under
the authority of any act of Congress
other lands, equivalent thereto
might be selected for that purpose
SIN order to protect and safeguard
the lands so granted, the people 0
Idaho prohibited, and by constitu
tional enactment, the sale OF tn
same for a less price than $40 pc
acre.
Idaho, in common with severs
of the far'western states, has neve
been able to fully avail itself c
this Just and generous grant of tn
. National Government, and thi
failure is in no wise due to negli
|, gence or laches on the part {
Idaho, the grantee, but solely I
the affirmative and apparently in
, CONSTANT, action of the Unite
! States, the granter.
g "In other words, no sooner hs
4 the grant been made by the Natio
4 than the state governments of Idat
y began making selections under IL
: direction of the Secretary OF Int
It ior, as provided by law, and col
# tinued with due dispatch 80 to
j. until the most desirable and val
IT able part of the public domai
{, within its borders was made a
.e availeble for such selections |
'e being included within sundry n
ct tional forests. By act of Congre'
D. approved July 3, 1890, Idaho "
al admitted into the Union with
d land surface area of 53,618,5
acres-good, bad and indifferent
lie and by 1907. 2O,O99, 029 acres of t
d. choicest and most valuable Of Il
~ Magnificent domain were includ