Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1911-03-11
HIGH HONOR FOR
SENATOR SMITH
Maryland Senator Is Appointed
On The National Forest
Committee.

Senator John Walter Smith, of Mary
land, was paid a signal compliment
Thursday when he was chosen as the
one Democratic member of the National
Forest Reserve Commission, created
under the Appalachian Forest bill passed
by the Senate two weeks ago. The
appointment, which was made by Vice
President Sherman. is all the more flat
tering to Senator Smith in that he was
not an aspirant for the place, and there
were a number of candidates on the
Democratic side for the honor.
The commission will handle millions
of dollars and has been charged with
work of vast Importance to the country.
The bill under which it is created has
been pending in Congress for years, and
has been advocated by progressive DEM
ocrats and Republicans alike for long
time. 1t is regarded as the most vital
piece of conservation legislation enacted
by Congress in years. The commiss-
ion is composed of the Secetary of War,
the secretary of Agriculture and the
Secretary Of Interior, two members
of the Senate and two of the House. to
be named respectively by the Vice-Pres-
ident and the Speaker. Senator Smiths
colleague in the Senate is Senator Gal
linger, of New Hampshire.
The bill opproprates S25, 900 as inn
mediately available for the expenses of
the commission. 1t appropriates 81, ,0O0,-
900 from the Treasury for the year end
ing June 30. 1912. and sum not exceed
ing two million dollars for every year
there after until June 80, 1915. 1t is
estimated that the total appropriations
made under the bill to be disposed of by
the commission will be 1000. 00O
This money is to be used to examine,
survey and acquire lands situated on
the headwaters of navigable streams or
rivers, or on streams or rivers that are
being developed or may become naviga-
BILE. These lands are to be permanently
held, reserved and administered as
national forest lands and the Secretary
of Agriculture may, from time to time,
in his judgment and with the consent
of the commission, divide these lands
into separate national forest, giving
each name. The commission fixes the
prices at which the lands are to be pur-
chased and reports each year to Con-
gress its operations and expenditures.
The Secretary of Agriculture. is given
authority to recommend the purchase of
lands deemed advisable for the purpose
of the law, which is to protect the navi-
able rivers of the Appalachian and
White mountain ranges and to preserve
the forest lands of those sections of the
country.
The law also gives the consent of
Congress to the several States to CO.
operate with each other in the preser-
walton of forest lands and the protection
of navigable rivers. and appropriates
all duuitIuHdi @@UV,uVU luT tHe soie puI-
pose of enabling the Secretary of Agri-
culture to cooperate with the States IN
protecting the national forest and the
State forest from fire.
The law is distinctly a conservation
measure. II has been approved and
urged by conservation advocates the
country over, and regarded as one of
the real progressive laws enacted by the
Sixty-first Congress.
Senator Smith was greatly surprised
when asked by Vice-President Sherman
whether he would accept appointment
on the commission. When the bill was
up in the Senate he had voted for it and
done what he could to secure its passage.
believing that the principle upon which
il was founded was good one. Sera-
tor Overman, OF North Carolina. led
the fight for the bill. and it was gener-
ally believed he would be named as the
Democratic Senator TO go upon the COM
mission.
Senator Overman's friends are much
disappointed at his failure to land the
place, as he had been indorsed py sew
eral associations for membership there
on. Some of them intimate that his
failure to get the appointment is the
result of his vote against Lorimer.