The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-16
Provides for National Re- serves in the Southern
 Appalachians
BILL TAKES UP DAYS
 WORK IN THE SENATE
Measure Has Been Contemplated for Many Years and Passed House Last Session-Vote
 Is 57 to 9

Washington, February 15.-After many years of delay, the bill looking to the creation of national forest reserves in tho White mountains and the southern Ap- palachians passed the Senate late today. the vote standing 57 to g. The negative votes were cast by Sem ators Bristow, Burton, Clark of Wyoming. Cullom. Gronna and McCumber, repub- licans, and Senators Davis, Paynter and Shively, democrats. The bill passed the House of Represent tatives last session and it was accepted by the Senate without change, it lacks elevate into statute.
 The entire day was given to the sub ject by the Sentae. Senators Brandegee of Connecticut and Gallinger of New Hampshire stood as the sponsors of tho measure
 Senator Simmons of North Carolina and Newlands of Nevada spoke in support of the bill and Senators Burton of Ohio and Hepburn of Idaho in opposition
 Hepburn Denounces Bill
 Senator Hepburn denounced the bill as a farce and as "the most radical piece of fancy legislation ever proposed to Con gress." He declared that if seriously car ried into effect it would cost more than tho Panama canal.
 While 1t is understood on all sides that the purpose of the bill is the acquisition of lands in the White mountains of New England and of the Appalachians in the southern states for the creation of forest reserves 1t contains no specific mention of such purpose The authority for this proceeding is found in the general powers conferred by the bill. The carrying into effect of the provisions of the bill is placed in the hands of commission to be composed of the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture and two senators and two members of the House. The purchase of land is placed in the hands of the Secretary of Agriculture and is confined to all such areas as may affect the headwaters of navigable streams.
 No purchase is to be authorized until passed upon by tile geological survey. The land once acquired, it Is to be cut up into forest reserves as may seem best for ad- ministrative purposes.
 Authority for cooperation with differ ent states is given and $2.OOO00o year is appropriated until 1915.
 Simmons Speaks
 Contending for the general acceptability of the measure, Senator Simmons of North Carolina bore personal testimony to the erosion of the mountain lands in North Carolina. He said that wherever there were clearings the land was rapidly washing away and that the universal yer dict was that floods are far more frequent and disastrous than formerly
 Opposing the measure. Mir Burton of Ohio pronounced the bill "a pretext and subterfuge-not to say a sham
 He took exception to Senator Bran dagee's explanation of the bill that it provided that no land could be purchased unless the protection of the land would promote the navigability of streams Burton declared there originally hat ee1a no thought of this and that early reporss on the measure showed its object nao been for the establishment of forest re- serves.
 In his argument MT. Burton contended the bill was an extension of the functions of the federal government and would pro- mote species of extravagancc not Justified. E.