The Washington herald., 1911-02-16
NATIONAL FORESTS
MEASURE Is A LAW
Weeks Bill Carried Safely
Through the Senate.
CONSERVATION GETS IMPETUS
Commission Created Which Is
Given Authority to Pass Upon
Lands Recommended for Forest
Purposes-Means the Acquisition of
white and Appalachian Reserves.

|, After a fight Of nearly two decades.
legislation providing for the creation of
national forests in the East was passed
in the Senate yesterday by the over
wheIming vote of 81 to 9.
The Weeks bill. passed in the House
a short time before the adjournment last
session, was carried safely throught the
Senate by its friends, who were deter
mined to remedy the conditions caused
by defsrestation in the White Noun
tains d New England, and the Appa-
lachian Mountains in the South. Practi-
caIly the only opposition to the bill was
offered by Senators Burton and Hey
burn, who attacked it in speeches. The
Senators voting against the measure were
Bristow, Burton, Clarke, of wyoming;
Cullom, Davis. Gronna, McCumber.
'Paynter. and Shively.
Important Legislation.
The legislation is regarded as one of
the most important conservation enact
ments that has been put upon the stat
ute books. It's general purpose is, Of
course, the protection of watersheds of
navigable streams. The bill carries what
amounts to an appropriation Of about
$lOOOOOOO for surveying and acquiring
| the necessary land. 1t was debated in
| the Senate for nearly five hours. Sena-
tors Burton and Hepburn vigorously op-
posing II.
Senator Hepburn declared that the bill
would lead eventually to expenditures in
excess of the cost OF the Panama Canal,
and Senator Burton quoted one authority
| as estimating that the ultimate expense
would exceed 500, 1000. Supporters Of
| the measure scoffed at these forebodings,
pointing cut that the bill carried lin
itation upon the amount to be expended.
| Senator Hepburn insisted, however, that
the present bill was merely an entering
| wedge, and that other large expenditures
| would follow. He characterized it as ''the
| most fancy piece of legislation ever pro-
posed in any Congress in the entire his
tory of the nation" At another time
he referred to the bill as a farce.
The Idaho Senator declared that the
bill provides. in effect for the purchase of
| certain counties in New England, which
would deprive 100000 persons of their
| homes. He suggested that this New Eng
land band be supplied with uniforms and
hats with cockades and sent to the West
to join the forest service.
A Touch of Sarcasm.
How about sending them to Canadar'
interrupted Senator Kean-
Yes, send them to Canada" responded
| Senator Hepburn, they might go up
| there and sell goods to the rest of us.
Then when we run out of money all of
US can go to Canada
The bill authorizes each of the States
of the Union to enter into agreements
with other States to conserve forest and
! water supplies within their borders. 1t
appropriates $4,000 to enable the Secre-
tary of Agriculture to cooperate with
any State or group of States, when asked
to do so, to afford protection to forests
| and watersheds from fire, the States
to contribute equally with the Federal
government to maintain such fire control
The bill appropriates S1,000.O00 for the
next fiscal year, and provides that for
each succeeding fiscal year, until 1915,
| sum not in excess of 100000 may be
appropriated to examine, survey and ac-
quire lands located on the headwaters
of navigable streams for conservation
purposes.
| National Forest Reservation Commission
| is created, TO be composed of the Secre-
| tary of War, Secretary of Interior, Sec
retary of Agriculture, two Senators to
be named by the President of the Senate.
and two Representatives in Congress to
| be named by the Speaker. This commits
sion is given authority to pass upon such
| lands as may be recommended for pur-
chase for forest purposes, and no lands
| shall be purchased that have not been
| approved by the commission The Secre-
tary of Agriculture is authorized to ex-
anime, locate, and recommend lands to
the commission for approval
While the bill does not mention either
the White Mountain or Appalachian re-
serve. it carries the power for the ac-
| these reserves, and in passing the bill its
promoters had in mind this specific OBJ
ject.
Approved by Pfnchot.
The measure had the support of Clifford
| Pinchot, during whose administration of
the Forest Service 1t was almost contin-
uously before Congress, in one form or
another. ...-
In an interview last night, he said:
The project for National forests in
the East. of which the Weeks bill is the
embodiment is one of the great objects
which the National Conservation Associa-
ton has been particularly anxious to Sc
cure this year. 1t has been also the CEN
trail object Of the American Forestry As
sociation. The united support of these
two bodies of public-spirited citizens Is
proof that the bill is worthy of general
public approval There was every reason
why it should pass. and no single good
reason against its passage"
Collector Loeb I'm Town
N~T