The Detroit times., 1912-07-27

ate amenumenL 90
gibson GARDNER to the agricultural
appropriation bill. Ever since early
In the Ballinger scandal Nelson has
appeared as the special champion OF
the interests opposed TO conservation.
Behind him in this fight are Hepburn
and Bnrah, OF Idaho, Clark OF Wy
oming, Jones, of Washington, Smith,
OF Georgia, and other special attor.
neys for the land, water-power, and
. timber interests.
This Is an outcroping of an old
fight 1t Is the elimination of a steady
war which certain interests, acting
through certain senators, have made
on the conservation policy, and spe-
cially upon the forest service. Some
senators, like Hepburn, are open and
notorious in their hostility, while
others, like Nelson, are covert and
treacherous In their sleight-ofhand
work.
Tho effect OF this amendment, II
passed, would be to compel the Sec
retary of agriculture to throw open
TO the big interests fully two-thirds
OF the area at present embraced In
lands bearing valuable timber, lands
valuable for water-power sites, lands
held for ranger stations, public range
lands, lands held for re-forestation
and lands In other ways necessary
for forest use. The national forests
now contain approximately 16S,000,-
900 acres.
The pretext adopted by the hostile
senators is that this law must be
passed In the interest of the poor
settler" II Is claimed that the gov
ernmept Is improperly holding within
the boundaries OF the national forests
"a lot OF land which could be used
for agricultural purposes. The pres
ent law permits the secretary of ag-
liculture to decide whether lands
within the national forests are chief
ly valuable for agricultural purposes"
and II SO, they are thrown open to
tcntry. On the other hand II they
are chiefly valuable for timber, or
for forest purposes, they are retained
In the national forests This has en-
abled the forest service to protect
waterpower sites, and also the pub
lie ranges which are not necessarily
timbered
The hostile senators have drawn
an amendment and secured its adop-
tion In the senate as part Of the ag-
ricultural appropriation bill, providing
that the secretary of agriculture shall
eliminate from the forests and open
to entry all land suitable and fit for
agriculture" This substitutes the
word shall and suitable and ft," in
place of may" and chiefly valuable
for"
Such a law would make Ii manda-
tory for the secretary 'of agriculture
to open up every acre of land which
could possibly be used for agricultural
purposes. This land, Senator Hey
burn admitted. might even be land
on which there is standing timber.
With the timber cut down such land
could be used "for agricultural pur-
poses" The proposed law would re-
/ move every suggestion of barrier in
the way of power companies seeking
to grab power site lands and would
play into the hands OF the great cat
tie ranging interests which are seek
ing to grab the public range.
Senator Hepburn blurted out the
true purpose IN the senate debate on
May 81. when he said:
When you permit those people
(the Forest Service) to compare In
classification a piece OF land and say
whether II Is more valuable for this
purpose than the other, then they
may exercise Judgment; but when
you say to them, IL II Is suitable
for agriculture do not care what
else II might be suitable for-'it
shall be open to agricultural entry,
that is very largely extended right
to the settler and / shall insist on
tho conterees restoring the language
OF the senate amendment and saying
that forest lands that are suitable
for agricultural purposes, without put
ting tlcm in comparison with any
other purpose, shall be classified and
open TO settlement. even though they
might be more suitable for forest
rangers stations or other purposes. .
The way Heyburn's proposition
works out in actual practice is we'll
illustrated by a concrete instance.
Approximately 100000 acres were
eliminated from the Olympic Nation.
al Forest in Oregon, in 1901, on the
protest that the land was more yalu-
able for agriculture than for forest
purposes. In 1911, after ten years. an
examination OF this land disclosed the
fact that approximately 600 acres.
/ or one-tenth OF one per cent OF all
the land restored to entry had been
placed under -cultiyation,- At-the
present Time, one-sixth OF all the tim
Der In the three states OF California
Oregon and Washington Is owned by
three companies. namely, the North
ern Pacific r. r., the Southern Pa.
Leihc r. II. and the weytrhauser Eum.
Der company.
Amendment S5 was added to the
agricultural appropriation bill in the
senate. May 16, 1912. II went to col
ference and the house disagreed to
II. On the report OF the coilferees
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