Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1913-08-29
THE PROPOSED STATE
FOREST RESERVE
District Attorney O'Connor of
Villas County Advises North
ern Counties to Get To-
gether and Oppose
the Measure.
SHOULD MAKE EXHIBITS AT EARS


addressed the following letter to the
county boards of Villas, Forest, Oneida,
Iron and Price counties regarding the
proposed forest reserve scheme. Mr..
O'Connor has been doing some noble
work in opposition to the forest reserve
and the counties affected should get
| together and work in union.
| believe each and all Of you gentle
men are somewhat familiar with the
general aspect of the scheme embodied
under the name of the Forest Reserve.
1t is also likely that you are all to some
extent informed as to what has been
done to preserve the territory proposed
to be included in this State Forest Re-
serve from becoming a jungle and to
| keep it open for settlement by farmers
and others.
However, 1 feel that it can do no
harm to GO over the ground little as
it must be understood our fight for our
lives has only begun. In the first place
the territory which is included and
which Griffith's friends are determined
shall finally become the State Forest
Reserve is the the following:
In Forest county all that portion sit
uated north of the north line of town
ship thirty (37) north; in Oneida
county all of that portion north of the
north line of township thirty seven
CD north except the east half of town
ship thirty-eight (38) north, range
nine (9) east, the south two-thirds of
township thirty-eight (38) north range
ten Q0) east, township thirty-eight
(38) north, range eleven QD east, and
township thirty-nine (39) north, range
six (6) east; in Villas county all except
the south half of township forty (40)
north, range six g. east, township
forty (40) north, range ten Q0) east,
township forty-one (4D north, range
ten 10) east and the north two-thirds
of township forty-one (4D north, range
eleven QD east; in Iron county town
ship forty-one (4D north, ranges two
(2), three 81 and four az east, and
townships forty-two Az and forty
three (43) north of range four "a east;
in Price county townships thirty-eight
(38), thirty-nine (39) and forty (40)
north of range three (3) east.
According to the figures of the State
Forester contained in His report for
the years 1911 and 1912 the amounts Of
lands to be taken from each of the
counties is, Villas county sos, 600; Onei-
da county 345, 900 acres; Forest county
253, 600 acres; Iron county 115, 900
acres and Price county 10000 acres or
in all 1,289, 900 acres.
From the same report we learn that
at this time the state owns in each of
these counties the following acreage
of lands: in Villas county 13l, 558 13
acres; in Oneida county 73, 354 Ga acres;
in Forest county 81, 346.6S acres; in
Iron county 80, 354 As acres and in Price
county 8,641.87 acres.
At the past session of the legislature
we succeeded in having passed the So
called Stevens Whiteside bill which
was Bill 487A introduced by Assembly
man w. j. Whiteside. This bill pro-
hibits the further purchase of land for
State Fvrest Reserve until after a
committee of three senators and five
assemblymen have made an investiga-
tion to determine whether the lands
within the proposed State Forest Re
serve are not better adapted to farm
ing than to forestry or other purposes
and until July 1st, 1915. This commit
tee will soon be appointed and will pro-
badly do more or less work this fall.
We also succeeded in passing the So
called Stevens state land taxation bill.
Under the provisions of this bill the
state will, commencing in 1914, pay
taxes on the full valuation of all lands
within the State Forest Reserve that
are owned by the state at rate of one
and one-quarter per cent Tor school,
town and county purposes.
| We also succeeded in defeating Joint
Resolution No. 24S. This Joint Reso-
luton sought to amend the state con-
stitution and provided that all lands
now owned or hereafter acquired by
the state should for all time be and re-
main the property of the state. IN
other words the state could not after
the passage and adoption of this con
stitutional amendment sell any of its
lands regardless of how desirable they
might be for farming. This Joint Re
solution was passed by the Legislature
in 1911 and had it again been passed by
the legislature and adopted it woulC