The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-09-02

uleul W uududSc PIoPCiiy I'll VI
the area of the country without a
single official in this great department
authorized to do field works tells an
almost unbelievable story Of neglect,
and explains i npart why it has been
possible for millionaires to erect their
palaces all over the land out of their i'll
gotten gains acquired from the govern
ment timber preserves. However, it is
hopeful-it Is wonderfully encouraging
to earn the great progress that has
been made in this branch of the gov
eminent. Search the records Of con-
gress and you will not find the propt-
ing reason. Nevertheless, there is a
reason, and that reason has been al
most solely found in the activities Of
that public official James L. Wilson Of
Iowa, who not only had the ability to
do and to dare, but who likewise pos
sessed the qualities that inspired the
confidence of congress, which furnish
ed him the funds for his work.
In most government enterprises
where success has been obtained it has
been because of a man on the job
in spite of "the men in the job" When
Wilson's term expired there were
about 400 persons employed in the
forest service. The states had been
whipped into line to cooperate in the
protection of watersheds and navig-
able streams. Wilson made an investi-
CATION to find what had been left by
the timber thieves, and many Of them
would still be stealing from the gov
eminent had he not installed a genuine
governmental supervision of these val
liable resources. Secretary Wilson
demonstrated that when the govern
ment supervises it can prevent dis
honesty. But even Secretary Wilson
did not succeed in making the govern
ment a country-tree farmer, since re-
forestation had made but little head
way. What has been accomplished
will serve to demonstrate to private
owners the manner in which they may
grow new forests.
The government is now proving it
self a fairly good custodian of its for
est resources. But there have been
several instances in the last half dozen
years wherein great tracts of timber
nave beer burned over and been laid
waste because the timber was not sold
when it should have been, before it be-
came worm-eaten, rotten, and there
fore practically worthless. The gov
eminent has never proved that it
could drive logs or manufacture its
timber to good advantage, although it
has demonstrated, particularly in the
Indian service, that it car supervise.
The government has not only parted
unwisely, unwittingly and unknowingly
with it's lands and it's timber and it's
mineral riches, but it has also been
wrongfully deprived of great water
power rights. The policy of the gov
eminent in the first instance was un-
defined and negligible, and the conse-
quences are stated in a letter coming
from the Secretary of the Interior,
who declares: MANY of the most
valuable sites for water-power develop
ment have already been acquired by
private interests, and are held under
titles which preclude adequate regula-
tons and control in the public inter
est. This rendered it the more vital
and important that the remaining pub
lie lands useful for this purpose should
be wisely dealt with" In other words
most of the horses have been stolen
from the stable, but there is still a
little livestock left. However, it is
proper that the government should
have something to say about the flu
ture. The best water-powers nave been
monopolized by private concerns which
are using them for the generation n
transmission of electric works. Other
wise there would have been a condi-
ton of stagnation in reference to fur
Their development. State legislatures
and congress nave discovered the adj
vantages that have been obtained by
private enterprises and have arbitrar-
lily hindered nearly all movements for
future developments, fearing no doubt,
that public opinion would chastise
them should they take any action
whatsoever. The conclusion has there
fore been reached by the department
of the interior that eff these
are to be developed, such inducements
must be offered capital as will cause
it to undertake the work, but at the
same time conditions must be i'm
posed which will fully protect the pub
lie interest and preserve the control,
not only over the present develop
ments, but over the future use of the
sites, should conditions later require
the adoption of a different method OF
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