The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-02-10
Committee to Report to Joint Meet
ing Of Merchants and CONNER
cial Club This Afternoon.
COPIES TO BE SENT
TO EVERY SENATOR
Pointed Out Pasturage of Lands Will
Prevent Growth of Young
Timber.
URGED THAT LANDS BE
DEVELOPED FOR AGRICULT1JRE

Strong resolutions opposing the
Nelson bill, which provides for the
establishment of a forest reserve
within the Red Lake reservation. will
be presented to a joint meeting of the
Merchants and Commercial club this
afternoon by the committee on reso-
lutlons appointed at recent meeting
or the clubs 1t is believed that the
resolutions will be Immediately
adopted.
Copies to Senators.
Copies OF the resolution, if adopted,
will be sent to every United States
Senator.
1t is urged in the resolution that
the land now within the reservation
be so managed so as to hasten the
day when the land may be used in
an intense way for agriculture, graz
ing and pasturage purposes.
The resolution committee of the
joint associations is composed of At
torney E. E. Mcdonald, E. H. Denu
and J. J. Opsahl.
Will Prevent Agriculture.
The resolution is as follows:
Resolved, that the Bemidji Com
mercial club and the Merchants Asso-
citation of Bemidji, acting in joint
session, do resolve that they are op-
posed to the passage of Senate File
1928, introduced in the Senate of the
United States, December 10, 1915, by
Senator Nelson, being bill ''To pro-
vide for the establishment of for
est reserve within Red Lake Indian
Reservation, Minnesota" and for the
following reasons:
That the bill proposes to establish
upon the territory described therein,
consisting of over one hundred sew
enty-seven sections, forest preserve
or reservation and that the establish
ment and maintenance of a forest.
preserve administered as the bill pro-
vides in accordance with the princi-
pies of scientific forestry with a view
to the production of successive tim
ber growths thereon, will prevent the
use of this land for the purpose of
pasturage or agriculture.
The land cannot be pastured ex-
cept in large areas and a successful
use of this land for pasturage pur-
poses will prevent reforestration.
Must Be Pastured Intensely.
That to pasture land successfully
it must be pastured intensely and to
pasture land intensely by the use Of
sheep, goats or cattle, will prevent the
growth of young timber and refor-
estration, to accomplish which is the
main purpose of this bill.
For the reason that we believe the
establishment of great forest re-
serve upon these particular lands of
the Indians would prevent their
progress along the lines of husbandry,
and prevent developing these lands on
the south shore of the lake and on
the point for agricultural purposes.
The soil is such and the protection
from frost by reason Of the presence
of large body of water that vege-
tables, corn, grain and fruits may be
raised without danger from early
frosts.
The interest of the Indians as we'll
as those owning lands in the vicinity
of this proposed forest reservation
would be best served by encouraging
the development of this land for ag-
ricultural and grazing purposes by
the Indians or the white people as
indicated.
To Hasten Agriculture. -
And we demand that this territory
proposed to be set apart in forest
reserve, as we'll as the other three
hundred thousand acres of land now
within the Indian reservation of Red
Lake be so managed as to hasten the
day when that land may be used in
most intense way for agriculture,
grazing and pasturage purposes. We
represent that there are not more than
10 sections within the 100000 acres
proposed to be set apart in this for
est reserve, that is better known for
purposes of reforestration than for
agricultural purposes, that the his
tory of the administration of forests
is such as to preclude the idea Of
the Indians receiving any net income
from the administration of this area
under a national forestry system for
years to come. .s--g'--.
Grain on Reserve.
Red Lake Indians have for several
wears held Red Lake Indian Reser-
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