The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-11-02

State Forester Cox blames thu
recent forest fires onto the state
legislature because Of niggardly
appropriations for support of thu
Minnesota forest service.
Certain political organization
blame much of the loss Of life anC
property onto Gov. Burnquist be
cause he refused to heed danger
signals sent him by forest rangers
Practical, unprecedented woods
men lay heavy blame on Chic:
Forester Cox, the lumber baron'
and certain railroads.
State Forester Cox, himself, il
to blame for smallness Of recen'
appropriations because at leas
$4,000 was used in 1914 for polit
ical purposes, instead Of patrolline
the woods and properly enforcing
the law.
The lumber barons are to blame
because they permitted their slash
ings to accumulate and remain I'm
burned, because that neglec1
meant a saving Of Is to IS cents
per 1000 feet Of logs cut in the
woods:
Certain railroads, particularly
the Great Northern and, in lesser
degree, the 500 line, are heavily
responsible for the recent trag
edies of the woods because they
neglected to patrol their tracks
run sparkless locomotives or keep
their right-of-way properly clean
ed out.
The servants Of the state fores
try board also are culpable in MOI
seeing that proper fire-breaks
were made around the towns anC
villages in the northern woods, a.
empowered by the state law.
The governor may be blamablt
for permitting too many lumber
barons or their representatives tt
serve on the state forestry board
The forestry board may be blam
able for keeping a chief forester
who will appoint rangers directl!
from the ranks Of employees Of thu
arrogant, grasping lumber barons
The domination of the state for
estry service by the canny lumbe,
barons amounts to a scandal
Many pious, honest folk really be
lieve that the late forest fires wer'
manifestation of Divine wrath
because of the immoral association
of barons, forester and rangers
whereby innocent lives were los
and millions Of dollars in property
belonging to unoffending owners
went up in flame and smoke.
The average citizen, today, be
lieves that there is a mandator,
law as to the pilling and burning
OF slashings by lumbermen. Sucl
is not a fact. There was for /;
short time but, after Weyer
haeuser lawyer ceased adventur
ing with a bill that became a law
everything was left highly to tn,
discretion of the chief forester, tn,
mandatory part Of the act embrac
ing only the railroads.
Don't believe it, Ell? Then tax,
a little look at the official records
Back in 1905, an act was passed
to safeguard the people against
forest fires and to preserve the
forests.
In 1909, possibly influenced by
the Chisholm fire in 1908, the act
was amended, providing that lum
bermen should pile their Slashings
and burn same before May 1 Of
each year. No provision was made
as to summer logging.
In 1910, the terrible fires oc.
Cured around Baudette and
Spooner, in the Rainy River re.
gion, thus bringing home the need
Of proper fire and forest protec.
tion and the enforcement of a
proper legislative act.
In 1911, bill was offered to the
state legislature, providing that
all slashings be piled and burned
as cut, whether summer or winter,
and containing many other excel
lent provisions. The bill was iden-
teal with the national Morse act,