The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1920-02-06
WHAT THE FOREST BUREAU IS
DOING TO Settlers IN IDAHO

Again Idaho Is on the map Great
ing forests; 1,116,000 acres is created
"a national forest without adequate
protection for the settlers and home
builders. pioneers who blaze their
way into this country. The Thunder
Mountain district, an area as above
mentioned OF !, 10000 acres put
aside to protect the grazing for who?
What a joke on the American public,
Anyone familiar with the manage
ment of the national forests knows
that the last ten years of forest
menace" management has destroyed
OF this western CONT
nent. II has allowed the predatory
stock corporations and
to destroy settlers i'm
provements and crops and pasture of
their pastures. The conditions are
such that one neighbor dare not leave
his place TO help neighbor harvest
his crop. III any. without leaving an
armed guard on every fence post.
Grazing settlers stock Is something
of the past, the commission stockmen
drive the settlers stock of and take
the range. Congress says that actual
settlers must be provided for first,
but what United States congress and
supreme court decisions say Is Just
so much nonsense in the discretion of
the forest menace and II the settler
objects, he Is an undesirable. One
deputy swivel chair expert and ex-
school teacher, In talking over the
range situation with me told me that
II there were any other citizens but
the stock corporations and associa-
lions he would like TO know them. A
ranger told me recently that Ii the
settlers kicked, their permits would
be taken away from them.
Surely such conditions should not
be tolerated In a republic like ours!
Our senators and congressman can
surely not be In ignorance about the
existing conditions. One senator
wrote me he had hundreds Of letters
in his files complaining about this
bureaucracy" One official told me
the settlers would have to nnani-
mously take 1t into their own hands
before they would be recognised as
having any rights. Fine. but n re-
member right, the forests were Great
ed to do away with fighting for
range.
Before national forests were Great.
ed we had fairly good wagon roads
and trails, now we have COW paths.
When settlers stock dies from star
walton. before the red tape reaches
Washington. they were struck by
lightning. According TO forest men
ace reports lightning Ii very fond Of
livestock.
Recently the forest menace found
out that the range was overstocked.
Ten years ago rancher's 7-year-old
boy could have told them that. There
are ten Ares now to where there was
one before the forest bureaucracy.
Why? The forest menace cant find
them so far from the swivel chair
and telephone.
The forest service establishes COW
camps In the settlements to the dan
ger of homes and settlements. II our
senate and congress would do some
good, give these spiked-to-chairs pen
sioners picks and shovels and put
them to work damming creeks and
to get water on some of the magniA-
cent slopes and benches and grow
two or more blades of grass where
the so-called service" has destroyed
vegetation.
The forest menace has proved 1t.
self incompetent. extravagant, ineffic,
lent and an expensive luxury to the
nation at large. know that this
statement In contrary TO the red tape
records that reach Washington and
that the bureaus professional writer's
distribute broadcast to conservation
fiends and others. but II Is a fact just
the same. Their protection for wa
tersheds, etc. Is all moonshine. moth
Ing but an earthquake can destroy
the real watershed.
United States fought Germany to dc
away with beuraucracy. Here we dc
not need Forester Graves horde oil
officials to spread kultur and discon
tent TO the American people.
Yours truly.