The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-01-25

Ill. is president. This organization
came into being after the Ely-Buyck
road project had been killed before
the County Commissioners when the
organization went on record as be-
| ing opposed to the construction of
roads within the Superior National
Forest and after prominent citizens
had expressed themselves in favor
of the road, feeling that the same
was necessary for the successful
combating of fire in the Forest.
At that time the proposition was
also preached to annex the inter-
vening territory between the For
est as now constituted and the Can
adam boundary to the Superior.
This proposition was looked upon
with favor and there was no OBJ
lection raised by anyone. 1t was
very evident that after this, inter-
ests not noticeable on the surface,
became interested, and the bill as
above shown is the result.
A careful perusal of the bill as
given will show at glance who is
"the niger in the woodpile." While
many are of the impression that the
enlargement of the forest would be
of benefit eventually, the larger part
of the people in the territory it is
proposed to annex, are not quite
sure where they would land if the
act became a reality. The country
south of here is dotted with pros
porous farmers and more are yearly
being added. It is also a well
known fact that the State Immigra-
tion Department has been active in
its efforts of settling up the fine
agricultural land in this section of
the state with excellent results, and
that many have taken up their
homes and are making high-class
agricultural sections of the territory.
These people are not exactly clear
as to their status in case the terri
tory surrounding them is made into
a forest reserve. While the Forest
laws are constituted to allow the
settling on agricultural land within
the forest, up pops the Superior
National Forest Recreation Associa-
tion with resolution against the
building of roads in the Forest.
While it may not mean that roads
will not be built in agricultural sec
tions, the fact nevertheless remains,
that roads should not be built into
the Forest if the Association had it's
way.
Many seem to believe that the
joker in the bill is contained in Sec
tions 8 and 4. Read it over care
fully and see what you think of it..
1t is a fact well known that the
larger part of this proposed ter
ritory is cut-over lands from which
the lumber concerns have removed
the timber and are now holding the
land mostly for the mineral rights,
upon which they are compelled to
pay taxes and thus help pay the ex-
penses of the state, nation and
municipal subdivisions. All of this
territory placed into a reserve
would be removed from taxation
and the lumber companies would be
given either cash or timber to an
equal amount in some other part
of the country on the National For
est in exchange for the cut-over
lands now held by them. The min
eral rights clause in the bill is also
somewhat ambiguous and shrouded
in a verbiage of words not easily
understood by the ordinary layman,
and from the reading it would ap-
pear that the mineral rights would
remain vested n the owner of the
land even after he had disposed of
the same to the government and
removed it from the tax list.
Also, what would become of the
prosperous cities and villages with
in the confines of the National For.
est? Also the mines surrounding
the cities and villages? What taxa
ton policy would be pursued in
these cases? What would become
of the schools and their upkeep?
All this should be thoroughly dis
cussed before the sections affected
give their approval to the measure
as introduced.
At the meeting of the CONNER.