Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1930-01-16
AGAINST FOREST

Being one of the old settlers in
eastern Pine county and still believ-
ing there is a great future ahead for
this community as an agricultural
district. l think it my duty to warn
the public against encrOaching dam
ger which is approaching this coun-
try. 1t is the proposed federal forest
reserve that l am referring to,-and
firmly believe if this is once estab-
lished it will be a drawback to civil
ization and the extreme end of future
agricultural development in eastern
Pine county. 1t is true here, as in
many other places. that prospects at
the present time do not look very en-
couraging, nevertheless the fact still
remains we have good soil here and
it will make good forming country
when once it is developed. This has
been admitted and verified by many
men who are well qualified and also
familiar with the situation here. The
time is sure to come, and l believe
it will come in the very near future,
when farming will come back into it's
own and become a paying industry,
and if we lose our courage and weak
en- in this time of depression and allow
this reserve to be established we are
just that sure to wake up (after lit is
too late( and see our miserable mis-
take. When l first came to this coun-
try there was more timber here than
would grow under the timber reserve
plan in one hundred years and no one
made very much money out of taking
it off either, and if they would have
had to pay fire wardens and timber
wardens along with numerous other
expenses of raising and protecting
this timber for a period of one hum
dred years they would have made less
so l cannot believe it is going to make
our government rich either But one
thing sure, if we get the proposed
timber reserve established we will be
doomed for future development of
agriculture in eastern Pine county.
If there had been timber reserve
forced upon the people in other parts
of Pine county, say near Pine City or
AskOv, they would not have the fine
farming country they have today and
being an old time resident of Pine
City myself, and seeing AskOv grow
ing from it's infancy can truthfully
say we have just as good a country
in eastern Pine county as either one
of the above mentioned places. l am
not only asking the support of the
people of eastern Pine county, but the
full support of each and every resi-
dent including the county commits
sioners of Pine county to help us and
do what they can to keep this menace
to agriculture out of our county. If
we should decide our county, or any
part thereof, is unfit for agricultural
purposes then let's turn it back to the
good old Indians i'm as good shape as
they turned it over to us. When they
turned it over to us we told them we
were going to clear the land and make
a fine farming country out of it. The
Indian gave up his libertylOved coun-
try in which he had roamed at will,
for the white man to farm. If we
nave ldllcu III OuI dIltIIlpl, ltl > give
it back and not spoil it for the old
Indian, by turning it into a reserve
where he would run across so many
signs like this, mo Trespassing," and
where the game wardens would be
''rOOsting" on every limb awaiting
.Mr. Injun" when he was just trying
to get a little piece of wild meat for
breakfast Now l am commencing to
get mad" so / will stop writing, but
if they are bound to have more timber
reserves, let them put it where the
country is no good for anything else.
We absolutely do not want it in east
ern Pine county. Furthermore, If all
will raise their voices and do what
they can against it, we will not have
this long-winded project fostered upon
us.
ERNEST HOLLER.
ClOverton, MINI.