398 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



8. For carefully guarding, by the foresters, timber on the public lands, to 

 prevent waste by trespass or fire; and for both criminal and civil liability for 

 wilfully or negligently causing the firing of woods, prairie, or grounds which 

 are public lands of the United States. 



9. For procurement of needed timber supplies by bona fide homestead and 

 pre-emption settlers, and by claimants thereunder, through entry of small tim- 

 bered tracts, at $1.25 per acre. 



10. For an appropriation for carrying the provisions of the act into effect. 



This bill Stands out prominently as a landmark in the history of 

 our forestry movement, since it is distinguished as being not only the 

 initial effort on the part of the Interior Deprtmaent to secure a fores- 

 try administration, but constituted, in fact, the first truly comprehen- 

 sive bill of that nature introduced in Congress.* 



Notwithstanding the urgent need for the enactment of some such 

 measure, the bill was practically ignored by Congress, beyond referring 

 it back to the General Land Office, in nearly the same form, for report 

 thereon, and it ultimately died without being reported out of committee, 

 in spite of the fact that the Commisisoner of the General Land Office 

 and the Secretary of the Interior both again reported in favor of it. 



This same paralysis of action did not, however, extend to the 

 two above mentioned undesirable bills which ultimated in the twin 

 acts of June 3, 1878, commonly known as the "Mineral Land" act and 

 the "Timber and Stone Land" act. While the proposed forestry meas- 

 ure slept in committee, these two timber bills were taken up, debated 

 and passed, and sent on in due course to the President for signature. 

 This action brought the Commissioner of the General Land Office 

 swiftly into the field again, in an effort to defeat the bills, when 

 called upon to report thereon. The record shows that, in the case of 

 the Timber and Stone Land bill, he was requested "to report whether 

 any reasons exist why the President should not approve it." His 

 response was an unqualified denouncement of both measures as being 

 vicious legislation, for reasons which are largely quoted in the fol- 

 lowing excerpts from statements by the Secretary of the Interior. In 

 the face of these adverse reports both measures became law within 

 a week. 



* The claim that has been made in behalf of a bill previously introduced in 

 1872, H. R. 2197, that it was "The first real and comprehensive forestry bill," 

 would seem to be overdrawn, in view of the fact that that bill was in reality 

 merely a timber culture measure, with no provision whatever for the establish- 

 ment of a forestry administration, or for the withdrawal and development of the 

 timbered public domain in the interests of the public at large. 



