NORTHERN PACIFIC OR THE NATION WHICH? 677 



fied as "mineral," a classification which naturally proved exceedingly- 

 beneficial to the railroad, since it enabled the company to select valuable 

 "non-mineral" lands in lieu thereof within the two 10-mile indemnity 

 strips. The rumors of frauds in the interest of the railway company 

 connected with this classification, however, are another story. 



The point is that every odd-numbered section in the National Forests 

 of Montana, Idaho, and Washington, lying within 40 miles of the 

 main line of the Northern Pacific Railroad was acquired by the railway 

 company if it was considered worth owning. If it was not considered 

 worth owning, it is National Forest land. The two 10-mile strips 

 on each side of the 80-mile strip crosses and includes parts of the 

 Custer, Beartooth, Shoshone, Absaroka, Gallatin, Madison, Beaver- 

 head, Clearwater, Bitterroot, St. Joe, Coeur d'Alene, Wenaha, Jeffer- 

 son, Helena, Lewis and Clark, Flathead, Blackfeet, Kootenai, Kaniksu, 

 Wenatchee, and Snoqualmie National Forests. Most of these Forests 

 were created during the first years of the twentieth century, although 

 parts of the B'orests surrounding the Yellowstone National Park, and 

 parts of the Bitterroot and Clearwater were created earlier. 



During the past 20 years the Government has expended large amounts 

 of money in protecting these lands from the ravages of fire and in 

 the construction of roads and trails, and other improvements designed 

 to bring about the highest use of these great national properties. This 

 was done in the face of violent local opposition which demanded that 

 the lands be left open to the provisions of the homestead law, which 

 would allow the acquisition of valuable timberlands by squatters with- 

 out actual agricultural value resulting. 



While those fights against selfish local interests have been won we 

 now face the even greater menace of these national assets being added 

 to a vast estate which already approaches monopolistic proportions 

 in our richest timbered regions. It is exasperating and almost heart- 

 breaking now to learn that the Northern Pacific Railway Company 

 instead of the people of the United States may be the real beneficiary 

 of this part of the fight for the conservation of our great Forests. 



On October 4, 1920, the case of the United States of America vs. 

 the Northern Pacific Railway Company (No. 325) was argued before 

 the Supreme Court of the United States. Upon its face this case only 

 involved the title to 5,681. 7(! acres of land situated in the Gallatin 

 National Forest in Montana. In efi^ect, however, it places on trial 

 the right of the Government to retain ownership to the odd sections 



