SUMMER MEETING. 273 



have no amendment to our regular laws on the reguhitions for 

 reforestation and protection of these forests, in ten, fifteen or twenty- 

 years, this timber will either he stolen off, or the land will be sold 

 for a nominal price, the timber cut, and the land revert a^ain to the 

 state for taxes. 



Now, it is important that we should have some such legislation of 

 this kind, but every argument will be brought to bear against it. 

 For instance, one of the senators who was in the senate at the time I 

 brought this bill forward said that this forest question was purely 

 sentimental, that "the state has no more business to interfere with the 

 raising of trees than it has to interfere with the raising of grain and 

 potatoes; that is a matter for the individual, the state has nothing 

 to do with it." Now, these various arguments are brought against 

 any legislation of this kind on every occasion. Three times since 

 has this matter been called to the attention of the committees of the 

 house and senate who have charge of the forestry interests, and 

 three times have they refused to report this matter. The forest fires, 

 however, within the last few years, have attracted attention to this 

 matter to such an extent that a more lively interest has been taken. 

 We have now some remedial legislation in that direction; we appre- 

 ciate it. But we have no time to waste; we should give this matter 

 our immediate attention. The report of Commissioner Andrews has 

 been favorably' received by the press of the state. We should follow 

 this up in our work, and give it immediate and strict attention. We 

 should go to work now in our district, and ask every one, every voter 

 to pledge himself, and ask every candidate for office to pledge him- 

 self in favor of passing such a bill before we give him our votes on 

 election daj', and follow it up after election and see that he keeps 

 his promises. From now on until election day we should work for 

 forest legislation and get elected to the legislature onlj' such men 

 as will pledge themselves to the passage of the bil! and not wait 

 until after they have been elected, when they have no inore favors to 

 receive from us and consequently are not willing to grant us any. 

 We must begin the campaign now and insist upon the nomination 

 for the legislature of those who will agree to give this question at 

 least reasonable consideration at the next session of the legislature. 

 We want every acre of forest land that comes into the possession of 

 the state to be reserved for forest purposes. That would not even go 

 far enough. I, for one, would be heartily in favor, if necessar}', of 

 the amendment of the constitution of the state of Minnesota, so that 

 it shall be impossible for any man to accjuire, by tax title or an j' other 

 means, an acre of the forest area of Minnesota that belongs now or 

 shall hereafter belong to the state of Minnesota. 



We have received from the general government — or we will go 

 beyond that — the Creator has given us here in the state of Minnesota 

 a land rich in forests, but we have been destroying it; we have not 

 used it intelligently; we have not used it with any regard for those 

 who are to occupy this state after we are gone. We ought to tliink 

 of those citizens who shall live after us, of our children who will 

 live after us, and give them a state, if possible, richer in forests than 

 we received, rather than poorer. 



