THE STATE REVIEW 



29 



hemlo<:k, at least $6 must be expended to 

 put it in a finished form, so uutc it we place 

 the stumpage value of the timber destroyed 

 at $5,000,000 (probably far beiow the truth) 

 there is another five million loss of earn- 

 ings which this material would have made 

 possible. Our losses thus would seem large 

 enough even if measured by the simple 

 standard of 'business." 



But even this is not a fair measure. Over 

 large areas the forest is killed, the material 

 made worthless, but the accumulation of 

 millions of cords of this material are still on 

 the ground. They soon decay enough to 

 make them unsalable, but they require many 

 years to reduce "to earth." The forest fires 

 of 1S71 killed the timber, those of 1881 de- 

 voured the stuff killed in 1871 and were so 

 terrible because of these large accumulations 

 of debris. For years the districts run over 

 by the fires of 1906 will be in danger of re- 

 newed and more severe fires. 



Miles and miles of deadened and blackened 

 forest is a discouraging view for any one. 

 The home seeker who is a good farmer, a 

 thrifty, orderly man, is reluctant to settle in 

 such a place. The fires have done more to 

 hinder settlement in our north counties than 

 all other agencies combined. 



And there is still one more damage which 

 every season of fires increases. It is the 

 perversion oi the ideas and of the attitude 

 of the people not only or the localities, but 

 of the state on the whole. It is due to these 

 seasons of bad fires that we, all over the 

 country, feel and think we know, and are 

 perfectly convinced that: 



"Forest fires can not be stopped or pre- 

 vented," ridiculous as is this statement. 



It is due to these same fires and the lax 

 attitude of the state and people that every 

 one may set fires as he pleases; run over 

 other people's lands when he choses; camp 

 and hunt and graze on these lands no mat- 

 ter how much property is endangered there- 

 by. Is it a wonder then if those, naturally 

 careless of the mine and thine, conclude that 

 these wild lands are of no particular value 

 and assume a certain inexplicable right to 

 do with and to injure the lands, the forest 

 and their owners? Nine-tenths of all fires 

 are due to this cause in the first place: It is 

 this general laxity and indifference of the 

 state which is responsible for the fires, and 

 which permits them to run wild and to grow 

 into calamities of the first order. Will we 

 never learn? 



Election of Senators 



Continued from page 22 



From these figures is it not possible to 

 gain some idea of the advantage a small 

 portion of the state, congested with a mixed 

 population, can have over a large and rich 

 area that is not densely populated? The 

 heavily populated small territory is far rnor e 

 likely to be united upon a particular candi- 

 date seme popular advocate, some local 

 hero, some benefactor, some man who has 

 r aught the voters' fancy than is the larger 

 territory with no particular unity of interest. 



What show do you think the citizens of 

 the Third and Fourth, or Ninth and Tenth, 

 Congressional districts would have in push- 



ing the claim of some favorite for United 

 States Senator in the event that Wayne 

 county was united upon some one else? It 

 is a pleasing study to watch the influences 

 a great city can employ in a political con- 

 test, with its banks, wholesale merchants, 

 its multifarious industries, its powerful 

 political and social institutiors reaching 

 far out into the surrounding country. With 

 such instrumentalities brought into play, t~e 

 city of Detroit alone could outweigh the 

 eleven counties comprising the two congres- 

 sional districts named in southern Michigan, 

 or the twenty-four counties comprising one- 

 third of the territory of the lower peninsula 

 and that make up the other two districts 

 named. If, by any political manipulation, 

 the cities of Detroit, Grand Rapids and Sagi- 

 naw should form a combination like that of 



CHAPMAN AND WOODWOBTH 



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Officer. 



Robert D. Graham, Presid ml, Cornelius Clark, Vice-President, Thomas W. Straham, Jnd Vice-President, 

 S. W. Sherman, Cashier, C. L. Ross, Assistant Cashier. 



Director! 



Cornelius Clark, Christian Gallmeyer, Herbert Wciden. William H. Anderson, Thomis F. Carroll, Samuel M. Lemon, 

 Daniel Lynch, John W. Blodgett. Thomas W. Strahan. William H. Gay, Christian Berscb, Henry J. Vinkemulder, Robert 

 D. Graham. 



GRAND RAPIDS, CHICAGO LINE 



Holland Interurban and 

 Graham & Morton Boats 



Commencing June 24th 



2 BOATS DAILY 



INTERURBAN SPECIAL CARS 



For Morning Boat 



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EXCURSION EVERY SATURDAY 



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