31 8 THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



large proportion of the taxes. The great railroad running through 

 those counties which formerly paid a large part of the taxes, now 

 pays but a trifle, under a recent decision of the supreme court; there- 

 fore, unreasonable haste in destroying an important asset of these 

 counties should be avoided except when actually necessary for the 

 public good. 



Arguments on both sides of the question are many and it is not 

 yet entirely clear just what can be done properly to adjust the differ- 

 ences. 



It may not be generally understood that the government is abso- 

 lutely powerless to control the situation satisfactorily under the ex- 

 isting law. With the exception of the Black Mesa reserve, the re- 

 serves now in controversy are almost entirely within the land grant 

 to the Atlantic & Pacific railway and the government only owns the 

 even sections. The map is like a checker board, and while the gov- 

 ernment can reserve all the even sections, it has no jurisdiction over 

 the odd sections. Nor can it exclude stock from them, nor prevent 

 stock from being driven across the even sections to them, which 

 makes these reserves practically inoperative. Some say those who 

 own odd sections should be compelled to fence them. This would be 

 difficult to do, and even then they could not be prevented from driv- 

 ing their stock to and from their own property, and if the government 

 should attempt to guard all the even sections it would take an army 

 of rangers. The department of the interior and the general land of- 

 fice, acting under the best legal advice obtainable, have realized their 

 inability to control the situation, however much they would like to 

 and they have at great expense tried in every way to protect the 

 forests and the people's interests. These officers have been accused 

 by vicious critics, and without the slightest reason, of showing favor- 

 itism to the sheepman and by inference corruption has been suggested. 

 I am ashamed to think that any citizen of Arizona should so far for- 

 get himself. I have had opportunity to hear and know just how 

 these department officials feel in regard to these questions. I know 

 that their inclination has been all the time to exclude live stock from 

 the forest reserves wherever their jurisdiction extended, especially 

 where it could be shown that forest preservation of water supply was 

 in any way endangered. I know that a very large and influential cor- 

 poration of northern Arizona brought great pressure to bear upon the 

 secretary of the interior to exclude one kind of stock and admit an- 

 other. He replied that he was inclined to exclude both and that he 

 certainly would not admit one without the other. I know that the 

 commissioner of the general land office has been working hard to se- 

 cure such legislation from congress as would enable the interior de- 

 partment to control these reserves. I know the department has of- 

 fered to give lands in other localities equal in value to these lands, 



