26 NATIONAL FOREST, STATE, AND PRIVATE LANDS 



either will be done. The property rights could not be purchased 

 without extremely heavy expense to the Government; hence 

 that plan has never been given serious consideration. Likewise, 

 no serious attempt has been made, by vote, to take away from 

 the peasant the property right. The various legislatures have 

 refused to vote away prescriptive rights, either feeling that 

 these rights legitimately belong to the people, or fearing that by 

 so doing they would lose the votes of the people deriving benefits 

 from the forest lands. 



In the light of the costly experiences of European Govern- 

 ments in connection with the estabHshment of property rights 

 in forest lands, the United States Forest Service is justified in 

 considering the use of the range a privilege and in no way a right. 

 For the future welfare of the range and timber resources no 

 recognition of the privilege, yearly becoming more valuable, 

 should be extended by our Government which might be con- 

 strued, even in the broadest sense, as establishing a property 

 right. 



On the forests of India regulated grazing of all classes of stock 

 was permitted from the very beginning, for which a reasonable 

 grazing fee was charged, and this is the present practice. While 

 the grazing fees on the forests of India, as in this country, are 

 not based on the full commercial value of the forage, the Indian 

 Government nevertheless realizes a yearly revenue of nearly 

 $1,000,000. Stockmen, accustomed to using the ranges embraced 

 within the Indian forests, like stock raisers in this country, were 

 willing to pay for the grazing privilege. 



The Stockmen's Protest. — Because of the absolute depen- 

 dence of general agriculture on grazing in most locahties ad- 

 joining the National Forests in the western United States, 

 numerous and vigorous protests were raised by the sheep owners 

 at not being allowed grazing privileges during the early admin- 

 istration of the National Forests. Prior to the Government's 

 assuming control of the Forest lands the settlers had developed 

 farms and ranches which were and still are far too remote from 

 transportation facilities for the marketing of crude farm products, 

 and hence the farmers were compelled first to turn the hay and 



