I 7/0 uld lilie -GO nay ono no re thine: "7e aril Imow 

 that every department of the Government with which the pub- 

 lie oonios in contact is accused of being arbitral* ~ in 

 fact that is a favofraJ?e adjective for characterizing Gov- 

 ernment Departments. It is unfortunate, but. also true, that 

 up t o this t ime - not now as it was , but i:a the past - 

 there liac "been c. great deal of criticism of the Officials 

 of j-'orestrv thc;j they wore too arbitrary, anc. sayinr; thoy 

 woro arbitrary meant they wou3 c. haiiC you out a contract 

 which sCsic. ycu muct c.o so anc. so, anc. "you ooulc. sif;n it or 

 not as you li'.-.oc 1 .* lTo\7 I liavo net ancl i.one business \vitli 

 almost every official of the Government any ^entloman would 

 moot in cLoin business on a timber sale in California, and 

 I liavo never received any arbitrary treatment , and have al- 

 ways boon accorded the ^roatost courtesy and consideration; 

 and unless I or ny associates have differed with the Of- 

 ficials wo have always been met in a spirit of fair play, 

 and every argument advanced to meet ours was advanced for 

 reasons which appoalec. to the Officials as sound t .,s long 

 as parties meet each other that way they ocn do business and 

 I thin!: that the result of the consummation of o-ir contract 

 is an i:-idication that 1 11637" c&n 

 OBOI3: 



Mr. Mackenzie, in your contract we agreed on present 

 average lumber values. Are we ;oiix'; to have difficulty in 



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