form of wages for the manufacture of wood products. One 

 million people, or approximately half of our present popula- 

 tion, would be supported by this one industry. This would be 

 the contribution of the forest to the industrial prosperity of 

 the state, but does not include the $35,000,000 that the state 

 would receive annually in the form of net revenue from the 

 sale of stumpage. 



To sum up, the forests of the state would create annually 

 for the state a wealth of $105,500,000, sufficient to support ap- 

 proximately 2,000,000 people, the present total population of 

 the state. 



This reads like the most fantastic fairy tale ever invented 

 by the fertile imagination, but it is in reality based on facts. 

 The facts of another country, to be sure, but a country which 

 differs from ours only in the stage of its development, and 

 whose forests differed from ours approximately none at all a 

 century and a half ago. Therefore we are fully justified in 

 expecting to equal their accomplishments in the future. With 

 their experience before us we ought to proceed more rapidly 

 than they did, but this can be done only if we profit by their 

 errors, which is exactly what we are not doing. We are blun- 

 dering along just as they did. 



It is the duty of every citizen of Minnesota who is inter- 

 ested in the welfare of the state to keep these facts constantly 

 in mind and see that our laws are so shaped as to bring this 

 proper development of our forests. 



Minnesota has today over 14,000,000 acres of land which is 

 producing only a scattering growth of volunteer timber and 

 which is capable of producing under efficient forest manage- 

 ment over $100,000,000 annually. Are you going to make this 

 land pay its share of the state's expenses or are you going to 

 do it yourself? 



The national government has long recognized the fact that 

 the land speculator is the greatest stumbling block in the real 

 settlement of a country. The homestead law was an attempt 

 to get away from him and it was largely successful. It suc- 

 ceeded in thousands of places in placing settlers at a minimum 



8 



