20 



THE FORESTER. 



January, 



serves is the result of " false representa- 

 tions made by the American Forestry 

 Association." It would seem that, by 

 that particular interest and in that locality 

 at least, the American Forestry Associa- 

 tion, in common with the coyotes and 

 wolves of the wilderness and the foreign 

 wool grower under the free trade regime, 

 is regarded as a most deadly enemy of 

 the flockmaster. The American For- 

 estry Association, above all things, has 

 always sought to develop the facts that 

 should be the cause of, and the basis for 

 public action. It has no interests of a 

 private or selfish nature to conserve and 

 has ever advocated what seemed to 

 promise the greatest good to the greatest 

 number. Just why any particular class 

 or interest has a vested right to the use 

 of any part of the national domain to the 

 exclusion or injury of other interests or 

 industries is not apparent. For nearly 

 seventeen years the American Forestry 

 Association has been working for the 

 present and future welfare of the whole 

 people, and the selfish motives of a 

 single class interest will scarcely avail 

 now to change its sense of duty to the 

 more general interests involved. There 

 are good reasons why the grazing of sheep 

 on forest reserves seems inexpedient, and 

 until careful investigation shall result in 

 the development of facts to the contrary, 

 the regulation which has aroused this 

 opposition should be continued in effect. 



A Better Understanding. 



There has been within the past twelve 

 months a very noticeable change in sen- 

 timent on the part of many people in the 

 West toward the forest reserve policy of 

 the Federal Government. Perhaps one 

 of the strongest agencies contributing 

 to this desirable result is the report of 

 Mr. Frederick V. Coville, botanist of the 

 Department of Agriculture, on the sub- 

 ject of "Forest Growth and Sheep 

 Grazing in the Cascade Mountains of 

 Oregon." Mr. Coville's fair and un- 

 biased manner of presenting the facts 

 developed by his careful and painstak- 

 ing investigation, together with the re- 



commendations submitted, appealed to 

 reason rather than predjudice, and that 

 with telling effect. The result is appar- 

 ent in the many letters received from 

 residents of Oregon, some of whom are 

 sheep owners. They all unite in com- 

 mending the report together with the 

 accompanying recommendations. The 

 Portland Oregonian published the report 

 in full and added its editorial endorse- 

 ment. The following, which is a more 

 recent expression of the Oregonian, is 

 indicative of the present state of public 

 sentiment in Oregon : 



' It may be said that there are now fewer 

 violations of the National Park and forest laws 

 of the United States than ever. Cleveland's 

 reservation proclamation is not working the 

 hardship that people thought it would, and all 

 classes are glad that the Senate amendment to 

 the Sundry Civil Bill, abolishing the reserva- 

 tions, did not prevail." 



Among others who have expressed 

 the most cordial approval of Mr. Co- 

 ville's exposition of the matter are 

 Hon. T. W. Davenport, ex-State sur- 

 veyor, of Salem; Judge J. B. Waldo, of 

 Macleay, who is known as "the father 

 of the Cascade Reserve," and Hon. J. N. 

 Williamson, of Prineville, who is a mem- 

 ber of the Oregon legislature, a stock- 

 man and sheep owner. At a special 

 meeting of the Stockmen's Union of 

 southern Wasco County, Ore., the fol- 

 lowing resolution was adopted : 



Resolved, "That this Union generally en- 

 dorses the report of F. V. Coville on the Cas- 

 cade Forest Reserve and pledges its best 

 efforts to carry out the suggestions therein 

 witnessed." 



(Signed) E. M. Haley, 



Sec'y Stockmen' s Union. 



Gradually it is beginning to dawn upon 

 the popular mind that forestry and a 

 forest reservation policy do not com- 

 prehend the setting aside of vast tracts 

 and keeping them from ever becoming 

 fields of human industry. It is well that 

 such views are becoming dissipated, for 

 forestry means use as against abuse of 

 woodland reserves. The result of the 

 publication of Mr. Coville's report is 

 indeed most happy. 



