AMERICAN FOREST CONGRESS 367 



was then thoroughly examined by and discussed with 

 Senator Pettigrew.* The amendment met with the ap- 

 proval of the Secretary of the Interior and of the Presi- 

 dent, and it was introduced in the Senate in a modified 

 form by Senator Pettigrew on April 6, 1897, as a pro- 

 posed amendment to the Sundry Civil Bill and was re- 

 ferred to the Committee on Appropriations. On April 8, 

 1897, Senator Pettigrew offered the amendment as 

 originally prepared, and it was referred to the Com- 



* HOTEL VICTORIA, NEW YORK CITY, 



January II, 1905. 

 CHARLES D. WALCOTT, ESQ., 



U. S. Geological Survey, 



Washington, D. C. 

 My Dear Sir: 



Your letter of January ist has just reached me, too late, I 

 suppose, for me to be of use to you in connection with the 

 Forestry Congress. I think your account of the amendment 

 to the Sundry Civil Bill with regard to the administration of 

 the forests of the United States is substantially correct. I 

 was the author of the legislation of 1891, authorizing the 

 President to set apart forest reservations out of the public 

 domain, and therefore always in favor of a policy which should 

 protect these forests and perpetuate them, so that they would 

 grow better year by year. 



I studied with great care Napoleon's method for administer- 

 ing the forests of France; I also investigated the English 

 policy in India, and the policy pursued by the Austrian Gov- 

 ernment, and I reviewed and slightly amended the suggestions 

 which you made to what is now the existing law. I remember 

 my colleague, Senator Moody, made such modifications and 

 amendments as it seemed to me were not advisable, and that 

 you and I together went over the manuscript and struck them 

 out; that the result of our joint labor was the law as it now 

 stands, under which the forests are administered. 



For my part I should be pleased if all the forest lands, and 

 all the other lands now owned by the Government of the 

 United States, were withdrawn from sale and were admin- 

 istered by the Government, so that the title would remain 

 forever in the Government for the benefit of the people of the 

 United States. Very truly yours, 



(Signed) R. F. PETTIGREW. 



