234 Proceedings of the 



stricted public use of the forest lands of the West and 

 their creation into reservations, has the endorsement 

 of residents of Western States, even though the public 

 land area of those States is seriously diminished. The 

 Western people, patriotic in all things, acquiesced in 

 the intrenchment upon their States for the general 

 public good. Although the creation of forest reserves 

 and forest regulations often work hardships to individ- 

 uals and to communities, there is no branch of the 

 Government which has more loyal support from West- 

 ern citizens than has the forest service. 



That there have been earnest complaints concerning 

 it cannot be denied. That these complaints were just 

 is evident, for the two great administrative arms of 

 the Government, the Department of the Interior and 

 the Department of Agriculture, have taken cognizance 

 of them, and have provided remedies for many of the 

 complaints, until now there is a fair degree of harmony 

 between the people directly concerned by forest reserve 

 regulation and the forest service. 



The complaints which have attended the administra- 

 tion of the forest reserve law grew out of the mistaken 

 notion of many minor officials, and of some whose 

 places were quite high on the official roster, that the 

 reserves and what they contained were to be withdrawn 

 from public use. They acted in their dealings with 

 those living on or near the reserves on the theory that 

 the timber, the grass, the water, and even the air, 

 was reserved for the use of the Government and such 

 of its official servants who might happen to have their 

 abiding place, temporarily or permanently, on the 

 reserves. 



Happily, this idea of withdrawing the reserves from 

 all use has, year by year, lost its potency. Investiga- 

 tion, examination, and experience demonstrated that 



