3^6 Proceedings of the 



and Washington. Early in March, Congress inserted 

 in the Sundry Civil Bill an amendment revoking the 

 forest-reserve proclamations of February 22, 1897, and 

 repealing the authority for setting aside public forested 

 lands as reserves ; but the bill failed, because President 

 Cleveland did not sign it ; and when the new Congress 

 assembled on March 15, 1897, the agitation against 

 the reserves was resumed. 



My predecessor. Major J. W. Powell, was much 

 interested in the forests of the country, but did not 

 take an active part in shaping the policy of the Govern- 

 ment control or administration of forest lands. I had 

 kept in touch with the general movement for the 

 preservation of the forests, and with the commission 

 of the National Academy of Sciences, of which Mr. 

 Gifford Pinchot was secretary ; also with the members 

 of Congress who were especially interested in the com- 

 mission's recommendations, and knew the sentiment 

 these recommendations had developed. After the 

 attack on the policy of forest reserves in the spring of 

 1897, I found that the National Academy commission 

 could not take further action, and that nothing was 

 being done by the forestry officers of the Government 

 toward urging constructive legislation and combating 

 the movement to repeal the law and return the forest 

 reserves to the open public domain. After consulta- 

 tion with a number of senators from the Western 

 States, I drew up, at the suggestion of Senator Petti- 

 grew, of South Dakota, an amendment providing for 

 the survey and administration of the forest reserves. 

 The administrative features of the amendment were 

 based upon previously proposed but not enacted legis- 

 lation, and upon the recommendations of the commis- 

 sion of the National Academy of Sciences, modified to 

 meet conditions in April, 1897. The preliminary draft 



