THE PERIOD FROM 1878 TO 1891 67 



lowing its passage, no change in Congress to justify a hope that it 

 would be repealed. It is true that the idea of forest conservation was 

 spreading, but in Congress, especially in the Senate, the opposing 

 forces gained considerable strength in the late eighties and 1890 by 

 the admission of several new western states : North and South Dakota 

 (1889), Montana (1889), Washington (1889), Idaho (1890), and 

 Wyoming (1890). Most of these new states could usually be counted 

 upon to vote against conservation measures. 



During the eighties there was little agitation regarding this par- 

 ticular act. Congress being largely engrossed in a general overhaul- 

 ing of other public land laws, particularly the Preemption, Timber 

 Culture, Desert Land, and Commutation Homestead laws ; yet a few 

 bills relating specifically to free timber appeared, and all of them 

 favored a more liberal policy. In 1880, Representative Downey of 

 Wyoming introduced a bill to extend the Free Timber Act to all pub- 

 lic lands regardless of their mineral character, but the bill was never 

 reported. ^^ Several years later. Representative Symes of Colorado 

 attempted to amend the Free Timber Act, and Senator Teller (for- 

 merly Secretary of the Interior) made several similar efforts, one of 

 his measures passing the Senate in 1888.^" 



Of a type entirely different from these bills was the conservation 

 measure introduced by Representative Holman of Indiana in 1887.^^ 

 This bill contained a provision that all timber lands should be classi- 

 fied as such, and the timber sold to the highest bidder at not less than 

 appraised value, in tracts of not more than forty acres. This provision 

 was intended to secure for the government something like the real 

 value of the timber, but Smith of Arizona immediately offered an 

 amendment providing free use of any timber not of commercial value, 

 apparently fearing that the bill would curtail free timber privileges ; 

 and this amendment passed without opposition. It was fairly clear 

 that free timber was not likely to be taken from the "poor settler" 

 and miner until Congress experienced a change of heart. 



While it was thus clear that Congress would not abridge the privi- 



19 H. R. 6340; 46 Cong. 2 sess. 



20 H. R. 6709, S. 2510, S. 2877; 50 Cong. 1 sess.: S. 1394; 51 Cong. 1 sess. See 

 also Report, Land Office, 1890, 82. 



21 H. R. 7901 ; 50 Cong. 1 sess. 



