106 UNITED STATES FOREST POLICY 



important in their bearing upon the public timber lands, have been by 

 far the most important cause of the concentration in timber owner- 

 ship which in recent years has come to occupy so much attention. 



Fortunately the fiasco of 1890 was not the only action taken with 

 regard to the railroad grants, for, already in 1887, the Secretary of 

 the Interior had been directed to adjust all land grants,^^^ and in 

 1880, Congress had restored 28,253,347 acres to the public domain 

 by forfeiture of particular grants/^^ 



TIMBER ON INDIAN RESERVATIONS 



Congressional action in regard to the Homestead and Preemption 

 laws, public and private sale, and forfeiture of railroad grants, had 

 no specific reference to timber lands. It is true that the Timber Cul- 

 ture Law was originally intended to exert an influence on forest con- 

 ditions, but with the failure of the act to accomplish that purpose, it 

 ceased to be of importance as a forest land measure; in fact, it was 

 about the only law for the acquisition of lands which was never used 

 in taking timber. 



Legislation specifically relating to timber lands has already been 

 considered somewhat in connection with the Free Timber and the 

 Timber and Stone acts. In each case Congress refused to adopt a 

 conservation policy. In certain other timber land measures, however. 

 Congress showed a different tendency. This is indicated in some meas- 

 ure by the act of 1888, forbidding trespass on Indian reservations. 

 Previous to 1888, there had been no law specifically prohibiting timber 

 cutting on the Indian reservations. The act of 1859^^^ set the penalty 

 for depredations on military or "other" reservations, but it had not 

 been interpreted to apply to Indian reservations, and, during the 

 eighties, there was much complaint regarding the stealing of timber 

 from the Indians. President Cleveland urged Congress to act, and 

 finally, in 1888, after a great many unsuccessful attempts,^"* a law 

 was secured extending the provisions of the act of 1859 to Indian 

 reservations. ^^^ 



151 Stat. 24, 556, 



152 Report, Sec. of Int., 1888, XIV. 



153 Stat. 11, 408. 



154 H. R. 6321, H. R. 6371; 46 Cong. 2 sess.: S. 2496, 47 Cong. 2 sess.: S. 1188, 

 S. 1544; 48 Cong. 1 sess.: H. R. 3306, H. R. 6045, S. 1476, S. 1779; 50 Cong. 1 sess. 



155 S. Ex. Doc. 13; 49 Cong. 1 sess.: Stat. 25, 166. 



