THE PERIOD FROM 1878 TO 1891 113 



Senator Edmunds, "To establish a reservation at the headwaters of 

 the Missouri River," passed the Senate with little opposition/*^ 



The following year, Edmunds promptly brought his proposal up 

 again, and again it passed the Senate without comment, but made no 

 headway in the House. A general forest reservation bill introduced 

 by Sherman was not reported. In 1886, Representative Hatch of Mis- 

 souri introduced another reservation bill, but no results accrued.^*'^ 

 Generally, the forty-ninth Congress gave very little attention to the 

 question of forest reserves. 



In 1887, however, forest reserves were a popular subject in Con- 

 gress. Edmunds appeared with his favorite bill for a reserve at the 

 head of the Missouri River, but this time it was lost in committee, as 

 were also measures proposed by Senator Sherman of Ohio and Repre- 

 sentative Markham of California. The following year. Hatch made 

 another effort, but it failed to elicit a report. Bills introduced by 

 Representative Joseph of New Mexico, E. B. Taylor of Ohio, and 

 Holman of Indiana also failed.^®^ In this session, however, the House 

 adopted two resolutions calling for plans for the management and 

 disposition of timber lands, one of these resolutions calling specifically 

 for the secretary's plan for reserving forests. Inspector Bowers and 

 Assistant Secretary of the Interior Muldrow submitted elaborate 

 plans, but the House took no further action.^** 



Holman's bill for the general revision of the land laws, in 1888, 

 contained a provision that all timber lands should be classified as such, 

 and the timber sold without the land, at not less than appraised value; 

 and also a section providing specifically for the creation of forest 



181 S. 1188, S. 1258, S. 1824, S. 2451, H. R. 5206, H. R. 4811: Cong. Bee, Feb. 

 20, 1885, 1930; June 2, 1884, 4743, 4745. 



182 S. 551, S. 581, H. R. 2946; 49 Cong. 1 sess.: Cong. Rec, July 8, 1886, 6648, 

 6649. 



183 S. 540, S. 598; 50 Cong. 1 sess.: H. R. 10430; 49 Cong. 1 sess.: H. R. 1982, 

 H. R. 3239, H. R. 11037; 50 Cong. 1 sess. Weaver of Iowa also introduced a bill 

 "To further amend the public land laws, and for the preservation of the natural 

 forests on the public domain, the protection of water supph' and for other pur- 

 poses;" but it seems doubtful whether this really meant the creation of forest 

 reserves, for Weaver expressed himself, in another connection, as opposed to 

 separating the timber from the fee in the land. (H. R. 1352; 50 Cong. 1 sess.: 

 Cong. Rec, June 25, 1888, 5563.) 



i»*Cong. Rec, Jan. 18, 1888, 553; Mar. 24, 1888, 2371: H. Ex. Doc. 144, 242; 

 50 Cong. 1 sess. 



