116 UNITED STATES FOREST POLICY 



the value of a timber supply and had shown a disposition mildly favor- 

 able to timber conservation. Walthall of Mississippi had taken an 

 active interest in at least one conservation measure — that providing 

 for the abolition of private entry in the South; while Pettigrew of 

 South Dakota had shown no hostility to forest conservation ; in fact, 

 Pettigrew has claimed to be the author of the forest reserve section. 

 Payson of Illinois and Pickler of South Dakota, representing the 

 House, were actively favorable to forest reserves, and Holman of 

 Indiana could be depended on to favor any proposition for better land 

 administration, although, like Senator Plumb, he was more interested 

 in other public land questions. Thus of the six conferees, at least four 

 would have been expected to favor the establishment of forest reserves, 

 while none were likely to oppose. The personnel of this committee was 

 one link of the chain of unusual circumstances which rendered the 

 final passage of the forest reserve measure possible. 



Secretary Noble's efforts were successful and a twenty-fourth sec- 

 tion was tacked onto the conference bill, providing for the creation of 

 reserves. This procedure — the introduction of a new provision in a 

 conference report — is contrary to the rules of Congress. The bill as 

 amended, with its twenty-four sections, was presented to the Senate a 

 few days before the close of the session.^** Senator Plumb, who had 

 charge of the bill, insisted on its speedy consideration, and without 

 even being printed, and with scarcely time for a comment, the bill 

 passed the Senate. 



The Senate had always been rather hostile to conservation meas- 

 ures, and the passage of this bill, thus, without any opposition, was 

 possible because of several favoring circumstances. The haste with 

 which Congress almost always acts near the close of a session was 

 aided by the great length of the bill, which made any careful study of 

 its various provisions difficult; while the great variety of provisions 

 involved, affecting every kind of public land and making various 

 changes in the different laws, rendered it difficult to pick out any one 

 clause for attack. Also, there were a great number of compromises in 



issCong. Bee, Feb. 28, 1891, 3614; Mar. 2, 1891, 3685. It is interesting to note 

 that as early as 1876, a law very similar to this forest reserve provision had been 

 passed in the Hawaiian Islands — destined later to become a part of the United 

 States. 



