I 



THE FOREST RESERVES 133 



for minerals or for agricultural purposes than for forest purposes 

 was specifically forbidden. In the second place, the Secretary of the 

 Interior was authorized to give free timber and stone to settlers, 

 miners, or residents for firewood, fencing, building, mining, prospect- 

 ing, and other domestic purposes ; and in the third place, the reserves 

 were opened to mining and prospecting. In the fourth place, a clause 



Iuthorized any person who had a claim or a patent to land included 

 la forest reserve to relinquish his tract to the government and select 

 Id receive patent to an equal area outside. 

 fA number of provisions of the Pettigrew bill showed the influence 

 of wise and far-sighted friends of the reserves. In the first place, and 

 most important, a clause gave the Secretary of the Interior the power 

 to make provisions for the protection of the reserve^to "make such 

 rules and regulations and establish such service as will insure the 

 objects of such reservations, namely, to regulate their occupancy and 

 use, and to preserve the forests thereon from destruction." In the 

 second place, the secretary was authorized to sell timber, "under such 

 rules and regulations" as he might prescribe ; and in the third place, 

 the President was authorized to restore lands found better adapted to 

 mining or agricultural purposes than to forest usage, or to modify 

 the boundaries of forest reserves in any way. 



On the whole, the amendment was about the best measure that 

 friends of the reserves could have hoped for, but as a rider to an 

 appropriation bill it was clearly out of order. Pettigrew announced, 

 however, that if his amendment were ruled out on a point of order, he 

 would fight the appropriation bill with a filibuster. This proved un- 

 necessary, for when Senator Gorman raised the point of order it was 

 referred to the Senate and voted down by a vote of 25 to 23.^^ 



In the amendment, as first introduced by Pettigrew, there was no 

 provision revoking or suspending the new reserves; but he later re- 

 introduced it with a clause suspending the reserves that Cleveland had 

 established, until March 1, 1898; and it was on this question of sus- 

 pending the reserves that most of the debates turned, less attention 

 being paid to other more important provisions. 



The western men rallied around Pettigrew, almost to a man. Clark 

 of Wyoming complained of the "utter and absolute and intolerant 

 ignorance of the whole proposition." White of California declared 



