228 UNITED STATES FOREST POLICY 



the public lands. For many years, scarcely a single attempt was made 

 to abolish the law or to improve it in any way, while in almost every 

 Congress, bills were introduced to relieve purchasers,** or to liberalize 

 and extend the provisions of the act. 



The Timber and Stone Act originally applied only to unoffered 

 land in four of the states ; and after the act had been extended to all 

 of the public land states, the most obvious next step was to make it 

 apply to offered as well as unoffered land. Congress was not slow to 

 move in this direction. In the fifty-third Congress, in Cleveland's 

 second administration, the House Committee on Public Lands intro- 

 duced a bill to authorize the sale of offered as well as unoffered lands,*® 

 and, in spite of the disapproval of the Secretary of the Interior and the 

 Commissioner of the Land Office, the bill passed both Houses of Con- 

 gress without a word of opposition. ^^ President Cleveland did not sign 

 it, but in the next Congress, Representative Lacey of Iowa brought 

 up another bill of similar design.^* This time. Secretary Hoke Smith 

 and Commissioner Lamoreux approved the proposal, these two offi- 

 cials having apparently experienced a change of heart in regard to 

 the Timber and Stone Act.^^ The bill was favorably reported by the 

 Committee on Public Lands, but got no further. 



In the next Congress, a House bill introduced by McRae of Arkan- 

 sas, "To abolish the distinction between offered and unoffered lands," 

 was favorably reported by the Committee on Public Lands, but re- 

 ceived no further consideration.^^ The object sought was accom- 

 plished during this session, however. Another bill, providing for the 



18 S. 22T5, H. R. 9790; 52 Cong. 2 sess.: H. R. 4726, H. R. 7259; 53 Cong. 2 sess.: 

 S. 1349, H. R. 14, H. R. 4065; 54 Cong. 1 sess.: H. R. 9923; 54 Cong. 2 sess.: S. 886; 

 55 Cong. 1 sess. 



19 H, R, 7259. 



20 H. Report 988: Cong. Bee, July 24, 1894, 7834; Feb. 26, 1895, 2783. 



21 H. R. 4442; 54 Cong. 1 sess. Lacey's attitude toward the Timber and Stone 

 Act seems somewhat strange. On most other public land questions, particularly the 

 question of forest reserves, he always took a firm stand for conservation. He could 

 hardly have been ignorant of the gross abuses which had arisen under the Timber 

 and Stone Act, yet he made various attempts to extend its operation. It will be 

 noted later that he afterward changed his attitude, and tried to secure the repeal 

 of the act. {Cong. Bee, Dec. 5, 1905, 112.) 



22 H. Report 137; 54 Cong. 1 sess. 



23 H. R. 5877, H. Report 130; 55 Cong. 2 sess. 



