THE UNRESERVED TIMBER LAND 245 



Federal jurisdiction in such matters/"" The amendment of this law in 

 1900 has been discussed in the preceding chapter/"^ The laws of 1897 

 and 1900 applied to reserved and unreserved lands alike. 



In 1906, a law was passed forbidding the boxiiig of trees on the 

 public domain to get pitch, turpentine, etc.^"^ This of course applied 

 mainly to the southern states, where the lack of such a law had 

 already resulted in the destruction of great forests of yellow pine. 

 In yet another matter. Congress voted for conservation, by passing, 

 in 1903, a law permitting registers and receivers to compel the attend- 

 ance of needed witnesses. ^"^ Such a law had been needed by the depart- 

 ment for nearly twenty years, and even when finally secured, it was 

 somewhat defective in not permitting the registers also to require 

 witnesses to produce papers, books, and documents ;^°* yet it was of 

 considerable value in the enforcement of the public land laws. 



Several much needed laws have never yet been secured from Con- 

 gress. The great timber frauds of 1903, 1904, and 1905 brought out 

 prominently the need for a law specifically providing for the punish- 

 ment of persons who fraudulently obtained, or' attempted to obtain, 

 title to public lands. Many of the indictments in the Oregon frauds 

 were for conspiracy to defraud the government ; and conspiracy was 

 often difficult to prove, even where the facts clearly showed fraud. In 



1905, Commissioner Richards sent to Congress a bill providing a 

 eavy fine for any attempt to gain title fraudulently, with the urgent 

 equest that it be passed ; but nothing was ever done wij;h it,^°° and no 

 pch law has ever been passed. 

 Another item of legislation which has been much needed is an amend- 

 ment of the law regarding perjury. Section 5392 of the Revised Stat- 

 utes provided that every person falsely swearing under an oath admin- 



100 Cong. Bee, June 10, 1896, 6395, 6396. An interesting forest fire measure was 

 introduced about this time by Shafroth of Colorado, providing for the clearance 

 of fire lanes 1000 feet wide at intervals of five or ten miles. This bill was favorably 

 reported in the House, but Commissioner Hermann considered it impracticable, 

 and it did not pass. (H. R. 9124, H. Report 1976; 54 Cong. 1 sess.: Cong. Rec, 

 Dec. 9, 1896, 53. See also H. R. 832, H. R. 9123; 54 Cong. 1 sess.) 



101 Stat. 31, 169. 



102 Stat. 34, 208, 



103 Stat. 32, 790. 



104 Report, Land Office, 1911, 43. 



105 H. Doc. 214; 59 Cong. 1 sess. 



