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THE UNRESERVED TIMBER LAND 251 



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the state of Oregon, this act contrasts with the general law relating 

 to public land sales, which gives only 5 per cent to the states in which 

 the lands are situated. It was explained by the Oregon delegation in 

 Congress that this was only justice, since the Southern Pacific, by 

 refusing to sell to "settlers," had greatly "interfered with the devel- 

 opment of the state" ; and the Federal government had been party to 

 e wrong by failing to assert its right to forfeit the grant. It is 

 necessary to dwell much upon the logic of this position, but a gov- 

 nment investigator, reporting on these lands, stated that for a long 

 me the railroad company was unable to get $2.50 per acre for what 

 ere then almost valueless timber lands, and that, since they were 

 ainly forest lands, they could never have been taken up by settlers 

 yhow. Several men in Congress, even several from the West, as well 

 the House committee reporting the bill, complained that the act 

 as too generous to the state of Oregon; and former Speaker Joe 

 annon offered an amendment cutting off the 40 per cent to the 

 clamation fund and turning it into the United States treasury, but 

 this amendment was lost. Representative Sinnot of Oregon complained 

 ,hat his state was not even getting enough out of the deal. It seems 

 have been necessary to treat Oregon very generously in order to 

 t the bill through Congress promptly. The court decision had given 

 bngress six months to provide for the disposition of the lands, and 

 it was necessary to legislate without delay. 



The question naturally emerges. Why were not these lands placed 

 a forest reserve? That would have been the logical procedure, and 

 doubtless was the policy favored by most of the government officials ; 

 but it seems that the Oregon delegation in Congress was strongly 

 opposed to any such disposition of the lands, and probably they repre- 

 sented the attitude of the people of the state. The Oregon State Land 

 Grant Conference, which met at Salem in September, 1915, expressed 

 "unalterable opposition" to any further increase of forest reserves 

 in Oregon. A government investigator who was sent out to look over 

 the lands asserted that this conference was not representative of the 

 people as a whole ; but the Oregon senators and representatives, who 

 may be assumed to have sounded out public opinion, seem to have been 

 generally hostile to the inclusion of more lands in reserves. It was 

 >uggested by Representative Johnson of Washington that the lands 



