272 UNITED STATES FOREST POLICY 



of Colorado observed that "the less public domain and the less natural 

 resources a member [of Congress] has in his state, the more enthusi- 

 astic he is about conservation." In similar humor, Representative 

 Taylor of the same state denied that the land and resources of the 

 West are the common property of the people of the country. "Those 

 resources," he announced in Congress, "are the property of the peo- 

 ple who go there and develop them. If you want a share of them, come 

 out to our country and help us reclaim the forest and the desert land 

 and develop the water power. We will extend to you a hearty greeting, 

 and you are welcome to your share of it. But you have no right to 

 remain cosily in the East and put a tax upon our industry in trying 

 to build up those great western states. "^^ 



As to the logic of this plea, it can only be said that the proper 

 policy for the government is not so much a question of abstract "jus- 

 tice," as of expediency. The fact that the East exploited its lands 

 without restriction is no reason why the West should do the same 

 thing, unless the results have demonstrated the wisdom of that policy. 

 As far as agricultural lands are concerned, results have justified the 

 policy the government pursued, but as to natural forest lands, coal, 

 oil, gas, and mineral lands, perhaps also power sites, it seems that the 

 government should have adopted the policy of reservation at the start. 

 The fact that the country adopted an unwise policy with respect to 

 such lands at the time the eastern states were being settled is no reason 

 for clinging to that policy after its evil effects have become apparent. 



OPPOSITION TO GAME PRESERVATION 



A few of the western men evinced considerable hostility toward the 

 work of the government in game preservation. Several big game pre- 

 serves have been established outside the national forests, under the 

 jurisdiction of the Biological Survey, and three have been created, by 

 special act of Congress, within the national forests. The Forest Ser- 

 vice is also trying to protect certain kinds of wild game in the other 

 national forests. Senator Heyburn was particularly indignant about 

 this policy. "It was suggested here," he complained, "that the gov- 

 ernment had great game preserves, and that the beautiful deer might 

 be preserved from destruction. I would rather have one Alderney cow 



27 Cong. Bee, Apr. 7, 1910, 4376; Mar. 2, 1911, 4017. 



