HOSTILITY TO NATIONAL FORESTS 281 



power sites or for irrigation should be put to the proper use. There 

 can be only one way to accomplish this development, and that is to 

 get farmers to farm land, miners to prospect pnd develop mines, 

 water power companies to build construction works, lumbermen to 

 buy timber, stockmen to put in their herds to feed on the grass. In 

 other words, people are needed in the forests to use the resources. 



It should be noted finally, that, even if the complaints of hardship 

 from loss of taxation be given full credence, it is not probable that the 

 best way to help unfortunate communities would be to increase the 

 percentage of national forest receipts, for where little use of the for- 

 ests has as yet been developed, the receipts would not do much good 

 even if they were all given. The remedy for such a situation must be 

 found in some other way. It would be unwise for the government to 

 increase this fund above 25 per cent; but it is not at all impossible 

 that the western men may yet secure an increase. The proposition has 

 a "pork barrel" flavor which might make an irresistible appeal to 

 Congress, under certain circumstances. Furthermore, it presents a 

 rather attractive and indirect way of attacking the reservation policy. 

 If the opponents of the national forests could get something for their 

 constituents, and at the same time increase the "insolvency" of the 

 reserves by cutting down the share of revenues available for their 

 protection, and thus turn some of the eastern men against them, they 

 would be attacking the forests in the safest and most effective way. It 

 is not certain that the average congressman from the West gains 

 public favor, even among his "home folk," by attacking the reserves 

 directly, but if he can attack them in the guise of a statesman seeking 

 "pork," he can hardly fail to win votes, and at the same time perhaps 

 seriously prejudice the reserves. It is notable that several of the 

 recent attacks on the reservation policy have been inaugurated by an 

 attempt to secure an increase in this fund. 



INCLUSION OF STATE LANDS IN THE NATIONAL FORESTS 



Frequent complaints have been made regarding the inclusion of 

 state lands in the national forests. It has been claimed that, in some 

 cases, the value of state lands has been reduced to almost nothing; 

 and in almost every session of Congress a great many bills are intro- 

 duced to "adjust the claims of the States and Territories to lands 



