THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



105 



have lost a heritage of millions and hundreds of mil- 

 lions, and Weyerhouser interests have the plunder. 



THE whole people are more directly interested than 

 the mere loss of the money value at this time. Prac- 

 tically all available forest lands are now controlled by 

 Mr. Weyerhouser. Forest reserves have shut out a 

 majority of independent operators and custom mills. 

 To buy lumber one must pay tribute to the lumber 

 king. The lumber bill of a small cottage now costs 

 $200 to $300 more than it did a few years ago. Barns, 

 fences, corncribs, graneries, railroad ties all have ad- 

 vanced, and new development is compelling continua- 

 tion of tribute. The West country alone has paid bil- 

 lions of dollars for lumber in the past few years, and 

 one-third of the sum is arbitrary advances, made possi- 

 ble through our national forestry policy. 



THE old ways of acquiring fortunes by stealing 

 government timber were too slow for these masters of 

 finance, yet the public conscience is stilled by vigorous 

 prosecutions of petit malefactors. The public goose is 

 still laying golden eggs for the conspirators. Exten- 

 sions of forest reserves has reached such a limit over 

 public lands, that "outside" timber lands have advanced 

 from $5.00 and $6.00 per acre to $100 and $500 per 

 acre. 



CHIEF Forester Pinchot now occasionally sells the 

 timber from prescribed areas, but (it seems singular) 

 in such bodies that individuals and small custom opera- 

 tors are eliminated. Lieu lands now control the mouths 

 of most of the canyons the ways of ingress and egress 

 to the timber offered for sale. Dummies, representing 

 Weyerhouser interests appear and buy in amounts of 

 ten or fifteen million feet, or upward, as offered, and 

 buy for a song, because small independent mills can 

 not purchase in such quantities, and if they could, they 

 would find it necessary to pay tribute for rights of 

 way, and suffer dictation from both the government and 

 the lumber trust. 



SPECULATION to a limited extent, perhaps inspires 

 and brings out qualities of men. Probably speculation 

 is one of the elements that enters into the building of 

 new communities, but we would give the real builder, 

 the primary individual, a chance to speculate in his 

 own small way, and not permit the government to aid 

 conspiracies which will confine operations to financial 

 giants. 



MR. PRESIDENT, the present petty prosecutions un- 

 doubtedly are inspired for a purpose. The "joker" 

 appears in your message upon the public lands subject. 

 We believe the recommended alterations were suggested 

 by a close official who has won your confidence. 



IF THE desert land act is repealed, or cumbered 

 with more abominable red tape, if the commutation 

 clause of the homestead act is repealed, if the spy sys- 

 tem upon homesteaders is not discontinued, enterprise 

 will be driven toward land grant properties, which will 

 increase the value of all grant lands 25 to 50 per cent, 

 and make millions of dollars for the big owners. 



FOREST reserves have destroyed a majority of the 

 custom lumber mills of the West. The rest will quit 

 when the timber and stone act is repealed, and the build- 

 ing world will be at the mercy of F. W. Weyerhouser, 

 who, while kindly of manner and soft of speech, and 

 retiring of disposition, yet possesses insatiate greed and 

 lust for power. 



Do YOU appreciate that the American Forestry 

 Association, of which F. W. Weyerhouser is a central 

 figure, molds our federal forest policies? Mr. Pin- 

 chot, head of the forestry service and Mr. Weyerhouser, 

 head of the lumber trust, are both vice-presidents of 

 this institution, if we are correctly advised. The St. 

 Paul Press, dictated to and dominated by associates of 

 Mr. WeySrhouser, is the most ardent defender of the 

 policies inaugurated by Mr. Pinchot, that he has in all 

 the States. 



No FEDERAL policy should need untruth to uphold 

 it. Director Walcott, head of the Geological Survey, 

 after the attack of Senator Heyburn upon our national 

 forestry policies, felt called upon to spread a report 

 that Mr. Heyburn was or had been attorney for Wey- 

 erhouser interests, which the senator assures us is 

 without a fabric of foundation. Whether Mr. Walcott 

 spoke ignorantly or consciously prevaricated matters 

 not. I repeat, the policy that will not stand the search- 

 light of truth is an unworthy policy, and a man or 

 bureau that will resort to assassination of character to 

 defend policies needs investigation. 



The Vulcan Iron Works Company, steam shovel 

 manufacturers of Toledo, Ohio, have, during the past 

 year materially increased the capacity of their plant. 

 New machines, of the latest and most improved types, 

 have been installed. In fact, every device for facilitat- 

 ing the work in the shops, such as heavy steam hammers, 

 lathes, boring, turning, milling, punching, and shearing 

 machines, besides two large water-tube boilers with a 

 capacity of 200 H. P. each, and a new Ingersoll-Rand 

 air compressor with a capacity of 750 feet, have been 

 added, making this one of the most complete and com- 

 pact plants in the country for the manufacture of steam 

 shovels. Another very important feature is the comple- 

 tion of an entire new and separate shop for taking care 

 of repair work. 



These conditions were brought about by the in- 

 creasing demand for Vulcan heavy duty shovels, the 

 company having just closed the most prosperous year 

 in their history, and have even brighter prospects for 

 the coming year. 



