I io OUR FEDERAL LANDS 



Indiana had all introduced bills more or less sym- 

 pathetic with the idea of reservations. Few of these 

 were even considered in committee, and none passed 

 both houses. But they reflected growing public 

 opinion and, broadcasting the reservation idea, pre- 

 pared the way by accustoming Congress and the peo- 

 ple to the idea. Several of these bills called definitely 

 for reservations of land from which the timber was 

 to be sold but the land held in public ownership. 



More immediately contributory was the memo- 

 rial of the American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science to President Harrison in 1889 vig- 

 orously urging forest reservations. This he trans- 

 mitted to Congress, but Representative Dunnell's 

 bill founded upon it failed. 



The Forest Reserve Act passed in this way : In 

 1891, the General Revision Act, not a forest but a 

 general land measure, was passed by both houses 

 and went into conference for the settlement of a 

 few points of difference. The American Forestry 

 Association persuaded Secretary of the Interior 

 Noble to ask for a rider authorizing the President 

 to establish forest reserves. It was fortunate that 

 four of the six conferees happened to favor forest 

 reserves, with the others unopposed. The conferees 

 wrote the clause into the bill as Section 24. A forest 

 measure was not expected in a general land bill, and, 

 in the usual rush at the close of the session, bill and 

 rider passed without opposition. 



In this indirect way, so often used for less 



