FOREST RESERVES IN IDAHO. - 65 



On December 17, 1904, the I'resldent signed tlie following order : 



" In the exercise of the power vested in the President by section 1753 of the 

 Revised Statutes, and acts amendatory thereof : 



" /f is ordered. That all persons employed in the field and in the District of 

 Columbia in the * protection and administration of forestry reserves in or under 

 the General Land Ottice of the Interior Department' be classified and the civil- 

 service act and rules applied thereto, and that no person be hereafter appointed, 

 employed, promoted, or transferred in said service until he passes an examination 

 in conformity therewith, unless specifically exempted thereunder. This order 

 shall apply to all otti((>rs and employees. excei)t persons employed merely as 

 laborers, and persons wliosc apitointments are confirmed by the Senate." 



This order classifies the whole Forest Reserve Service, now transferred, and 

 places it under the civil-service law. 



In the administration of the forest reserves it must be clearly borne in mind 

 that all land is to l)e devoted to its most productive use for the permanent good 

 of the whole people and not for the temporary benefit of individuals or com- 

 panies. All the resources of forest reserves are for use. and this use must be 

 brought about in a thoroughly prompt and businesslike manner, under such 

 restrictions only as will insure the permanence of these resources. The vital 

 importance of forest reserves to the great industries of the western States will 

 be largely increased in the near future by the continued steady advance in set- 

 tlement and development. The permanence of the resources of the reserves 

 is therefore indispensable to continued prosperity, and the policy of this Depart- 

 ment for their protection and use will invariably be guided by this fact, always 

 bearing in mind that the conservative use of these resources in no way conflicts 

 with their permanent value. You will see to it that the water, wood, and foragv. 

 of the reserves are conserved and wisely used for the benefit of the home- 

 builder first of all, upon whom depends the best permanent use of lands and 

 resources alike. The continued prosperity of the agricultural, lumbering, min- 

 ing, and live-stock interests is directly dependent upon a permanent and acces- 

 sible supply of water, wood, and forage, as well as upon the present and future 

 use of these resources under businesslike regulations, enforced with promptness, 

 effectiveness, and common sense. In the management of each reserve local 

 questions will be decided upon local grounds; the dominant industry will be 

 considered first, but with as little restriction to minor industries as may be 

 possible; sudden changes in industrial conditions will be avoided by gradual 

 adjustment after due notice; and where conflicting interests must be reconciled, 

 the question will always be decided from the standpoint of the greatest good of 

 the greatest number in the long run. 



These general principles will govern in the protection and use of the water 

 supply, in the disposal of timber and wood, in the use of the range, and in all 

 other matters connected with the management of the reserves. They can be 

 successfully applied only when the administration of each reserve is left very 

 largely in the hands of the local oflicers, under the eye of thoroughly trained 

 and competent inspectors. 

 Very respectfully. 



James Wilson, Secretary. 



Senator Heyburn to Mr. Pinchot. 



Wallace, Idaho, Jlay 15, 1905. 

 Dear Sir: I am just in receipt of your letter of May 4, in which 

 you call my attention to the map, of which you gave me a copy, with 

 certain proposed new^ forest reserves outlined, and in which you sa}^, 

 " I find that errors in the location of towns are responsible for most 

 of your protests against these reserves, and that the outlines of the 

 reserves are drawn as they were recommended, and that the drafts- 

 man did not alter any feature printed on the original map." I am 

 preparing as rapidly as possible a reply to your answer to my protest. 

 I have found an accumulation of public and personal business await- 



