FOEEST RESERVES IN IDAHO. 33 



Mr. Loeb to Mr. Pinchot. 



Washington, March 31^ 1905. 

 My Dear Mr. Pinchot : The President avouIcI be glad to have you 

 send him a report on the matter referred to in the inclosed letter from 

 Senator Heyburn, dated the 30th instant. 



Very truly, j^ours, Wm. Loeb, Jr., 



Secretary to the President. 

 Mr. GiFFORD Pinchot, 



Department of Agriculture. 



Mr, Pinchot to the President. 



Washington, April 10^ 1905. 

 The President, 



White House. 



Dear Mr. President: On my return to Washington I am glad to 

 report on the matter referred to in Senator Heyburn's letter to you 

 of March 30. as requested in Mr. Loeb's letter of March 31. 



The object of the temporary withdrawal of lands in Shoshone 

 County, Idaho (which is the action objected to by Senator Heyburn), 

 was discussed on March 31 in a conversation between yourself, 

 Senator He^^burn, Mr. Fimple, and Mr. Price, and I need now only 

 repeat the statements then made by Mr. Price. His views entirely 

 coincide with my own. 



The lands in question adjoin the present Bitter Root Forest 

 Reserve on the north, include approximately 1,150.000 acres, and 

 were temporarily withdrawn from settlement by the Secretary of 

 the Interior on March 21, 1905, in accordance with the recommenda- 

 tion of the Secretary of Agriculture, on my advice. This action was 

 based on the results of a detailed field examination made last sum- 

 mer by one of our men. The lands Avere shown to be well suited to 

 forest-reserve purposes, and the AvithdraAval Avas recommended 

 because otherAA^ise title to much of the best timber land AA^ould soon 

 pass into speculatiA^e hands unless immediate action AAas taken. 



Senator Heyburn's chief points of objection appear to be as 

 folloAvs : 



(1) That the AA^ithdraAA'al does not form a compact body, but is 

 made up of scattered toAAiiships, for some of Avhich surveys haA'e been 

 made or are uoaa' under AA^ay. 



The Senator is evidently misinformed as to the location and extent 

 of the AA'ithdraAval. for, as a matter of fact, it forms an absolutely 

 compact area. Avhich may be readily seen from a glance at the inclosed 

 map. It is true that scA^eral of the toAA^nships have been surveyed or 

 are now being surA^eyed. but this forms no objection AAhatcA^er to the 

 AA'ithdraAA'al, as is explained beloAV. 



(2) That the AvithdraAval Avas made rather to preA^ent settlement 

 than to 2)reserAx timber. 



If the lands are agricultural in nature. Senator Heyburn has good 

 reason to object on this score; if the lands are not agricultural, no set- 

 tlement is possible, and this objection does not hold, 



