Sierra Club Bulletin. 



men of the T. B.Walker and H. H. Yard type were to be met 

 with in Northern California, exploring the forests with troops of 

 timber-cruisers. They came from the exhausted forests of the 

 East. This was the year when the American Forestry Associa- 

 tion, at the request of members of the Sierra Club, passed a 

 resolution requesting the creation of a forest reserve to extend 

 from Lake Tahoe around, the entire head- waters of the Sacra- 

 mento Valley. The Sierra Club has never been less than five 

 years ahead of public opinion, but California has moved with 

 almost equal promptness, and we shall eventually see the success 

 of most we ardently desired in forest conservation. 



It is apparent from the table that the passage of the National 

 Irrigation Act on June 13, 1902, and anticipation of this event, 

 stimulated excessive activity under the three most defective 

 of our land laws. We have a very grave duty to perform in the 

 light of these statistics. The rights of the men of average prop- 

 erty and financial ability seem to be at stake in the West. Laws 

 should not stand which enable one class to overreach another, 

 particularly in the matter of acquiring land, the foundation of a 

 State's prosperity. We can encourage discussion of this subject 

 everywhere; we can advise the Government to liberal suspension 

 or reservation of public land during the current year; we can 

 finally use every means in our power to induce Congress to revise 

 our land laws, at its next session, in accordance with the expert 

 opinion of the Public Lands Commission, and in harmony with 

 the excellent intent of the National Irrigation Act. 



