Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 August 1889 — Timber Thieves and Public Lands. [ARTICLE]

Timber Thieves and Public Lands.

The American Forestry ; congress, undismayed by past failures* is moving vigorously forward in the good work of preserving our forests not only from needless destruction but also from the ravages of the timber thieves who have been allowed to plunder the public domain for years with impunity through the criminal indifference of congress and its failure to protect the forests by suitable legislation. It will be remembered that the last congress was besieged by this association with appeals and protests and with memorials’ setting forth the nature and extent of the depredations of the timber thieves, but no action was takeu. Now the association has gone straight to headquarters and laid a memorial before President Harrison It is a significant document and ought to command prompt attention. It shows that millions of acres have literally been given away to individuals and corporations who have enriched themselves by cutting off the timber and leaving the land worthless; thrt the timber thieves have been open and defiant in their operations, particularly in the redwood region of California; and that since 1880 the value of the public timber stolen outright amounts to $36,719,935, of which the government has only recovered $478,073. =Chicago Tribune. '