Mineral laws. Stone and Timber Act. Hart, Actual Gov't, 338. Forest reserves. Black, R. L., in Outlook, 80 (1905), 1020-1028. Heyburn, W. B., in Independent, 60 (1906), 667-671. Salt River valley will be reclaimed by the water from this source. One of the most difficult of the projects has been completed in the Gunnison cañon in Colorado. The water from this dangerous and almost inaccessible gorge has been brought to the Uncompahgre valley by a tunnel more than six miles in lengut cut through the intervening mountain. 278. Mineral Lands and Forests. It has been possible for individuals and corporations to acquire possession of the immense mineral wealth of the United States, because the national government has permitted citizens or associations of citizens to locate small mining claims varying in size with the kind of mineral. In order to retain these claims, a minimum of $100 worth of labor must be performed on them each year for the first five years. Under the Stone and Timber Act, citizens may purchase 160 acres of lands that are not reserved or open under other laws. ASH. MONTANA NORTH 1 SOUTH IDAHO WYOMING IOWA NEBRASKA COLORADO KANSAS MO. NEVADA duce considerable timber by thinning out the dense growths. The national government realized the need of preserving the forests before the public awakened to the danger. At the present rate of destruction, our forests will be destroyed within a generation, the soft woods suitable for making paper being almost exhausted already. The possibility of the destruction of the forests, the direct commercial and Pinchot, G., in Annals æsthetic losses that come with deforestation, the indirect Am. Acad. consequences to the water supply of denuding the hills of trees 31 (1908), so that spring floods are swollen in volume while the summer 219-227. streams become tiny rivulets-all these dangers caused President Roosevelt and Chief Forester Pinchot to increase the forest reserves to more than 160,000,000 acres. Great care is taken by the construction of fire breaks and the constant patrolling by rangers to prevent disastrous forest fires. Lumber thieves are watched, and prosecuted with vigor. Whenever possible, large areas are planted with trees suitable to the soil and climate by the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, which has entire charge of the reserves. An earnest attempt has been made to create, through the coöperation of the Atlantic States, an Appalachian forest reserve, from lands held or controlled by the States. This interest in such a necessary reserve was one of the chief causes leading to the conference of governors at Washington (1908) (§ 164). parks. Some of these reserves possess such marvelous scenery National that they are not treated as ordinary reserves, but are considered national parks. The largest of these, Yellowstone Park, is half as large as the State of Massachusetts, and is famous for its geysers. Probably the most beautiful is the far-famed Yosemite. 279. The Method of surveying the Public Domain. The The general surveys of our public lands have been made in accordance with ordi- process. nances adopted during the eighteenth century. These provided for the selection of certain parallels of latitude to be called base lines and certain meridians of longitude called principal meridians, the intersection of a base line with a principal meridian being the starting point for surveying all of the lands in that part of the country. Townships six miles square are then surveyed to the north, east, and west, and possibly to the south, being named according to the distance from the base line and the meridian; the distance to the east or west being indicated by the number of the range, and the distance to the north or south by the number of the township, as shown in the diagram given below. T Townships and sections. However, as meridians of longitude converge to the north, the townships which were not near the base line were, therefore, less than six 8 5 4 3 2 1 7 8 9 10 11 160 ACRES 15 80 133 18 19 30 18 81 15 12 13 1271 miles across from east to west. Το avoid this difficulty, parallels of latitude called correction lines are arranged every twenty-four or thirty miles, and a fresh start is made so as to keep the townships as nearly six miles square as possible. Each township is subdivided into thirty-six sections each one mile square and numbered as shown in the accompanying diagram. The sixteenth and thirty-sixth sections are given to the States for the benefit of the public schools. Each section is further subdivided into halves, quarters, and possibly eighths. SECTIONS OF A TOWNSHIP General References Ashley, The American Federal State, §§ 308-315, 628-630. Gauss, The American Government, pp. 693–705. Johnston, A., in Lalor's Cyclopedia, under titles "Annexation" and Territories"; Ford, W. C., in same, under title "Public Lands." Hart, Actual Government, pp. 332–380. Willoughby, Territories and Dependencies of the United States. Topics 1. TERRITORIAL GROWTH OF THE UNITED STATES: Johnston, A., in Lalor's Cyclopedia, I, pp. 93–99; Hinsdale, How to Study History, pp. 253-276; Donaldson, The Public Domain, pp. 89-145; Mowry, Territorial Growth of the United States. 2. TERRITORIAL POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES (Historical): Boyd, C., in Atlantic Monthly, 82 (1898), 735-742; Hart, A. B., in Harper's Monthly, 98 (1899), 319–328; Judson, H. P., in Review of Reviews, 21 (1900), 451-456; Snow, The Administration of Dependencies, pp. 537-577; Johnston, A., in Lalor's Cyclopedia, III, pp. 914-920. 3. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DECISION IN THE "INSULAR CASES ": International Year Book, for 1901, under title "United States"; The Outlook, 68 (1901), 337–339, 69 (1901), 962-965, 77 (1904), 446-448; Edmunds, G. F., in North American Review, 173 (1901), 145–153; Boutwell, G. S., in North American Review, 173 (1901), 154–160; Taylor, H., in North American Review, 173 (1901), 577-593; Snow, The Administration of Dependencies, pp. 562–572. 4. THE RECLAMATION SERVICE: Helburn, J. W., in American Magazine, 61 (1906), 493-505; Wright, H., in World To-day, 10 (1906), 156–163; Blanchard, C. J., in Sunset Magazine, 17 (1906), 207-214; and in Review of Reviews, 31 (1905), 701-704; Denning, W. C., in Independent, 62 (1907), 1079–1085; Forbes-Lindsay, C. H., in Harper's Weekly, 51 (1907), 158-161; Page, A. W., in World's Work, 14 (1907), 9322–9330; Lemenager, H. V., in Review of Reviews, 37 (1908), 689–698; Report of Smithsonian Institution, (1903) 827- . 841, (1904) 373-388, (1906) 469–492. Studies 1. Local self-government in America and in European colonies. Jenks, J. W., in Review of Reviews, 26 (1902), 580–588. 2. Both sides of the colonial question. Bryan, W. J., in Reader, 10 (1907), 142-148, 255-259; Beveridge, A., in Reader, 10 (1907), 148-156, 259-269. 3. Philippine problems. Ide, H. C., in North American Review, 186 (1907), 510-524. 4. Naturalization and citizenship in insular possessions. Charlton, P., in Annals of American Academy of Political Science, 30 (1907), 104-114. 5. A hundred years of the District of Columbia. Shaw, A., in Review of Reviews, 22 (1900), 675–686. 6. The way of the land transgressor. Pease, L., in Pacific Monthly, 18 (1907). Questions 1. What territory has been annexed by joint resolutions of Congress ? How does it compare in area with that acquired by treaty ? What States, besides the original thirteen, have never been national territories? 2. What territories may be considered organized at the present time? Make a table showing the form of the legislature, the executive officials, and the local governments (with the method of selection in each case), for Arizona, Hawaii, Porto Rico, and the Philippines. 3. When was this State admitted to the Union? Were any limitations placed upon it at that time? What is the value of the school lands or the amount of the fund created by the sale of the lands? Does the United States still hold the title to public lands in this State? Name any public buildings, forts, or reservations in this vicinity belonging to the national government. 4. Where is the nearest base line? the nearest principal meridian? In what range and township do we live? |