第62章

Well，ayearlateraCongressionalCommitteeactuallydidinvestigatethem。Theinvestigationwasinstigatedbysomeunscrupulouslocalpoliticiansandbysomesettlerswhowishedtoberelievedfrompayingtheirjustobligations；andthemembersoftheCommitteejoinedintheattackonasfineandhonorableasetofpublicservantsastheGovernmenthaseverhad；anattackmadeonthemsolelybecausetheywerehonorableandefficientandloyaltotheinterestsbothoftheGovernmentandthesettlers。

WhenIbecamePresident，theBureauofForestry(since1905theUnitedStatesForestService)wasasmallbutgrowingorganization，underGiffordPinchot，occupiedmainlywithlayingthefoundationofAmericanforestrybyscientificstudyoftheforests，andwiththepromotionofforestryonprivatelands。ItcontainedallthetrainedforestersintheGovernmentservice，buthadchargeofnopublictimberlandwhatsoever。TheGovernmentforestreservesofthatdaywereinthecareofaDivisionintheGeneralLandOffice，underthemanagementofclerkswhollywithoutknowledgeofforestry，fewifanyofwhomhadeverseenafootofthetimberlandsforwhichtheywereresponsible。Thusthereserveswereneitherwellprotectednorwellused。TherewerenoforestersamongthemenwhohadchargeoftheNationalForests，andnoGovernmentforestsinchargeoftheGovernmentforesters。

InmyfirstmessagetoCongressIstronglyrecommendedtheconsolidationoftheforestworkinthehandsofthetrainedmenoftheBureauofForestry。Thisrecommendationwasrepeatedinothermessages，butCongressdidnotgiveeffecttoituntilthreeyearslater。Inthemeantime，bythoroughstudyoftheWesternpublictimberlands，thegroundworkwaslaidfortheresponsibilitieswhichweretofallupontheBureauofForestrywhenthecareoftheNationalForestscametobetransferredtoit。ItwasevidentthattrainedAmericanForesterswouldbeneededinconsiderablenumbers，andaforestschoolwasestablishedatYaletosupplythem。

In1901，atmysuggestionasPresident，theSecretaryoftheInterior，Mr。Hitchcock，madeaformalrequestfortechnicaladvicefromtheBureauofForestryinhandlingtheNationalForests，andanextensiveexaminationoftheirconditionandneedswasaccordinglytakenup。ThesameyearastudywasbegunoftheproposedAppalachianNationalForest，theplanofwhich，alreadyformulatedatthattime，hassincebeencarriedout。AyearlaterexperimentalplantingontheNationalForestswasalsobegun，andstudiespreparatorytotheapplicationofpracticalforestrytotheIndianReservationswereundertaken。In1903，sorapidlydidthepublicworkoftheBureauofForestryincrease，thattheexaminationoflandfornewforestreserveswasaddedtothestudyofthosealreadycreated，theforestlandsofthevariousStateswerestudied，andcooperationwithseveralofthemintheexaminationandhandlingoftheirforestlandswasundertaken。

Whilethesepracticaltaskswerepushedforward，atechnicalknowledgeofAmericanForestswasrapidlyaccumulated。Thespecialknowledgegainedwasmadepublicinprintedbulletins；andatthesametimetheBureauundertook，throughthenewspaperandperiodicalpress，tomakeallthepeopleoftheUnitedStatesacquaintedwiththeneedsandthepurposesofpracticalforestry。ItisdoubtfulwhethertherehaseverbeenelsewhereundertheGovernmentsucheffectivepublicity——

publicitypurelyintheinterestofthepeople——atsolowacost。

BeforetheeducationalworkoftheForestServicewasstoppedbytheTaftAdministration，itwassecuringthepublicationoffactsaboutforestryinfiftymillioncopiesofnewspapersamonthatatotalexpenseof$6000ayear。NotonecenthaseverbeenpaidbytheForestServicetoanypublicationofanykindfortheprintingofthismaterial。Itwasgivenoutfreely，andpublishedwithoutcostbecauseitwasnews。WithoutthispublicitytheForestServicecouldnothavesurvivedtheattacksmadeuponitbytherepresentativesofthegreatspecialinterestsinCongress；norcouldforestryinAmericahavemadetherapidprogressithas。

TheresultofalltheworkoutlinedabovewastobringtogetherintheBureauofForestry，bytheendof1904，theonlybodyofforestexpertsundertheGovernment，andpracticallyallofthefirst-handinformationaboutthepublicforestswhichwastheninexistence。In1905，theobviousfooli