Skinning the Land Grant Bear
A New Problem in Advanced Conservation is Turning Oregon's Hair Gray With Worry
By S. Dike Hooper
LETS take it away from the Octopus," said Oregon ten years ago.
earnings of 37,360 men, women and In Douglas county it is even worse Russell filled the literary firmament with this land and remaining unpaid since 1912 be nearly $6oo,ooo. The successful at- The 1915 county tax levy is almost at was during the days when In Lane county the railroad owns 300,- $500,00o; if the railroad land paid its Tom Lawson and Charles Edward ooo acres. The taxes assessed against annual taxes, the county's income would has almost enty per cent of its annual ncome, over a quarter of a
the effulgence of blood red and sulphur yellow light. The ng to be taken away wa land grant inherited from the original grantees by the South ern Pacific railroad. Railway ownership of the two and a uarter million acres stifled evelopment, said Oregon kept settlers away and re- tarded growth. "Railroad ownership must go!" became million since 19 en wounded by the bullet. What shall be done with the skin, with the two million acres of timber land? That's easy, you say. Turn it nto a National Forest and let the Forest Service run At once there arises a loud wail of protest from Oregon. and went out after bear. Suit was brought ment won a bended knees not to do that It's the last thing they. want And the reason is obvious ALF of western Oregon's surface is within the National Forests, and the National Forests pay no taxes ate or coun Adding the grant lands to t orests woul Great was the rejoicing for merely increase the area of its car and wondering what in What, then, shall be done gon would be mighty been bombarded with reams tions and memoranda gesting ifty-seven ways of solving the problem. In Sep- 0 conierence to discuss th mercial inter down in 1912, the railroad re- fused to pay any more taxes This is a map of Oregon's western half. The solid black »reas mediately the revenues of the hatched areas are Indian Reservation». They pay no taxes. affected counties took a slump The black squares in the eheckered areas are railroad grant the grant-land taxes was a Lane county, for instance. lu Im are the National Foreats. They pay no taxes. The light oross- represented. With one voice the conference went on recor 3s tavoring the settiement lands. They used tc 개y taxes. They don't now. This map explains wby the couaties of western Oregon do not want an grant. That the lands be not incrense in the untaxed area within their borders. It ia a most illuminsting map which should be studied by Eastera arm-chair This county is almost as large as the whole of Connect- icut. It has to maintain 3000 Forests, that they be kept upon the tax rolls, and chat in some manner they he opened to settlement and develop conscrvatiOnists miles of roads, a full set of courts, high now total So6,230. There is no hope of ment in so far as consistent with their and low, the usual complement of county obtaining anything but an infinitesimal physical charactet, was the substance »f There were differences of grammar and high schools. The cost of railroad will contribute only a pittance to all these necessities has to come out of the suggested. opinion as to the best manner of binging the county exchequer Digitized byGOO
