Creator
Catharine H. Hittell
Recipient
John Muir
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Transcription
[1]San FranciscoDecember 25th 1895Dear friend Mr. MuirMy love for California's beautiful forests compells me to write to you my fears about the new Committee on Public Lands appointed in the present House of Representatives.I write to you because I know that you are the best friend of our forests and of the other natural beauties of California. My fear for the forests raises from the fact that speaker Reed of the House has appointed on his Committee on Public Lands Mr. Bowers of Southern California.Enclosed please find what Mr. Bowers020552says in the Examiner of last Sunday, also what he said in Congress last year.If possible, I would like Mr Bowers speech returned unless it will be of use to you.Please consider what the present committee on Public Lands may do, through the influence of a member, who will utter such exaggerations as Mr Bowers did on December 4th, 1894. Please notice the statement that "had Harrison's Administration continued four years longer it is probable that most of the state would have been declared forest reservation" also the statement that "the people of California were largely reconciled to the passing of Harrison and Allen, because of their evident determination" I suppose that means the evident determination of making most of the State into020553a forest reservation.The Committee ought to know fully that the forest reservations were made in California partly to preserve the snow reservoirs for irrigating the dry plains in summer and for preventing floods in spring, also to preserve the timber from the present very wanton and wasteful methods of cutting it down, and destroying it by fire, etc. If it is shown that a large number of the best Californians are opposed to the diminishing of the forest reserves, I should think it would have weight with the Committee, especially as the forests are reserved for the public in the East just as well as for the public here and that the giving of it to private entry would benefit only the lumber men.Prof. Eisen and others of the Academy02055
Location
San Francisco [Calif]
Date Original
1895-12-25T00:00:00
Source
Original letter dimensions: 20.5 x 13 cm.
Resource Identifier
muir08_1313-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 08, Image 1313
Copyright Status
Copyright status unknown
Copyright Statement
Some letters written to John Muir may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Owning Institution
University of the Pacific Library Holt-Atherton Special Collections. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Page Number
Page 1
Keywords
John Muir, correspondence, letters, author, writing, naturalist, California, correspondent, mail, message, post, exchange of letters, missive, notes, epistle
