In accordance with the provisions of the act of Congress approved June 4, 1897 (30 Stat., pp. 34-36), and by virtue of the authority thereby given, and on the recommendation of the Secretary of the Interior, it is hereby ordered that the tracts hereinafter described and situated within the limits of the Big Horn Forest Reservation in the State of Wyoming be restored to the public domain after sixty days' notice hereof by publication as required by law, these tracts having been found better adapted to agriculture than forest purposes, to wit: What will be, when surveyed, sections twenty-four (24) to thirty-six (36), both inclusive, in township fifty-five (55) north, range ninety-two (92) west; what will be, when surveyed, sections twenty-eight (28) to thirty-three (33), both inclusive, in township fifty-five (55) north, range ninety-one (91) west; sections thirty (30), thirty-one (31), thirty-two (32), and what will be, when surveyed, sections four (4), five (5), six (6), seven (7), eight (8), nine (9), sixteen (16), seventeen (17), eighteen (18), nineteen (19), twenty (20), twenty-one (21), twenty-eight (28), twenty-nine (29), and thirty-three (33), all in township fifty-four (54) north, range ninety-one (91) west; the southwest quarter remaining unsurveyed portion of section eighteen (18), all of sections nineteen (19), thirty (30), thirty-one (31), and what will be, when surveyed, sections six (6) and seven (7), all in township fifty-three (53) north, range ninety (90) west. WILLIAM MCKINLEY
Executive Order
Executive Brief • At a Glance
The tracts hereinafter described and situated within the limits of the Big Horn Forest Reservation in the State of Wyoming be restored to the public domain after sixty days' notice hereof by publication as required by law, these tracts having been found better adapted to agriculture than forest purposes, to wit: What will be, when surveyed, sections twenty-four (24) to thirty-six (36), both inclusive, in township fifty-five (55) north, range ninety-two (92) west; what will be, when surveyed, sections twenty-eight (28) to thirty-three (33), both inclusive, in township fifty-five (55) north, range ninety-one (91) west; sections thirty (30), thirty-one (31), thirty-two (32), and what will be, when surveyed, sections four (4), five (5), six…
Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
Signed by President William McKinley on June 25, 1901, this order reads: The tracts hereinafter described and situated within the limits of the Big Horn Forest Reservation in the State of Wyoming be restored to the public domain after sixty days' notice hereof by publication as required by law, these tracts having been found better adapted to agriculture than forest purposes, to wit: What will be, when surveyed, sections twenty-four (24) to thirty-six (36), both inclusive, in township…
Key Directives & Operative Actions
The tracts hereinafter described and situated within the limits of the Big Horn Forest Reservation in the State of Wyoming be restored to the public domain after sixty days' notice hereof by publication as required by law, these tracts having been found better adapted to agriculture than forest purposes, to wit: What will be, when surveyed, sections twenty-four (24) to thirty-six (36), both inclusive, in township fifty-five (55) north, range ninety-two (92) west; what will be, when surveyed, sections twenty-eight (28) to thirty-three (33), both inclusive, in township fifty-five (55) north, range ninety-one (91) west; sections thirty (30), thirty-one (31), thirty-two (32), and what will be, when surveyed, sections four (4), five (5), six…
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
Policy Areas & Topics
The Framers' Constitutional Council
1787 PrismEvaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.
"When the President acts pursuant to an express or implied authorization of Congress, his authority is at its maximum, for it includes all that he possesses in his own right plus all that Congress can delegate."
James Madison
Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy
"The constitutional magistracy was designed not to invent policy, but to be the faithful instrument of the laws passed by the people's representatives." — Speech in the First Congress (1789)
Madison would approve the structural posture of this order. The President acts strictly in subordination to statutory authority granted under Article II, Section 3 ("take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"). The checks and balances hold firm because the policy origin remains with the legislature.
Alexander Hamilton
The Energetic Executive & Unified Command
"A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government." — Federalist No. 70 (1788)
Hamilton would view this directive as the natural and indispensable functioning of administrative leadership. Without the power to coordinate agencies, manage personnel, and resolve operational ambiguities, the modern presidency would be reduced to an impotent figurehead.
George Mason
Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." — 10th Amendment to the US Constitution (1791)
Mason would scrutinize whether this federal directive intrudes into police powers, land stewardship, or municipal domains historically reserved to local citizens. The Anti-Federalist demand is that federal administration must never supplant state self-governance.
Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions
An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.
Legislative Encroachment & Purse
Operates within delegated statutory execution without modifying legislative appropriations or taxing powers.
Executive Scope & Faithfulness
Exercises standard supervisory executive authority to faithfully execute existing statutes.
Federalism & State Sovereignty
Engages state and local partners in cooperative federalism programs.
Due Process & Individual Rights
Focuses on internal governmental operations with no direct impairment of private rights or property.
Youngstown Jacksonian Tier
The President operates strictly as the constitutional Chief Executive, carrying out policy established by Congress with strong statutory backing.
This order operates in close harmony with statutory authority and standard Article II supervisory execution.
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order (June 25, 1901), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-134.