Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-02-03
The President Made an Excel
lent Selection for Its Head
In Pinchot
YOUNG MAN BUTABLE
Has Made Il Life study ofsnbjcct
M Forestry and d Great Ire
server W. Frees

#NN MNN@MM8
There are few men az Washington
who are likely to leave d deeper or
more lasting mark upon the country's
economic life than the young man
who Ave years ago, al the age Of thirty.
three, became orcster OF the United
States. Presidents, cabinets and iegis.
lators come and so. but II Clifford
Pinehot lives he may reasonably hope
TO deyote the space Of a generation 10
the important wolk be has in hand.
And the nature oil the work Is sucn
that It's influence will be felt for a
thousand years TO come.
Mr.. Pinchot was deliberately edu.
Gated for the career In which be Is now
engaged. A native Of Connecticut. he
graduated from Yale In 1889 and then
!. studied forestry In France, Germany,
Switzerland and Australia. He began
bis FIRST systematic forest work 10
Billmore, North Carolina, III January
lsO2, on the famous estate VI George
W Vanderbilt IIe also served ~ i
member of the national forest com
mission. which drew the boundaries
bit Inc Cleveland forest reserves Hi
MN
has been Il large contributor III the
literature u the subject which sup.
plies his life work and has done
much In this way 70 bring II home
10 the popular comprehension He
became a forester nnder the DEPART.
ment Of agriculture ON July Isl, 1895.
and has gradually perfected the organ
ization Of a superb working force Of
young men which nov covers the en-
tire country. In the south and in tho
Adirondack region Of New York his
plans for scenic numbering and refor.
estatiou have been quite generally ae.
cepted by those engaged in the IN.
dustry.
II Is in the great mountain regions
Of the west, however, that Mr. Pinch
ot finds his widest and most important
field. There the relation Of the forest
70 The economic life o. the entire com.
munlty Is much deeper and more far.
reaching than anywhere else The
preservation Of the forest Il not mere
III a question OF d continued supply
tx timber iii lis raw and manufactured
forms. but Il IL also a question of con
serving The water supply upon which
agriculture and mining are directly.
and all other kinds ~ business In.
directly. dependent And IN the far
west the policy Of scientific forestry
has had to contend with powerful OPP
position. for IL Is regarded as some.
what revolutionary. Re mote from
large %centers. sparsely populated and
Instinct with a spirit OF enterprise
which older sections can hardly ap.
preciate. the far west has crayed de-
yelopment and courted capital with.
out the most thoughtful regard for
the interests OF p~osterity. The de
struction OF a tImbered watershed,
here and there, BY wastefnl numbering
has been regarded as the loss Of only
a drop from the full bucket OF local
resources. while the investment OF
capital in mills, railroads AMI the EN-.
ployment % large amounts IL labor
has seemed a complete on set.
The frst step ia the new plan vas
thc setting aside ~ millions of acres
A. forest reserves. This excited III.
tense opposition III many localities.
" was contendcd thar much land
which had 10 value FOX the purpose
WAS included within he reservations
and that both grazing AMI the settle.
ment u agricultural soil would III
u~nreasonably i~nterfered with III con.
sequence.
Mr Pinchot replied BY saying that
these boundaries we're only tentative
and that when accurate lines are run
all land mol valuable for reserves viii
be excluded; further, that livestock
will be allowed TO craze In the reserves
under permits providing for the en-.
forcemeni Of reasonable regulations
There We're many lnnuentiai men
who asserted that the forests are no,
valuable In conserving water supply
ani claimed that they absorb more
water than they save Furthermore
they said that the forest grows again
very quickly and that the brush which
springs up almost AZ soon az the troe !
are cut holds the snow better than The
forest itself.
In answer 70 this formidable ohjcc.
ton. Mr.. Pinchot replied that those
who put y forth are simply mistaken
that The experience 81 mankind show,
that The forests DO regulate the
stsams This experience IL definite
" confirmed BY local studies made 10