Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-31
REP. SMITH ASSAHS
FORESTER PINCHOT
CHARGES HE MANIPULATED FOR
EST RESERVE
Creation of Reservation in Interests OF
Los Angeles as Against Owners
of So.CalIed Prior Rights
Is Charge
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, March 30.-Charges
of serious nature against Clifford Pin
chot, chief of the forestry bureau, were
made in the house today by Messrs.
Smith of California and Mondell of
Wyoming during consideration of the
agricultural appropriation bill. Mr..
Smith accused him of entering into a
secret understanding with the city of
Los Angeles, with the view to securing
TO the city valuable water rights in
the owens river valley, as against the
interests of private parties having prior
claims. Mr.. Mondell denounced him
for. as he charged, illegally paying the
expenses of forest officials in attending
conventions in the west in which the
government had no part, and also of
spending government money to boost
his bureau in the newspapers.
Mr.. Pinchot was defended by Mr..
Pollard of Nebraska and Mr.. Scott Of
Kansas.
Mr.. Smith of California denounced
! the forestry service for attempting to
| acquire the Owens river valley in
California If he said. Il should
state to the house the ultimate pur-
pose the house would be shocked
In many ways, he said, the service
is doing a great good, but it is work.
ing some outrages upon certain inter-
ests in the western part of the coun-
try"
He was referring, he said, to the
manipulation of water rights under the
laws of California. He openly charged
that Mr.. Pnchot. the chief forester,
was trying to secure the water rights
for the use of certain persons against
others who had made earlier applic-
alton for the water. There was not he
me CT al ole planlpnf nf forpg Txr
in The proposition, and it would be a
sin to give the forest service the great
privilege it sought.
Pressed by Mr.. Weeks of Massa-
chusetts to explain more in detail his
serious charge" against Mr.. Pinchot,
Mr.. Smith said that the party he re-
ferred to as desiring to obtain the
water monopoly was the city of Los
Angeles He insisted that the city did
not desire the water. 1T has not
claimed the water. and it has not as
serted any intention of using the
water for municipal purposes"
The city already, he said, had per-
| feet water system, and simply desired
''to sweep in the water there and carry
it oTt of the valley $50 miles through
twenty miles of mountain tunnels for
the irrigation of land adjacent to Los
Angeles
| w nile lile debate WAS going on MI
| Pollard of Nebraska went to the tele-
| phone and had talk with Mr.. Pinchot
| When he came back into the chamber
! he declared that Mr.. Pinchot had said
that the entire California delegation,
Including Mr.. Smith," had gone to the
department "and requested and almost
! demanded that this reserve be created
for the purpose of furnishing a water
supply to Los Angeles" and that the
city was entirely dependent on this
| supply.
Now" he charged, "Mr. Smith
comes here and tries to show that the
department is trying to create a mo-
nopoly."
The policy of the department, Mr.
| Pollard declared, was TO prevent mo-
nopOlies rather than to create them.
| Mr. Smith denied that Mr.. Pinchot's
! statement was true. He asked the
house to call on his colleagues to bear
! him out.
Il never did said Mr.. Kahn.
Il did not" said Mr. Knowland.
"Nor did l." remarked Mr.. Needham.
Nor l." added Mr.. Engelbrght.
Mr.. Smith said he would hunt up
the rest of the delegation and get them
also to rise land deny Mr.. Pinchot's S
statement.
On objection by Mr.. Mondcl the
clause authorizing the secretary of
agriculture to devise and assist own
ers of land within and adjacent to the
national forests in the proper care of
the same" was stricken out.