The Washington herald., 1908-04-06
Forest Service and Its critics

The agricultural appropriation bin.
which has just passed the House. con-
tains an item of 50, 79s 90 for the Forest
Service. a considerable increase over the
amount allotted to that service fer the
preceding year. OF this sum il is esti-
mated that 100000 viii be realized IN
sales of timber and rentals: so that the
total cost to the Treasury OF forest ad-
minfatratiOn viii be under S2.O0.00l. In
course of time 1t is expected that the
Forest Service will be wholly self-sup-
porting. and indeed it is frequently as
serted that il is SO as regards those ex-
penditures properly chargeable to admin
istration, but for the present the total
actual outgo exceeds. the total actual In
come The cost of the Forest Service.
however has been paid for many times
over by a single item Of forest conserva-
ton, the prevention Of fires. the loss from
which during the past year has been re-
duced 20 $500. whereas a single fire be-
fore the forest patrol was established
has often caused loss of S5000.000.
That the House consented to increase
the appropriation for the Forest Service
shows an increasing appreciation Of the
value OF scientific forestry. Several West
ern members INDUCED in their usual
criticism OF the service, mainly on the
ground that It interfered with the rights
Of settlers, deprived the States Of ilIris-
diction over immense areas within their
boundaries, ard tended TO create monop-
olies in timber and water rights These
are matters which the Forest Service has
endeavored to adjust with due regard TO
the local interests with which its admin
isTation comes into contact, but it is
evident that some Of the questions in
volved, particularly that Of water rights
viii have 10 be determined by affirmative
legislation, in the enactment Of which il
Is oy no means certain that the position
Of the service and Of the President in
support Of it will be sustained. The Sen
ate, in fact, has repudiated the principle
the President is trying to establish with
respect to the control Of water power By
passing a bill Of the precise sort Mr.
Roosevelt has threatened to veto. The
old question OF State rights reappears in
the problem Of conservation of natural
resources by the Federal government. and
there is the usual resentment over the
intrusion OF the strong arm" into
new field of activity.
Another phase Of Forest Service meth
DDS that excited the ire of certain critics
is the exploitation by the service Of the
theory and practice of forestry. Mr.
Pinchot defends this practice on the
that the Information gathered
at the public expense should be put in
the hands Of the people, who pay for il.
as promptly, as eheaply, and as widely 5
possible" Yet he admits the existence
of strong popular support of the Forest
Service is largely due 10 an organized
system of exploitation through the press
Thus the object of the exploitation is NOT
merely the dissemination Of information
but In addition. the creation Of a public
sentiment for the sustentstion and exter-
sion Of the Forest Service. If this prac-
tice were 10 become general in the ex-
ecutiye departments we fear Il would
lead to serious abuses. II happens that
in the case OF the Forest Service the ex-
ploitation has been undertaken in behalf
Of good cause. and by people who are
above the accusation of self-seeking. This
fact has undoubtedly saved the Forest
Service from the criticism that might
have been aroused by the development Of
a Ike enterprise in some other branches
Of the Federal service.