The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-21
PRESSURE MAY
 SAVE FORESTS New England People May Have Fate of National Forest
 Law in Their
 Hands.
LOCAL BUSINESS MEN ACT
Telegrams Sent by the Association Last Night Urging the Cooperation of Speaker Cannon and Chair.
 man Scott.
Special to Morning Journal-courier.

Special to Morning Journal Courier. ) Washington, Feb. 20.-There Is feel ing among the members of the New England delegation that if the people of the New England states bring the right pressure to bear upon the committee on agriculture and Speaker Cannon of the house of representatives the bill making the appropriation to save the White Mountain and Appalachian forest ranges frcua destruction will be repor- ed favorably. The committee is said to be about evenly divided and that Speaker Cannon has at last become | convinced that New England is in earnest in its demand that the forests be preserved. Up to the present time the speaker has been laboring under the impression that the movement was more or less exclusive in its character and that the apprehension over the de- nuding of the mountain ranges was the result of theorizlng and not the result of practical knowledge. The recent gathering at Washington, which Gov ernor Woodruff attended, was largely instrumental in awakening Mir. Cannon to his present state of mind though he cannot retrace the steps which led to the oversight of Congressman Henry of the First district, who is thought to have lost the chairmanship of the com mittee on agriculture because of his we'll known attitude favoring the pro posed appropriation to save the New England forests.
 Inquiry among the members of the Connecticut delegation reveals the fact that with the exception of Congressman Lilley all the members realize the i'm portance of the movement though 1t Is not thought that he will fail in his final support of it. Senator Brandesee has reported favorably bill to the same effect apd has the support of his colleague, Senator Bulkeley. Governor Woodruff has sent word here that he will stop off on his way south to fur ther argue the case with Speaker Can non. The thing now for the people of the state of Connecticut to do is to bring to bear upon all concerned the desperate importance of saving these ranges in order to restrict and conserve the waterflow from the mountainous. Millions of dollars have been expended to dig out the rivers and harbors of New England but never until now has it been deemed advisable to go back to the source of the trouble, which is to preserve these mountain forests which of themselves reinforce the guardian ship of nature
 It has to be remembered that tho majority of the committee on agricul- ture come from west of the Missssip- p river and know practically nothing of the seriousness of denuding these mountains of their timber It may not be true that Speaker Cannon appoint ed this committee as he did for the purpose of having 1t report adversely upon the appropriation but it is un- questionalbly the fact that If his iron hand can be lifted from the control of the situation the committee will gladly accede to the wishes of New England.
 Connecticut citizens can in particular be useful in this emergency in view of the immense interest they have in the future of the Connecticut river whose conduct is controlled by these far away mountain preserves. The present, too, is a good time to strike In view of the approaching presidential election. Pres ident Roosevelt is an enthusiastic sup porter of the bill and is doing all in his power to shake the incomprehensi- be opposition of Mir. Cannon.