The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1908-04-02
CLIFFORD PlNCHOT
CRITICISED

Messrs Smith, California, and Mondell,
Wyoming, during the consideration of
the agricultural appropriation bill.
Mr. Smith accused him Of entering
into a secret conspiracy with the city
Of Los Angeles with the view of Sc
curing to that city valuable water
rights in the Owens river valley as
against the interests of private parties
having prior claims.
Mr. Monde. denounced him, for, as
he charged, illegally paying the ex-
penses Of forestry officials in attending
conventions in the west in which the
government had no part, and in spend
ing government money to boost his
bureaus in the newspapers.
Mr.. Pinchot was defended by Mr..
Pollard of Nebraska and 4Ir. Scott of
Kansas
Mr.. Smith of California denounced
the Forestry Service for attempting
for attempting to acquire the Owens
river water rights in California.
"If.' he said, ~ should state to
the House his ultimate purpose the
House would be shocked. la many
ways the service is doing a great good
but it is working great outrage upon
certain interests in the western part
Of the country
He referred, hes said, to the mani
pulation of. water rights under the laws
of California. :. He openly charged that
Mr Pinchot, the chief Forester was
trying to, secure. the water rights for
certain interests against who had made
earlier applications for water. There
was not. he insisted. a single element
Of forestry IN the propositions, and il
would -Ts~ d SIN 10, give the Forestry
Service the great privileges which i
ught. II {8k< b4ffE 80
Pressed by. Mr. Weeks. s'of. Massa-
chusetts to go more into the details,
Mr.. Smith said ,th;u gthes partv 10 whom
he referred aA5aesifing to. sobtain the
water monopoly WAS the eiiy=.of Los
Angeles. He insisted that ,thbe city
did not desire the water. il does not
claim the water and it. does not assert
any intention of using the water for
municipal purposes. The city, he
said, already had q perfect water sss-
TEN. and simply desired to sweep in
all of the water there and carry it
out of the valley 250 miles through
30 miles of mountain tunnels for the
irrigation of lands adjacent 70 Los
Angeles.
While the debate was on Mr.. rolIard
o. Nebraska went TO the telephone and
had talk with Mr.. Pinchot. When
he came back to the hall he declared
that Mr.. Pinchot bad said that the
whole California delegation, including
Mr. Smith had gone to the department
land requested and almost demanded
that this reserve be created and pre-
served as a source of water supply
ior Los Angeles and that the city
was entirely dependent upon this sup
ply.
Now, Mr. Pollard said. g Mr..
Smith comes here and tries to show
that the department is trying to ere
ate a monopoly
TIE policy of the government, Mr..
Pollard declared, was to try and pre-
vent monopolies rather than to create
them.
cmfwyppp taoin hrdlu rdlu al uu uu
Mr.. Smith declared that Mr. Pol
lard 's statements were true. He asked
the House to eall upon his colleagues
to bear him out.
81 never did said Mr.. Kahn.
81 did not said Mr.. Rowland.
"Nor did ~ remarked Mr.. Need
ham.
Mr.. Smith said that he would hunt
up the rest of the delegation and get
them to report and also deny Mr.
Pineh0t Is statement.
An objection by Mr. Mondell that
the clause authorizing the Secretary
of Agriculture to advise and assist
"owners of land adjacent and within
the forest reserves in the proper care
of the same, be stricken out
That fast tracts Of untimbered land
has been included in the national for
est reserves. was the charge of Mr..
Smith of Arizona, who criticised such
action. And that was admitted by Mr..
Scott of Kansas, but he said that the
forestry bureau had given prompt at
tention TO petitions in protest and had
released over l2,000,000 acres of land
SO included
The explanation was not satisfactory
to Mr.. Mondell, and ne charged that
the forestery bureau had had rule to
secure ''rather extraordinary opin
icns' from the Attorney General. He
insisted that if the president had the
authority to create forest reserve, he
had the power to divide one.
Mr.. Smith of California. again got
the lloor, and speaking of the recon-
rlendations of the President that the
water rights should be taxeC denounc
ed him ror it.
"'The Federal government, he de-
cared, Fought to be ashamed of its
elf if it undertakes to extort a tax
by way of right of way over piece
of land that is not worth a dollar an
acre
On points of order the following pro,
visions were striken out: Authorizing
the Secretary of Agriculture to desig-
nate and divide for administration for
public land reserves and national for
ests; making irrevokable for fifty
years permits within national parks
for pawer plants; authorizing the See
retary of Agriculture to accept lands
for forest purposes or to exchange land