Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-31
FOR NATIONAL FORESTS
HEARING BEFORE HOUSE COM
MITTEE ON AGRICULTURE.
Speakers Who Urged Such Ac-
ton in the White and Southern
Appalachian Ranges.

The hearing before the committee on
agriculture yesterday on the bill for the
national forests in the White and south
ern Appalachian mountains brought To-
gether one of the most distinguished
gatherings ever assembled for Il similar
purpose in Washing ton. The governors
of twenty states were present either in
person or by official representatives or
delegations Boards of trade and business
organizations of most of the large cities
in all the states Of the Atlantic coast and
most of the central states We're present.
and delegates from local and national
societies representing several hundred
thousand members. So far from being
merely gathering of f0resty associations
the diversified character of the industries
interested is shown by the list of speak
ers, which included:
List of Speakers.
; Senator Lodge Of Massachusetts, Mr.. c.
j. Woodbury. Of the National Association of
Cotton Manufacturers. representing S170.-
600 900 interest; Gov. Hoke Smith of South
Carolina, who conducted the hearing; A.
NJ Schoen Of the American Institute OF
Electrical Engineers; Harvey n. Shepard
of Boston, Lyon johnson of Atlanta, the
secretaries of the Boston Fruit and
Produce Exchange and the Manufacture
ers' Association of Chattanooga. Tenn.
Col. Harvey of the National Board of
Trade. representing seyenty-two COM
mercial bodies; Mr.. Clifford Pinchot, MIR.
Phillip Ayres of New Hampshire. DR..
White state geologist of West Virginia !;
E. c. Dunaaine. representing the Govern
80 &c nd fla M
facture-s of New England: w. S. Lee,
chief engineer of the Southern Power
Company which controls half the cleo
trical power OF the south: Prof. G. H
Swain of the Massachusetts Institute OF
Technology and the American Society OF
Civil Engineers. Representative Gillette
of Massachusetts,, who spoke for the in
dustries of the Connecticut valley: Edwin
A. Start of the Massachusetts Forestry
Associations: Charles d. Wardell of North
Carolina. representing the American Insti-
tute of Electrical Engineers and the Ashe-
vile Board OF Trade: j. II. Woodruff, sec
rotary of the National Association of Cot
ton Manufacturers. Mr.. Watson. commits
sioner Of agriculture and commerce IN
South Carolina: delegates from the Pitts
burg chamber of commerce. Mr.. Laighton
of the United States geological survey,
Gov Floyd of New Hampshire. Mr.. Will
liam H. Hall of the forest service, I. e
Transportation Company, Prof. Glenn of
Vanderbilt University. Nashville; George
p. Leighton. representing the American
Civic Association and allied bodies con-
tanning over a hundred thousand mem
hers: Dr. Sullivan of Lawrence. Mass,
delegate from Vermont. who represented
that the industries of that state were de-
pendent upon action of the government.
May Make a National Issue.
- s,,.l; 4
very clearly that this is an affair which
has.the making of a national issue quite
capable of sweeping away all present
party lines and creating q new alignment
of the solid north. and the solid south
united against any body or anything that
stands in the way of the preservation of
the great natural resources of the nation.
The growth of knowledge in this subject
indicates that within a short time it will
so far transcend any temporary law or
alterable thing like the tariff, the rate
bill. or even the Constitution, that 1t Will
be irresistible. Testimony of all the distin-
guiShed experts who were present agreed
to the startling proposition that the pros
perity and almost the very existence of
fifteen or sixteen states is involved In the
preserva lion of the forest on the steep
sides of these eastern mountains.
A very conservative estimate of the in
terests represented by the men who We're
present at the hearing would show that
nearly a billion dollars year is involved
Hundreds of resolutions were presented
from national associations and from state
and local bodies all over the country in
dorsing the measure. They poured in in
bales and punches. At least a dozen We're
from as many state legislatures which
have recently taken action: a few hun
dred were from cities and towns that are
afraid Of being washed away or having
their industries wiped out by the dsas-
trous results of forest destruction at the
headWaters of their rivers.