Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-09-11
CONSERVATION QUESTION
PROBLEM THAT MUST BE
SETTLED SOON.
WATERWAYS, AND WATER
POWER DEMAND ATTENTION
Legislation Towards Granting Sites on
the Public Domain Badly Needed,
But Whether Franchises Would Be
Perpetual or Otherwise Must Be De-
termined.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
Washington, Sept. 10-Unless all
signs fail, the conservation question in
one form or another will be one of the
big problems before congress the COM
ing winter. This means that there will
be war and plenty Of it. Conservation
in the Roosevelt days was a thing to
theoriZe about and generalize about.
where definite questions of policy, of
administration and of legislation are
coming up. Sharp differences of opin-
ion are arising on many phases of the
broad proposition of conservation and
more will arise. The Pincl1ot- Ballinger
controversy, for instance, is one of the
first out-croppings of trouble in this
connection. 1t is not likely by any
means to be the last.
The program of conservation legisla-
ton is broad and comprehensive one
and congress is up against the problem
of tackling it. Public sentiment favors
the general idea of conservation and
congress will no doubt be moved to
more or less legislation. But there are
the most radical differences of opinion
as to the form this legislation should
take.
Water Power Question is Acute.
AS the national conservation COM
mission named by President Roosevelt
saw ii, important action by congress
was needed on four matters, waters,
forests. lands and minerals. Legislation
on perhaps all four of these will be
proposed the coming winter but it
looks now as if chief attention would
be paid to waters, including the de-
velopment of waterways and the dis
position of water powers. The water
power question has been made more
acute than ever because of the difficult
ties that have arisen between Secre-
tary Ballinger and Chief Forester
Pinchot as we'll as between Mr.. Ball
linger and the reclamation service.
A flood of bills will doubtless pour
in on house and senate when the ses-
sion opens the first Monday in Deem
Der. dealing with the water powers on
the public domain. Some of these bills
will be favored by Mr.. Pinchot and
those who entertain his ideas on con-
servation. Others will be opposed by
the forest service on the grounds that
they give. or are intended to give. too
great privileges to private parties and
reserve nothing for the government.
James r. Garfield, as secretary of the
interior, took substantially the same
position as Mr. Pinchot with respect
to what SHOULD be the nature of water
power legislation. What ideas Mr.. Bal
linger entertains will no doubt be
made clear in his annual report or be-
fore the proper committees of con-
gress.
Legislation Badly Needed.
IT is almost indispensable that con-
gress enact some form of legislation
for the granting of water power sites
on the public domain. Now, there is
no adequate legislation on the sub
ject The Withdrawals from entry.
which have been made by Mr.. Balm
ger, of water power sites have been
made pending legislation.
How keen the interest in the subject
is in congress is manifest from the fact
that many bills were introduced in the
senate and house last winter relating
to the granting of water powers. Egh.
tary Garfield and Mr.. Pinchot and it
was made clear that in their opinion,
if any of them passed they would open
wide the door to the grabbing of water
power sites by private parties. The bills
which were condemned We're presented
by Mondell of Wyoming. Hepburn OF
Idaho, Teller of Colorado Howell of
Utah, Bonynge of Colorado, Crane of
Massachusetts,, Guggenheim of Colora-
do, and Fulton of Oregon.
Many Bills Are Expected.
Many more bills will be presented
next winter. The same controversy
will arise in more acute form. None of
the bills presented last winter became
law. Clifford Pinchot and his fol-
lowers take the position that any legis-
lation passed on this subject should be
such as would carefully protect the
rights of the government and especially
shoa1d guard against granting water
power properties to private concerns in
perpetuity. On the other hand, grants
in perpetuity are just what the private
parties seeking grants Of water power
sites want. They insist on the per-.
petual franchise. BY many of the bills
that were presented to the last cons
gress, perpetual rights would have been
given. The Pinchot idea is that the
grants shall be good for not to exceed
fifty years, with the government re-
tanning a measure of control with the
grant revocable on breach of conditions
and with the privilege of readjustment
at the expiration Of the term of the
franchise. This was the idea Of For
mer Secretary Garfield and it was adj
vocated by Roosevelt. It !s en.;-c,;,
likely President Taft will likewise take
stand against the idea Of granting of
water power sites in perpetuity
Around this question of perpetual
grants of water power rights there will
rage next winter a bitter fight in con-
gress Pinchot supporters assert that
if the private interests, anxious to get
hold of big power sites, can not get the
legislation they want, they will try to
kill any and all legislation.
Department Of Public Works Suggested
This. of course, is but one phase of
the great question of conservation
which congress will be forced to
wrestle with, not only during the conn
ing session but for a good many years
to come.
Another phase Of It, which will
doubtless be acute, will relate to waters
| way improvement. The joint water
ways commission Of congress is ex-