The San Francisco call., 1909-08-28
FIGHT ON LAND
GRAB RENEWED
BY DR.. PARDFE
Resolution FavOring Govern
ment Power Site Control Splits
Conservation Congress
California Sounds Alarm at Pri-
vate Exploitation of Vast
Natural Resources

that 2 night may be expected on the
floor Of the national conservation con-
gness tomorrow was served by former
Governor George c. Pardee of Califor-
MIA this afternoon when he informed
the convention that the committee on
resolutions would be unable to report
. At the opening Of the morning session
tomorrow and asked that when the re-
port is submitted time be allowed for
and = minority report" said Governor
Psrdee. and I want to speak now for
time 70 carry the contest to the floor of
the convention"
The prospect Of hostilities was so
pleasing TO the delegates that they
voted 10 give adequate time for discus
Elon when the report of the committee
on resolutions is submitted.
GOVERNMENT CONTROL ISSUE
Contrary TO expectations the Pinchot-
Bsllinger controversy is not the cause
OF the present dissension. The pending
contest is over the adoption OF reso-
luton similar to the water right reso-
luton adopted at the Spokane irriga-
tion congress, favOring government
control OF power sites.
The majority OF the committee ac-
cording 10 reports brought from the
committee room, favors adopting the
spokane resolution, while three mem
hers are advocating that the govern
ment permanently relinQuish its hold
on power sites 70 applicants for water
rights
Governor Pardee and the other men,
hers OF the majority objected to per-
hitting outsiders TO discuss the Ques-
tion before the committee, whereupon
the minority members declared that
they would carry the figft TO the floor
OF the congress II was in order to
prepare the congress for the fray and
TO marshal the forces of the upholders
OF the policy of government conserva-
tion OF water power sites that Governor
Pardee made his statement to the con-
gress this afternoon.
Pardee addressed the congress on the
right use Of natural resources. saying
in part:
VAST RESOURCES DEPLETED
There was a time when our vast
natural resources were apparently in
eXhsustible. and We permitted too many
OF them to fall into the hands of those
who monopolized and used them to the
detriment of the people. There are
those in this country who desire to
monopolize the water powers on our
rivers and streams who are eager to
grab our forests. who desire TO seize
upon great areas of coal lands and use
them all for their private aggrandize-
ment and TO the detriment of the peo-
pie Iron. copper. oil and other re-
sources have enabled those who ex-
plotted them TO reap enormous fortunes
fortunes that have too often been
used to the detriment OF the public
good Such minerals belong to the peo-
PIE. Is there any reason in morals or
political economy, TO say nothing Of
fundamental law, why the public should
not regulate the use and abuse of these
resources and cause them to be ex-
plotted that they shall be neither un-
necessarily wasted nor made the means
Of depressing those who are compelled
70 use them?
We have given over to the devastat-
ing AK and firebrand OF private enter
prise three -hfths of all our magnificent
forests. The air you breathe here to-
day is thick with the smoke of burning
forests. once. if not now. the property
OF the people. Is there any reason why
the government should turn back to
public entry one single acre of the for
est lands which were Withdrawn under
Roosevelt and Garfeld2 Would it not
he better il all the public forests
should continue TO be public forests?
CITES EXPERIENCES ABROAD
'Germany's public forests are among
her most valuable assets. Spain suf-
fers because she permitted her forests
10 be destroyed. And thousands of Chi
nese starve and drown every year be-
cause their rulers did not have sense
enough to see that forests are essential
70 nations prosperity.
Yet there are men. some Of them in
high station. who say that the govern
ment OF the United States, which is or
ought 10 be, nothing less than the peo-
pie themselves should do nothing under
> any circumstances TO interfere with
private enterprise and should throw no
obstacle between the rapacity of priv
ate enterprise and the people. I stand
upon the proposition that the govern
rnent of the United States, which
IS the people, is false TO itself and false
,. 10 those whom it represents if it does
not exert all its powers to make the
burdens OF the people as light as pos
sible