The Washington herald., 1909-08-29

This Pinchot-B -BalIinger row over meth-.
DDS Of conservation is a veritabIe Donny-l
brook fair.
ormsby McHarg. Acting Secretary OF
Commerce and Labor. and Secretary Bal,
Iingers warm friend. yesterday cracked
the conservationists sharply over the
head with a public declaration that they
INDUCED IN too much dreaming" while
pursuing the dog in the manger policy,
and that they drew an untruthfuI picture
Of the early exhaustion Of natural re-
sources.
When the interview was shown 20 over.
ton Price. associate forester, he unlinn-
bered his guns and sent back broadside.
20 the effect that Mr.. McHarg did not
know what he was talking about Be-
fore this had reached the press. AIr. Nc
Harg was again quoted as scoring tha
whole Roosevelt conservation policies. and
caustically remarking that Roosevelt
thought he was the Lord" but Mr.. Nc
Harg fatty denies that he said anything
Of the kind
A FOrcefuI Personality.
Mr- McHarg IS a forcefuI personality,
He was the chauffeur OF the Hitchcock
steam roller" at the Chicago convention
last year. lie canvassed the South and
West for Taft in the pre-convention cam
paign and became a stanch friend OF
Richard A Balunger- In fact. Mr.. Nc
Harg is said 20 have been influential IN
bringing about ziA Ballinger's appoir.l-
ment g. secTetsry 81 the Interior.
Ovcrton Prince. associate forester. de-
MED Mr.. McHarg's accusations, and de-
manded that Mr. McHarg produce proofs
or retract at once. In response 10 Nr.
McHarg's ridicule OF the charge that a
big trust has been formed 20 control
l water-power sites in the West. Mr.. Prizes
quoted from a Presidential message OF
Mr.. Roosevelt. calling attention to a
report from the Commissioner OF Corpora
tons giving the names Of corporations
controlling water-pOwer sites.
Mr.. McHarg wasn't a bit worried yes
terday over suggestions that those whom
he criticised would try TO make troubls
D -Nt mum 4AN ANNAuAEA A4Adl II OLLEr OIL
cials could criticise he had the right 10
respond and intended 70 assert that right,
He said:
Monopoly Absurd.
''Fhis talk OF a water power monopoly"
said Mr.. McHarg. "is absurd. will
trade my knowledge OF the West with
no man. have been West every year
FOR the last ten years. often 7 have been
TO the Pacific Coast twice in, one year.
know the people. went on business.
and I talked with them and know their
views. Il IS time that this traducing OF
those people, this making them ridicu-
loUs, cease. I know that they have A
man now In Secretary Ballinger who Il
a Westerner, and who understands what
they want. He talks here about mo-
nopoly. There are hundreds OF power
plants in the West"
but this message" II was suggested.
was based upon information coming
from your department; from the Bureau
OF Corporations"
7 don't care where Il comes FROM"
said Mr. McHarg i am standing on my
own legs in this matter. am not speak
ing from an official standpoint bur from
my personal observation. I don't care
how the information was gathered. 7
am standing by what I know myself"
But don't you believe that even II thera
are hundred or more power companies
they can be consolidated into one concern.
that they can obtain a monopoly just IS
the Standard Oil has done?"
McHarE Not Afraid.
Standard OIL has done good. I am not
It's defender, and I am not afraid Of II.
although a man once asked me II Z
wasn't. Why. know that In my time.
before Standard Oil came into being.
there were ten explosions caused by oil
where there Is one now. It has cheapened
the price Of oil. too. But It IS foolish to
talk OF consolidating all the water power
concerns in this country There are so
many streams where power can be devel-
oped- 1t would be just as easy to con-
solidate all the railroads
How about Hartmann" II was sug-
gested. He has almost done it,
Yes. and Hartman is almost dead. too.
No man capable Of such things has sue
.cessor. Napoleon had no successor, had
hep"
And then Mr.. McHarg took ND another
paragraph Of former President Roose-
Velt's message OF January Is. IN which
the latter said:
ITO give away without conditions this.
one OF the greatest OF our resources.
would be an act OF folly II we are
guilty OF IT, our children VIII be forced
10 pay an annual return upon a capi-
talization based upon the highest prices
which the traffic viii bear They viii
find themselves face TO face with power
full interests intrenched behind the doe
trina 0F srrncfnT rfc~hfcf 40 ctr
by every defense which money can buy
and ingenuity of able corporation law
yers can devise.
Long before that time they may, and
very probably viii. have become a con-
solidated interest. controlled from the
great financial centers. debating the
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