The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1909-12-27
TALKS
ABOUT SERVICE
Declares People Are Complacent
Victims Of Great System
of Plumber.
DEFENDS FORESTRY SERVICE
In Address Given Last Evening, Chief
OF Department Says Work Has
Been Repeatedly Attacked Be-
cause Of Efficiency.

New York. Dec. 27.-Special Inter-
ests have made repeated attacks on
the United States Forest Service and
these attacks have increased in vio-
lence just in proportion as the service
has offered effective opposition to
predatory wealth." said Clifford Pin
chot, Chief of the United States For
est Service, in a speech today at New
Rochelle, N. Y. Mr.. Pinchot took as
his subject for his speech at the
Peoples Forum Conservation and
Equal Opportunity" Mr. Pinchoi
said:
THE American people have evidant-
ly made UP their minds that our ma
tural resources must be conserved.
That is good, but il settles only half
the question. For whose benefit shall
they be conservation the benefit of
the many, or for the use and profit Of
the few? The great conflict now be-
ing fought will decide. There Is no
other question before us that begins
to be so important or that will be go
difficult to stradde, as The great
question between special interest and
equal opportunity; between the privi-
leges of the few and the rights os the
many between government by men for
human welfare and government by
money for profit, between the men
who stand for the Roosevelt policies
and the men who stand against
them. This is the essence of the
conservation problem today.
IL believe in one form of govern
ment and believe in the Golden Rule.
But we must face the truth that mon.
opoly OF the sources of production
makes II Impossible for vast numbers
of men and women to earn eair
living. Right here the conservation
question touches the daily life OF the
great body of our people, who pay the
cost OF special privilege. And the
price Is heavy. That price may be the
saloons and the corner gang, and the
girls from worse and to make good
citizens of them instead OF bad. for
an appalling proportion of the ira
gedies of life spring directly from the
lack OF a little money.
"The people of the United States
have been the complacent victims of
system of plunder often perpetrated
by men who would have been surpris-
ed beyond measure to be accused of
wrong doing. and many OF whom in
their private lives were model citi-
zens. But they have suffered from
curious moral perversion by which it
becomes praiseworthy to do for a
corporation things which they would
refuse with the loftiest scorn to do
for themselves. Fortunately for us
all that delusion is passing rapidly
away. "1
1T is the honorable distinction of
the Forest Service that it has been
more constantly, more violently, and
more bitterly attacked by the repre-
sentatives OF the special interests in
recent years than any other govern
nient bureau. These attacks have in
creased in violence and bitterness just
in proportion as the service has offer
ed effective opposition to predatory
wealth. The more successful we have
been In preventing land grabbing and
the absorption OF water power by the
special interests. the more ingenious,
the more devious and the more dan
gerous these attacks have become. A
favorlte one is to assert that the
forest service, in its zeal for the
public welfare. has played ducks and
brakes with the acts of Congress.
"The fact is, on the contrary, that
the service has had warrant of law
for everything IL has done. Not once
since II was created has any charge
of illegality despite the most search
ing Investigation and the bitterest at
tack ever led to reversal or reproof
by either House OF Congress or by
any Congressional Committee.
Another. and unusually plausible.
form of attack. Is TO demand that all
land not now bearing trees shall be
thrown out of the National forests.
"Slnce the Forest Service called
public attention TO the rapid absorp-
tion OF the water power sites and the
growth OF a great water
power monopoly. the attacks upon II
have increased with marked rapidity.
I anticipate that they will continue TO
do so. still greater opposition Is pro-
missed I'm the near future. There Is but
one protectIon-an awakened public
opinion. That II why I give you the
facts"