Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1909-11-06
pinChOt Talks
On The River
improvements

the time for oratory is past, the
'Lakes-to-the-Gulf" Deep Waterways
convention tonight decided to send
500 lobbyists to Washington to de-
mand that congress deepen the Mis-
sissippi river. A resolution to that
effect was offered by David r. Fran
els, ex-governor of Missouri. There
was silence for a moment after the
resolution was read. the lobby idea
apparently shocking the delegates for
a moment, then somebody turned
loose an old-fashioned rebel yell,
and the resolution was adopted with
a whoop. In the confusion ii wa
doubtful if ten delegates knew that
the regular report of the resolutions
committee had been adopted. Rep
resentatiVe Duncan Mckinley of Cal
ifOrnia was one Of the speakers at
the afternoon session, and made a.
spirited argument on the necessity
Of improving the inland waterways.
The principal speaker today was
Clifford Pinchot. chief forester Of
the government, and in part he
spoke as follows:
''The connection between forests
and rivers is like that between faith
. ~ anu sun M AhItol0f Ab .lINEI %
So a forester may not be wholly be-
yond his depth when he talks about
streams The conquest of Il riy-
ers is one of the largest commercial
questions now before us.
The commercial consequences of
river development are incalculable.
Its results cannot be measured by
the yard stick Of present commercial
needs. River improvement means
better conditions of transportation
than we have now, but It mean de-
velOpment. too. We cannot see this
problem clearly and see it whole in
the light of the past alone.
The actual problems of river de-
velopment are not less worthy of
our best attention than their COM
mercial results. Every river is a
unit from its mouth to its source.
II it IS to be given its highest use
fulness to all the people, and serve
them for all the uses they can make
of it, il must be developed with that
idea clearly in mind. To develop a
river for navigation alone, or power
alone, or irrigation alone, is often
like using a sheep for mutton, or a
steer for beef. and throwing away
the leather and wool. A river is 2
unit, but its uses are many, and
with our present knowledge there
can be no excuse for sacrificing one
use to another If both can be sub
served.
"A progressive plan for the de.
velopment of our waterways is es-
%sential. Pending the completion oil
, that plan. which should neither be
weakened by excessive haste moi
/. drowned in excessive deliberation.
work should proceed at once or
some of the greater projects which
we know already will be e%ssentia.
under any plan that may be devised
= First and foremost of these by unan.
imous consent is the improvement
of the Mississippi river.
"A comprehensive and progressive
plan of the kind we need a be
made in one way only, and that Is
? by a commission of the best men In
the United States appointed directly
by the president Of the Unitet
/, States.
Such a plan must consider ever
use to which our rivers can be put
and every means available for thet
! control. II must deal with sucl
! great questions as the relation o
! the states and the nation IN the con
~struetion and control of the york
and the coordination Of rGll ant
river transportation. The @nHineer
ing difficulties may be larf thar
any we have yet solved. The ad
justment of opposite deIlar's be
: tween conflicting interests AMI local
. tiles, and other questions OF larg'
reach, and often of great legal com
plexity, will tax the powers of tn
best men we have. No part OF tn
: work will require greater temper
ance, wisdom and foresight thar
u certain questions of policy and law
Il have observed in the course o
9 some experience that d~ificultie
! originating with the law are pecul
y iarly apt to foster misconceptions
= 1t happens that the service wit
! which / have the honor to be con
= nected supplies just now a typica
example.
= Certain newspapers have said 0
late that the forest service has gon
beyond the law in carrying out 1t
work. This assertion has been re
= peated so persistently that there !
danger that It may be beloved
Inc lrleuub Oh COuStIN dllOu NUS
: not be led to think that before tn
forest service can proceed legal
y with it's present work all the ha2
u ards and compromises of new legis
= lation must be faced.
Fortunately, the charge of Il
legal action Is absolutely false. Tn
forest service has had ample lega
authority for everything It has done
Y Not once since it was created ha
any charge OF illegality, despite tn
most searching investigation an
the bitterest attack, ever led to re
versal or reproof by either house o
!. congress or by any c~ongressiona
committee since the creation o
= the forest service and the expendi
ture OF more than S1t, 100000 ha
:. passed successfully the scrutiny o
: the treasury of the United States
= Most significant of all, not once ha
the forest service been defeated a
to any vital legal principle underly
: ing its work in any court or admin
y istrative tribunal of last resort
Thus those who make the law an
those who interpret 1t seem to agre
" IL - "