Arizona republican., 1909-12-01
MR. P|NCH0T
 RETERATES His We'll Known Views as P0WePshes and Coal ITS UP TO CONGRESS
At Coming Session to Say Whether His Policy Shall Be Adopted As Distin- guished From that Which Formerly Prevailed

Washington, Nov. 30.-Gifford Pin chot, chief of the. United States forest service, has again thrown 70 down the gauntlet to Secretary of Interior Ballinger. in regard to his conservation policy. He has declared that congress will have to decide at It's coming session whether the great coal fields of the country shall con- unue to remain in the hands of the people or be gobbled up by monopo- lies. and whether the great water power sites shall be given away to special interests. or be controlled by the people. MT. Pinchot makes known his views upon these two chief sources of power of the present and future" in a letter to Dr. Lyman Abbott, of New York, in response to series of questions asked by the latter on national conservation policy"
 Referring to the development of water power and the coal fields. the government forester declares that in most cases the actual development of the former can best be accom- plished by private interests acting under public control, but that it is neither good sense nor good morals to let these valuable privileges pass from public ownership for nothing. and forever"
 In answer to Dr. Abbott's ques- tion: What is the danger to the conservation policy in the coming session of cOngress?" MT. Pinchot declares il is "that the privileges of the few may continue to obstruct the rights of the many, especially in the matter of water power and coal"
 Congress must decide at this ses- siOn,' Mir. Pinchot says. whether the great coal fields. still in public own . ership shall remain so. in order that their use may be controlled with due regard to the interests of the consumer, or whether they shall pass into private ownership, and be controlled in the nonolistic interests of the few. Congress must decide also whether the immensely valuable rishts of water power shall be given away to special interests in perpet- uity and without compensation, in stead of being held by the public"
 Why is it important to protect water power?" asked Dr. Abbott, and in reply Mir. Pinchot points out that it Is of first importance to pre- vent them from passing into pri- Vate ownership. as they have been doing. because the greatest source of power we know is falling water.
 Under our form of civilization" he says. If a few men ever succeed in controlling the sources of power they win eventually control all in- dustry as well. If they succeed in controlling all industry. they will nee essarily control the country" Mir Pinchot adds that he can see mo reason why we should deliberately keep on helping to .fasten the hand cuffs of corporate contpol upon our selves for all time. merely because a few men who would prof by it have heretofore had power to compel it"
 As for the essential things that must be done to protect water power for the people. the granting of water power sites forever and on non-nav- igable or navigaDle streams, must absolutely stop. according to Mir Pinchot. After stating that it can not be right to grant perpetual rights to one great permanent source, Mir Pinchot declares Tt is just as wrong as it is foolish, and just as needless as it is wrong to mortgage the wei fare of our children in such way as this. Water power must and should be developed mainly by private capi- tai, and it must be developed under conditions which make the investment in them profitable and safe.'
 He adds. however. that neither profit nor safety requires perpetual rights. Mir. Pinchot declares, fur ther. that there ''is no reason what ever why special interests should be allowed to use them for profit with out making some direct payment to the people for the valuable rights derived from the people