The San Francisco call., 1909-12-11
Sierra Club Members Waging
Vicious Campaign in East
Against Hetch HetChy
Flood of Misleading and False
Statements Sent Broadcast
in Pamphlet Form
John Muir Makes Absurd ''Na-
ture Plea" in Absolute Ig-
nOranCe of the Facts
Foolish Assertions That Beau.
ties of the Yosemite Reserve
Are to Be Destroyed

ITHE persistent and vicious op-
position that has been directed
= at San Francisco in connection
with the city's attempt to gain
Sierra water supply has taken fresh
root within the city itself and a fan
reaching campaign against the ac-
QUESTION of Sierra water rights is now
being directed by an organization
maintaining its headquarters in San
Francisco.
The Sierra club. always aligned
with the interests opposed to the city
on the water question, is at present
lending itself and its influence to an
attack designed to do the city meal
culable harm. From its headquarters
in San Francisco there is going out
over the country flood of literature
calling upon the nation at large,
through congressional interference, to
refuse San Francisco the privilege of
acquiring water rights absolutely
necessary to its future growth and de-
velopment.
Flood of Literature
Tens of thousands of pamphlets, adj
dressed ito the members of congress-.
bearing the signature of John Muir,
president of the Sierra club, and con-
tanning mass of misleading comment
and criticism, are being sent broad
cast by the Sierra club Rev of the
pamphlets have been sent out to San
Franciscans, and the newspapers Of
the city have not been favored with
copies, but they have reached other
cities in all parts of the country where
the true merits of the question at
issue are unknown and where friends
OF San Francisco are lacking to coun-
teract the effects of their poison.
Prevent the destruction of the
Yosemite park is the caption which
heads the pamphlet, and throughout
its 81 pages it is made to appear that
San Franciseo's acquisition of Hetch
Hetchy water rights would utterly de-
stroy the natural grandeur and beauty
of at least half the great natural park
reserve. Over his own signature. On
the front page of the pamphlet. Muir
makes this assertion:
Year after year attacks have
been made on the famous Yosemite
national park under the Suise of
development of natural resources.
Right now. the most determined at
tack Of all is being made by the
city of San Francisco. which is
trying to get possession of one of
its grandest< features, the Hetch
Hetchy valley. as a reservoir site
for a water supply. This would
eventually mean the exclusion of
the people from half of the entire
park and the destruction % many
of its most wonderful features.
Assertion Is Absurd
The assertion that half the park
would be closed to the public is All
surd in view of the existing facts. The
two contemplated reservoir sites to-
gether include a district of but four
square miles out of the total park area
of 1900 miles. or but -one-third of /
per cent of the entire area. OF the two
square miles included in the Hetch
Hetchy reservoir site the city already
owns in fee simple patent one and a
quarter square miles and is asking
the grant of only three-quarters of
square mile OF the two square miles
included in the Lake Eleanor site the
city owns or has already undertaken
to acquire one and half square miles.
although a part of this is not included
in the reservoir area.
Eliminating the land already owned
by the city of San Frapcisco. the
grants wanted cover but about one
sixth of per cent of the whole park
area, yet it is the acquisition of this
which the Sierra clubs pamphlet de-
clares would mean the exclusion of
the people from half Of the entire
park" Moreover. San Francisco owns
by purchase sufficient lands to ex-
change acre for acre for every foot of
land that would be acquired by the
grants sought. 1t is this exchange
which the Sierra club would refuse the
city of its home. while grants under
far less advantageous conditions are
being made by the government to pri-
vate corporations
The body of the pamphlet contains