Imperial Valley press., 1909-08-21
BATTLE WITH \ TRUST
Pinehot Makes Plain the Meaning of Ballinger's Reverence For Law.

assertion that. in reversing the Roose- welt policy of conservation of natural resources for the people, he is play ing the game of the embryo water power trust is that he is only admin istering the law. To that specious attorneyism, Forester Pinchot made answer in the Irrigation Congress. MT. Pinchot charged that the irrigation congress was being made the tool of the corporate interests, whose agents are being made members of important committees for the purpose of domi- neering the activities of the congress.
 And I believe" said he, q could point out one genial and urbane gen. tleman, an attorney for the interests, who is here now" meaning perhaps W. J. McGee. secretary of the In- land Waterways Commission, who had just emitted a loathsome eulogy of Rockefeller and his methods.
 In direct answer to the defensive plea of Ballinger, Pinchot said:
 Equality of opportunity is the real object of our laws and institutions. Our institutions and our laws are not valuable in themselves. They are valuable only because they secure equality of opportunity for happiness and welfare for our citizens. An in stitution or a law is means, not an end means to be used for the pub lie good. to be modified for the pub lie good, and to be interpreted for the public good. One of the great reasons why President Roosevelt's ad- ministration was of such enormous value to the plain American was that he understood what St. Paul meant when he said: "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" To follow blindly the letter of the law, or the form of an institution, without intel ligent regard both for it's spirit and for the public welfare, is very nearly as dangerous as to disregard the law altogether. What we need is the use of the law for the public good, and the construction of it for the public welfare.
 There could be no better illustra- tion of the eager, rapid, unwearied absorption by capital of the rights which belong to all the people than the water power trust, not yet form ed but in rapid process of formation. This statement is true, but not un- challenged. We are met at every turn by the indignant denial of the water power interests. They tell us that there is no community of inter- ests among them, and yet they aP- pear year after year at these con- gresses by their paid attorneys, ask ing for your influence to help them remove the few remaining obstacles to their perpetual and complete ab- sorption of the remaining water pow CTS.
 They tell us it has no significance that the general electric interests are acquiring great groups of water powers in various parts of the United States, and dominating the power market in the region of each group And whoever dominates power, dom- mates all industry. Have you evel seen a few drops of oil scattered or the water spreading until they form. ed continuous film, which put aI end at once to all agitation of tho surface? The time for us to agitat' this question is now, before the sep arate circles of centralized contro spread into the uniform, unbroken nation wide covering of single gi gantic trust. There will be littl chance for mere agitation after that No man at all familiar with the sit uation can doubt that the time fo effective protest is very short. now, We may be very sure that tn trust will hereafter give small con sideration to the welfare of the av craze citizen when in conflict wit