Omaha daily bee., 1909-08-11
Federal Official Cheered by Dele.
gates to Spokane Convention.
METHODS OF THE MoNoPo
Lobbyists ct Every Session Of CO
gress Work to Tear Down Bars.
ROCKEFELLER AS AN ExAMP1
Secretary Hcaee saya on King
Greatest COnservator of Natural
Resources and Praises
His Methods.

SPOKANE. Wash, Aug. l0-Gifford Pin
chot evidently found out where he stands |
at the National Irrigation congress today. |
when the LOO delegates In the big armory |
gave him an ovation lasting fully five min |
utes and winding up with burst of three
cheers. This was the widest reception yet |
sccorded's speaker before the congress.
Mr.. Pinehot directly charged that there |
is water power trust in process Of forma- |
ton.
Not only this" said he, but this water |
power trust does not have any hesitancy
about appearing before this congress in
the persons OF its attorneys and thus seeks
TO break down the last remaining opposition
70 the ownership of all the uu2wer in the
country"
Mr.. Pinchot named one power corporation
which he charged is after the control Of
water power
He paid tribute to the Roosevelt poll !
cies and brought another storm OF cheers
by saying that the Taft administration is !
irrevocaby pledged to the support Of those
policies.
He went Immediately into his subject,
giving, as he announced It, a stewardship
of his doings for the last year.
He was preceded by T. j. Allen of the
forestry service, who demanded that II the |
west is to preserve its forests there must
be state laws and men to enforce them.
Tnis speech was heartily seconded by Mr.
Pinchot who in furthering this sentiment
paid strong tribute to former President
Roosevelt. Mr. Pinchot's speech IN part
was follows;
Trast Absorbs Water sites.
There could be no better Illustration Of |
the eager. rapid. unwearied absorption by
al vrh 20 ali
the people than the water. power trust, !
not yet formed but In rapid process of
formation. This statement Is true, but not
unchallenged. We met at every turn
by the indignant denial of the water power
interests They tell us that there is no
community Of interest among them, and
yet they appear year after year at these
Congresses by, their paid attorneys, asking
for your Influence 10 help them remove
. the few remaining obstacles to their per- |
petual and complete absorption Of the re-
naming water powers They tell us II
has no significance that the General EIec-
trio 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, dominates all
industry Have you ever seen a few
drops Of oil scattered on the water spread
which put an end at once to all agitation
of the surface. The time for us TO agitate
this question Is now, before the separate
circles of centralized control spread into
the uniform. unbroken. nationwide COW
ering of a single gigantic trust There
will be little chance for mere agitation
after that. No man at all familiar with
the situation can doubt that the time for
effective protest Is very short. II we do
az
nay be very sure that the trust will give
hereafter small consideration to the well
fare OF the average citizen when in con-
flict with It's own.
The man who really counts is the plain
Americas citizen This IL the man for
whom the Roosevelt policies were created.
and his welfare is the end to which the
Roosevelt policies lead. AS a nation we
are fortunate at this time in this fact
above ali others. that the great man who
gave his name TO these policies has for
his successor another great president
whose administration is most solemnly
pledged to the support OF them"
Rockefeller a Great COnserVatOr.
John D. Rockefeller as a philanthropist
and as an example for the nation to copy
was held up to the consideration Of the
National Irrigation congress today by W.
J. MCGEE, secretary of the Inland Water
ways commission OF Washington.
Dr. McGee frankly said he admired Mr.
Rockefeller. He regarded the Standard OIL
magnate as a man among millions and
saw no reason why a million other men
could not be as successful as he.
Dr. AcGee was speaking of water as a
thing which In value to the human race
in proportion to all other neeessaries is
100 to l. He urged the conservation OF
tion.
And yet" said he. with water thus
valuable and necessary TO the human race,
John d. Rockefeller charges less for =
gallon Of oil after Il has passed through
many processes than q spring water con-
cern does for a gallon OF mineral water
that has not been treated in any way.
Il regard Mr.. Rockefeller as at once
generous public benefactor and wise and
careful business man. He has had all the
opportunity in the world to exact an ex-
orbitant toll and yet he charges less for
oil than is paid every day for common
water.
) Il say the United States government
could no better than profit by the example
Of business man SO astute and who SO
well eonserves national resources"
Waterways ON Pacific Coast.
J. n. TeAl appealed for enlargement OF
the scope Of waterways the Pacific
coast He pointed out the possibility Of
e fsking navigable the Columbia river for
Il idstanee Of I5OO miles by applying the
ybst OF single battlsship to the work.
lie declared that river transportation is
the greatest Of automatic rate adjusters.
In part, he said;
Those who look on money appropriated
for rivers and harbors as a uselaHn ax
psndltura know nothing OF the economics
Of transportation
who has forgotten the so-caIled car
shortage Of two years ago. when business
was paralyaed because there could be no