The Washington herald., 1909-08-19
DELEGATES SILENT
ON FORESTRY ROW
Continued from Page One.


There happens 10 be an obstacle TO the
plans Of the Director OF the Reclamation
Service on the North Platte-a man Of
money and grit who has valuable canal
rights there that conflict very mater
ally with the work Of the government.
He has fought long and hard 70 hold
those rights. He hopes 10 add 20 his
fortune by selling power and water for
/ irrigation 10 the farmers who are taking
up the lands as fast as the government
gets them under water.
II follows as n natural sequence that
all the small farmers who are banded
/ together into a North Platte Water Us
/ ers' Association, regard this man as an
enemy, and Mr.. Keyes, il IS reported,
made the diplomatic blunder Of forming
a close alliance with him and Of getting
/ from that biased source the information
/ on which he was 10 base his report
( The members Of the association we're
/ In anything but a friendly mood when
/ Mr. Keyes appeared al a public meeting
/ Of the association as one OF the speak
ers The discussion was on conservation
/ and reclamation, and In due season he
/ WAS called upon 20 express either his
/ views or those Of the man who had sent
[ him there
/ He did not talk long. for ne cid not talk
/ wisely He assured "'all within the
sound Of his voice" that Secretary Bal
linger was a friend OF the conservation
programme. and that the power OF the
Office would be eXerted 70 the end that
an arid lands should be reclaimed and
made fruitful But" he Is reported 70
have said the work from this time win
/ be done in strict accordance with the
/ law. We all know that under the ad-
ministration Of President Roosevelt things
went az a helter-skelter pace. II he and
/ Secretary Garfield wanted 10 take a piece
I OF land for reclamation. or for any
! thing else. they didn't stop to learn
whether it was lawful 20 do so OF not.
They Just rushed in and took il. Now
4 We"
/ But history does not give the balance
Of his remarks, Tor be nearly went out
/ Of the window al that point
1 And ten days later President Taft re-
3 Ceived a letter from a man OF great iufu-
/ euce in that section Of the country. the
letter recited the facts al length. and
I terseiy concluded by saying that the
/ mere sending Of such a man 10 pass
/ upon the work Of Director Newell was
/ little short of on insult
Again Appeared In West.
/ Somebody must have whispered IN the
/ ear Of Mr. Keyes shortly after the ar
7 rival IN Washington Of that letter. for he
wasn't heard ~ for some weeks Then
I he appeared at another OF the reclamation
4 projects, but he was a changed Keyes.
+ Gone was the debonair air OF former
times, gone the willingness 10 advise
/ everybody IN sight OF the best manner
/ Of performing miracles onhard. He was
|aHF %
/ dumbuess. and he was as diplomatic and
/ fearful OF making a statement Of fact
sS was Charles Warren Fairbanks in the
davs OF his political hopes and expecta-
tions
/ Whether NIr Keyes has get made a re-
. port 10 Secretary BallinEer on the enEi-
. neering features OF the giant bridges the
/ enormous dams and the lengthy tunnels
that have been bored IS not known.
/ Whether he VIII appear at the conser- a.
tion congress at Seattle. which ASSEMBLIES
. on August Is. 20 give testimony in case
any is asked is also a mystery. bat
Washington looks forward 10 his return
for he is expected 20 talk e1tertaininglv
though perhaps bitterly. Of the sights De
has seen since he took his thirty years
and went 10 the waste lands in search OF
knowledge.
prevent an open rupture between the
Balhuser and the Pinchot and Newe,,
forces ar tho national conservation con-
ference AZ Seattle. FOR the men who stand
pledged to the great work Of saving the
inland waters. the soil, the forests. and
the minerals will he there IN force. and
Air. FluCEUt is by them regarded as the
real creator OF the policy. L was his In
innate personal influence with Presldeu,
Roosevelt that caused the calling 0f that
historical meeting Of the governors at the
White House iu May. 1908 The policy
was then launched. and the need OF
guarding the nations natural assets for
those Yet 20 come was indorsed by public
I opinion.
Five National Guests.
It will be recalled that among the five
national guests who were invited 70
/ Washington as personal guests OF the
( President were James J. HU. Grover
/ Cleveland. William Jennings Bryan. An
drew Carnegie, and John Mitchell
Alr Hin was one Of the most conspic-
uous figures, and the address he made or
the mineral wealth Of the land and upor
. its dissipation. set thousands 70 think
ing. He is earnestly supporting the con-
/ servation policy and as he aided in max
ing clifford PinChot chairman OF the Ma
uonal Conservation Commission. he Is ex-
peCted 10 be found supporting lim az
Seattle il the fight opens there
And the support Of James =. HiN. ac-
/ cording 90 those who know, is infinitely
more u he desired that his opposition
Naturally a programme has been pre-
( pared FOR the meeting. u viii be The
/ eighth wonder Of the world Il IL Is carried
, out one cannot discuss conservation
/ without discussing the protection Of the
inland waterways. and the soil And any
/ discussion OF the protection of inland
. waters is certain 20 preCipitate an assault
. upon the water power trust, It is said
and bring forth some sort Of an attack
upon either the Secretary OF the interior
OF upon the chairman Of the Conservation
/ Commission.
/ When The first attack IS made scores OF
men will he willing 90 tel, what they
think. and certain officials say President
/ Taft viii learn many things that he is
! now merely guessing at one Of these
/ things, said an official yesterday, Is the
I fact that the West IS strongly in favor
/ OF President Roosevelt, and that any
thing that may be construed as a covert
attack upon the policies he i0augurated
/ viii be politically unwise. Much OF the
( voting in the Yves; in the next four years
will have as its animus the actions Of
4 the Executive I'm the present clash.
| Information from Beverly was scarce
/ yesterday. The President was asked
whethe~ he would make any statement
/ regarding the difference OF opinion exist
/ Ing between his Interior Secretary and
the national forester. He smiled and
started for the golf links.
Taft's Plans Outlined.
( And yet some hours later an enthUsi-
/ astic correspondent wired 20 an Eastern
/ v-nar The ba1iaf that NJ Taft vouTd nav