Arizona republican., 1909-08-11
ROCKEFELLER
 GOOD MODEL He Finds a Warm AdInirer in National Irrigation Congress C0NSERVATOR OF RESOURCES
Dr. McGee Believes the Oil King Might Be Profit
 ably Copied Chief For
 ester Pinchot Sends Out Warning of Power Trust.

Spokane Aug. 1O.-John D. Rocke- feller, as philanthropist, and an eX- amp'e for the nation to copy, was held up to the kindly consideration of the national irrigation congress this afternoon with the adv {, that the life of the cil magnate be studied as business ideal. The newest expo nent Of MT. Rockefeller was Dr. ". J. McGee, secretary of the inland waterways commission of Washing ton, D. C.. Dr. McGee frankly said he admired MT. Rockefeller. He said. though much sneered at, the presi- dent of the Standard Oil company Is man among millions, and yet though billionaire he be, there is no reason why a million other men can not be as successful as he"
 Mir. McGee was speaking of water as a thing which in value to the human race, in proportion to all oth- CT nece essaries, is as 100 to l. He urged the conservation Of water in three particulars-power. irrigation and transportation. And yet" said he, with water thus valuable and necessary to the human race Rocke- feller charges less for a gallon of oil after it has passed through many processes. than a spring water con- cern does for a gallon of mineral water which has not been treated in any way
 Frankly I admire the man and say the United States government could do no better than to profit by the example of a business man so astute and who so well conserves the na- tural resources" However, this DOT ton of Mir. McGee's speech did not elicit the applause which followed his address fin general, concerning the conservation of natural energy.
 Clifford Pinchot, chief forester of the United States caused perhaps, the chief sensation of the day. beginning with a five minute ovation given him when he took the rostrum and end ing with similar cheering and three cheers and a tiger" when he ended. He took occasion to denOunce the activities of the water power trust, which he said though still in it's in ception bids fair 10 overshadow all other trusts. He charged that the ir- rigation congress was being made the tool of the corporate interests whose agents are being made members of important committees for the purpose of domineering the activities of the congress.
 And" said he, 'I believe I could point out one genial and urbane gen tleman, an attorney for those inter ests who is here now" Mir. Pinchot concluding his adress said:
 There could be no better illustra- ton of the eager, rapid, unwearied absorption by capital of the rights which belong to all the people than the water power trust. not yet formed but in rapid process of formation. Tfus 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 interest among them, and yet they appear year after yaer at these congresses by their paid attorneys, asking for your influence to help tehm remove the few remaining obstacles to their perpetual and complete absorption of the remaining water powers. They tell us it has no significance that the general electric interests are acquir- ing great groups of water powers in various parts of the United States, and dominating the power market in the region of each group. And who- ever dominates power. dominates all industry. Have you ever seen few drops of oil scattered on the water spreading until they formed q con tinuous film, which put an end at once to all agitation of the surface. The time for us to agitate this ques- tion is now, before the separate cir cles of centralized control spread in to the uniform. unbroken, Nation wide covering of 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 pro- test is very short. If we do not use it to protect ourselves now, we may be very sure that the trust will give hereafter small consideration to the welfare of the average citizen when in conflict with its own.
 "The man who really counts is the plain American citizen. This is 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 all l others, that the great man who gave his name to these policies has for his successor another great president I whose administration is most solemn ly pledged to the support of them.