Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-12-01
P|NCEOI REPLIES
TO BALLINGER'S
LA1ES7CHARGES
MAKES KNOWN HIS VIEWS IN A
-. LETTER TO DR.. ABBOTT. OF
NEW YORK.. aa,.
SAYS CONGRESS MUST DECIDE
WATER AND COAL. MATTERS
THIS SESSION.
WATER AND COAL RESOURCE IS
BEST DEVELOPED UNDER EVE
r.. OF, GOVERNMENT. ~. .r

: washington, NOV. 3U.-GlHOru
Pinchot, chief of the United States
forest service, has again thrown
down the gauntlet to Secretary Of the
Interior Ballinger in the issue be-
tween himself and the latter, in re-
gard to the conservation policy He
declares that congress will have to
decide whether the great coal fields
Of the country shall continue to re-
main in the hands of the people or
be gobbled up by monopolies, and
whether the great water power sites
shall be given away to special inter-
ests or be controlled by the people.
Mr.. Pinchot makes known his
views in a letter to DR.. Lyman Abb
bott of New York, in response to a
series of questions asked by the lat
ter on "The national conservation
policy" which was made public today.
Referring to the development Of
water power and coal he declared
that in most cases actual develop
ment of the former can best be done
by private interests acting under
public control, but that 1T is neither
good sense nor good morals to let
these valuable privileges pass from
the public ownership for nothing and
forever"
"Congress must decide at this ses-
sion,''aMr. Pinchot says, whether
the great coal fields, still in public
ownership shall remain so, in order
that their use may be controlled
with due regard to the interest OF
the consumer, or whether they shall
pass into private ownership and be
controlled In the monopo olfsticss inter"
ests of q few.,i;~ q r., '.s.., I'll. -
.sCongress must decide also wheth-
er immensely valuable rights to, the
use of water power shall be given
away to special interests in perpet-
uity' and without compensation In
stead of being held and controlled
by the public"
"Why is it important to protect the
water .powers?" asked DR.. Abbott,
and in reply Mr.. Pinchot points out
that it is important to prevent them
from coming into private ownership
as they have been doing, because the
greatest source Of power we know OF
is falling water ozz,,&&1s.y::ss. +. T., ,...
AS one of the essential things that
must be done to protect the water
powers of the people, the granting OF
water powers forever, either on nom
navigable or navigable streams, must
absolutely stop, according to Mi. PIN
chot. After stating that 1t cannot
be right to grant perpetual rights to
the one greater permanent sou rec ct
power, Mr.. Pinchot declared that 1T
is Just as wrong to mortgage the well
fare Of our children in such a way
as this. L9 Water powers must, and
should be developed mainly by pri'
yate capital, and they must be devel-
oped under conditions which make
investment in them profitable and
safe. sss$s a gt=l.
He adds, however, that neither
profit nor safety requires perpetual
rights. Mr.. Pinchot declares further
that there 'tIs no reason whatever
why special interests should be allow.
to use them for profit without max
ing some direct payment to the peo.$
pie for the valuable rights derived
from the people. 9 .sst I. l &C. s..5