Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1910-06-21
SENATOR BORAH PLEADS
| FOR THE PEOPLES RIGHTS
resent Policy Of Conservation by the
Government is Unfair

WASHINGTON, June 81. Senator
w ., Borah Of Idaho held the close
attention o. che senate yesterday AZ
iernoon when he made 4 plea FOR
changes In the conservation policy al
lowing the opening OF lands held as
forest reserves and power sites In |
Idaho. His contention Ii that states |
affected BY these acts have not been
placed on an equal footing. CONNER
cially. with their sister states. He
said In part:
II do not accept the modern doc
trine that these matters which Inn
mediately concern the states in their
material and local Affairs can be bet
ter administered by bureau from
Washington than by the people them
selves in their respective states.
Neither do approve Of the schemes
so persistently urged and presented
in SO many different. questionable
ways TO withdraw AZ far IS possible
these affairs from the people.
II should not be the business OF
congress to devise by questionable
methods, by strained. unnatural CON
struction OF the Constitution. some
way to take from the people. either
the use or the administration OF those
things which are essentially local
and which go to make up the wealth
and industrial supremacy OF the
state.
Il do not believe. either. that the
employe of the bureau, the officer
sent among us from Washington, is
any more intelligent, or any more
competent or trustworthy than the
people who are at home in the states
trying to make living and build up
prosperous communities. believe,
and am going to continue to believe.
that there is just as much wisdom,
just as much public spirit among the
mass of people and that they are
just as capable OF devising laws to
protect the interests of their chill
dren and their ehildren's children as
are the federal ofEiceholders.
First 900 Good Lawmakers.
| John Bright, the great English
eommoner, once declared that the
first 900 men you viii meet on the
Strand could govern England just as
well as parliament. There Is 3 kind
of official egotism which proceeds
upon the theory that there is a diyin-
ity which hedges about the official
which does not hedge about the citi-
zen. The idea seems TO prevail that
once the oath of office is taken the
party becomes wiser and more capa-
BILE of judging OF these matters than
the citizen.
1T Is the theory of our Gonstitu-
: ton, often declared by our supreme
court, that the new states enter tht
Union upon an equality with the OLD
: states. 1t means not only poHtica
: equality, but Ii means equality in th'
right to utilize and enjoy the natura
resources and wealth which nature
J god has placed within the limits o
state.
IA state which has her agrieultur
al lands locked up is not on Al
: equality with the state which can de
vote them to the raising of food
1 stuffs for her people. A state whicl
: has her mines Withdrawn from ex
0 ploitation must see immigration an
q all that goes to make her grea
: commonwealth turn from her bon
ders.
r .sPower Cites Wealth"
2 These power sites are our wealth
+ We have the means 20 control thes
s and 70 dedicate them to the use {
Z the people. They are a part Of th
states heritage. Il Is a violatio
Of every principle OF the constitutio
TO withhold them from our use.
e IF you TAX them for the feeders
s treasury viii not our people have
= pay the tax Do the people Of oide
states pay any such taxi II Illino
: or Massachusetts, receives thousand
. or even millions OF dollars a.
revenue for their water power an
Idaho receives nothing. but. on Il
other hand. pays thousands or mi
e lions into the federal treasury.
E there equality among the states n
old states make these power sites