The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-11
IT "HET up THE WAR.
way

It appears that in dismissing Mr.,
Pinchot from the position of Chief For
ester. President Taft has merely aggrl-
waited the ferccpcss Of the fight. II
was supposed by him that he would end
the controversy so Iar us Cfhcialdnm was
concerned, with thc swift and eirectua!
stroke However The conservation
forces, so called, are determined ia
stand by Pinchot, and il looks as though
a large following would rally to his
support. The attitude of ex-Sccrciary
Garfield upon Mr.. Pinchot s dismissal
is probably significant of the attitude
that will be assumed by all of that way
of thinking. whether in official life or
not. The conservationists have made
Mr.. Pinchot stand for something senti-
mental bud serious in their cult, and
they will not be able to disengagc them
selves from his support.
AT the same time. as we have said
heretofore, it was impossible for Presi
dent Taft to retain Mr.. Pinchot after
bis acts of official insolence and insub-
ordination. The settlers generally
throughout the West will also view Mr..
Pinchot S downfall with euuanimity.
and will welcome the opportunity to
obtain better use Of the public utilities
than heretofore. There has never been
such denial at any time in this country,
from colonial times to the present, when
settlers we're harassed with such re-
c,tfo lar
the Pinchot policies. Wherever settlers
entered new country in the old west
they were at liberty to use whatever
came to hand in opening their farms
building their houses and barns and
fences, and in general taking such
things as they found necessary and
useful in their developments All this
precedent was repudiated by the for
estry service under Mr. Pinchot, He
wanted to preserve the National re-
sources, so called, but for what purpose
does not appear. He would deprive the
settlers and miners of the use of the
timber, he wouldn I allow them to use
the water power, and in general he
would hold them pretty close, through
some indefinite idea that the public la
ter on was to receive benefit from that
policy. However, the public gets moth
ing unless individuals get it, The mass
ut individuals form the public. And
there would appear TO be no reason IN
sense and comfy. as there is no reason
in the law, why The settlers Of this west
ern and mountain region should not
have every advantage that the pioneers
in other portions of the Republic hay 9
been freely accorded. this all the more
since this mountain country is harder
TO develop than the country in the Ohio
and Mississippi valleys.
II appears, however, that conseIya
tiop Of natural resources is now more Of
a political than an economic question.
and doubtless will have TO he Tough.
out on that line. There is an immense
amount Of sentimentality on one side in.
volved in this conservation propaganda.
and on the other unqucstionably there
is much disposition 10 steal. But il
seems extraordinary that in a popular
government like this there should be no
way TO take the middle course, no way
In prevent stealing without uuduly ham
pering the settlers.
Undoubtedly the warfare i'm Mr.
Pinehot s behalf will be made very bot :.
and the zeal with which it is conducted
will be fired by the hope of thc return
of President Roosevelt 10 take the lead
in support of Pinchot and in opposition
10 President Taft. We evidently have
warm times coming in Republican poll
up their minds 10 the fact that this
war IS on and on 10 stay