The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-04-23
DoHERTY's PLAIN SPEAKING.

DoHERTY'S PLAIN SPEAKING.
Mr. Henry l.. Doherty is the lates
and in some respects the severest crit,
OF ex-Forester Pinchot. Mr. Doherty il
an expert himself in the matter of con
serva;ion, being president primarily o1
the Public Service Corporation Of New
York, and is president also Of a number
Of other corporations having TO do with
conservation and public service. so that
he does not critlcise without KNOWN {
the points Of the case, and without un
jderstanding the purpose involved
First of all, Mr. Dohcrty criticiscs
Pinchot because Pinchot lent the weight
Of his name and official position and in.
huence TO sensational statements that
were not true. He accuses him further
of falling into popular errors in further
ance of existent agitations, and in ef-
feet playing for popularity by yielding
TO the public g apparent desire TO hear
charges Of misconduct against wealthy
people and corporations.
Piuchot yielded to this clamor appar.
emily in search of notoriety and popu.
| larity. Mr.. Doherty denounces the
"popular craze for attacking all quasi
public corporations as unjust and flu
| tile, as il certainly is. A furoro has
been created all over the country which
will result where it has any effect, mere.
~ in reaction against progress, and
will tend to restrict development whcr-
ever tho idea is put in force.
The basis of all the contention TO
which Mr. Pinchot lent himself so read
lily and so powerfully, is that the coun-
try shall be left in Il state of nature;
that no one shall develop water powers,
cut timber, or in any way disturb the
natural conditions as they have existed
in the unused wildness from the first
Any attempt mt developing the country,
any one attempting to establish home
steads and farms, to develop water
power and use the flowing streams. is
denounced as outrageous, and an in
fringmcnt upon the rights of the peo-
pie. All this sort of talk makes for
non progression, aud is an effort toward
holding the country where it is; it is
a plea for succeeding generations which
might well also remain plea for gen
erations 10 come and so on indefinitely,
barring present generations from any
use of public utilities or the occupation
Of the public domain.
II it could have been applied at first
as the propaganda for this sort of thing
now seems TO demand, the whole coun-
try would vet be in state of nature.
with struggling settlement or two on
the coast, on lands granted by or bought
from the natives, and that would be
all
A tract of land in a state of nature.
undeveloped. with no farms or occu-
pnncy, TO serve as range for wild
game, is in the view Of the conservation.
lists far more desirable than a tract of
land under tillage, well developed, and
with thrifty American citizenship
making good living thereon.
The whole tendency Of the Pinchoiism
is to prevent the occupation and de |
velopment of the country by imposing
impossible conditions. 1t is the same |
thing as stopping progress altogether.
NO one IS going 70 develop land unless !
he can get the land that he develops.
Nobody rs going TO develop n water
right, power site, or anything of the
kind. without securing ownership, and
the right TO use il. And no one is 90.
ing 10 put his money into an enter.
prise without having something 10 saw
about what is 10 he done in the course
of the use of the things necessary
thereto.
A remarkable feature of this whole
conservation movement is that il has
its chief support from States that con.
tributod nothing whatever TO the pub.
lie domain. The original colonies kept
their land themselves, within their
1t was never a part of the
Federal land system. Not only this.
but Virginia is trying TO stir up the
other colonies which made grants of
wild land west of the Allegheny noun.
tains, 20 demand pay from the National
Government for the lands thcy grant.
ed. The United States received the
Northwest and the Southwest terri
tories from the old colonies in consid.
Grafton OF stipulations granted therein.
IL bought the Louisiana Territory
which includes everything west of the
River except the "Orepon
and the region eeded bv Mex.
Ico in ls4s. The original colonies.
forming the first thirteen States con.
iriouted to the money for the National