Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-26
Congressman Held Response
BILE for Big Forest Fires.
COULD AVERT CALAMITY
Hepburn, Carter and Mondell Spe.
cially Named.
MADE LIGHT OF PREPAREDNESS
Praise for Rangers for Bravery in
Fighting Flames in Peril
Of Life.

MEN in Congress. like Hepburn,
Carter and Mondell. who make light OF
the efforts Of the forest service to pre-
lamity as this. have. in effect. been
fghting on the side of the fires against
the general welfare" declared Clifford
Pinchot. president Of the National Con-
servation Congress and deposed for
ester Of the United States. in q state
meht made public today.
He was praising the work Of the men
OF the forest service in their brave ef-
forts to stamp out the flames which are
devastating the national reserves In the
far west. He launched into denunciation
OF national legislators and declared the
disastrous results are traceable to the
unpreparedness to deal with the fire sit
uation due to the lack Of support given
in Congress to the appropriations urged
for the proper equipment Of the forest
rangers.
Men Specially Named.
Senator Hepburn OF Idaho. whose home
town. Wallace. suffered severe loss; SEN
ator Carter Of Montana and Representa-
tive Frank Mondell Of Wyoming are the
lawmakers whom Mr.. Pinchot assails.
~ am proud Of the splendid work the
men Of the forest service have been doing
again the western forest fires." said Mr.
Pfnchot. Many Of them have given their
lives to protect the homes Of settlers and
the forests on which the prosperity OF
the western people depend. To my mind
their conduct Is beyond all praise.
Forest fires," he continued. are pre-
yentable 1t is a good thing for US TO re-
member at this time that nearly or quite
all the loss, suffering and death these
fires have caused is wholly unnecessary.
"A fire in the forest is the same kind Of
thing as a fire in the city. There is only
one way to fight either. The ire depart
ment Of every city Is organized with the
prime idea Of getting to the ire when II
is young.
$50 with forest fires. The time TO con-
Quer them is before they grow stron4
..If q forest is equipped with roads,
trails, telephone lines and ,reasonanie
number of men tor patrol. there 10 no
more likelihood that great fires VIII be
able to get started tnan there Is that
great conIiagrations like the Chicago nre
will get started in a city with modern
fire department. Under rare circum-
SeaaSSc lAaSJ A1SSs ~Ss sN~
against it.
Forest Service Praised.
THE forest service has done wonders
with Its handful OF devoted men. 1t
has put out every year many thousands
Of small fires. any one Of which under
favorable conditions might have de-
yelopsd into q confagratiOn which ten
thousand men could not stop. This
year, because OF the great drought. the
worst in much OF the west for more
than twenty years. there were too
many fires and too few rangers.
The lesson from these forest fires Is
perfectly clear. When a city suffers
from q great fire II does not retrench in
its ire department.. but strengthens II.
That is what the nation must DO on the
national forests.
THE men In Congress, like Hepburn,
Carter and Mondell, who have made light
Of the efforts Of the forest service to pre-
pare itself to prevent just such calam-
ity as this. have in effect been fighting on
the side Of the tires against the general
welfare.
..If even a small fraction OF the loss
in additional patrol and preventive
equipment, some or perhaps nearly all
the loss could have been avoided.
II believe our people will take this les
son to heart and insist that the settlers
and their wives and children, the iun-
bermen and the miners. and the lWo-
billion-dollars' worth of national property
in the national forests shall De adequate
ly protected.