The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-14
Deposed Official Says That Popular Government Is
 Now At Stake
TREMENDOUS MORAL
 ISSUE IS INVOLVED
MT. Pinchot Says That the Waterways as We'll as the Coal Lands Are About to Pass Into the Hands
 of Money Power.

Washington. January 1a-sThe conser- Wilton of natural resources and the con- servation of popular government are both at stake. The one needs conservation no less than the other"
 This statement epitonizes the formal announcement made public tonight by Clifford Pinchot, who was recently re- moved as chief of the forest service. The former official declares the great moral issue that now faces the country is not the loss of natural resources so much as whether special interests or the people sh rule. The statement, in part, is .as f. si
 At this time I have D. comment to make on recent ever neither in or one or the sovernm 4t service propose to stay in the fight for conservation and equal opportunity. Every movement and measure. from whatever source. that tends to advance conservation and pro- mote government by men for human well fare, l shall try to help. Every move ment and measure, from whatever source thtt flinders conservation and promotes government by money for profit I will eT3eavor to oppose. The supreme test of movements and measures is the wei fare of the plain people. am as ready to support the administration when if moves toward this paramount end as l am to oppose 1t when it moves away
 MT Pinchot expresses his profound re- Bret at leaving the forest service and pays tribute to the faithfuiness and high quality Of service rendered by the men with whom he worked. Out of the work or the forest service. he proceeds. grew the conservation movement
 National Convictions.
 Today that movement expresses one of our deepest national convictions. he says "and the principles for which 1t stands are received as automatic It Is only the execution of them which re- mains in doubt
 MT. Pinchot then traced the recorn- mendations of the conference on conser- vation at the White House in May, 1e0s the subsequent creation of the national conservation commission which, he says together witL President Roosevelts mes sage to Congress on the subject Set forth comprehensive, definite scheme for the conservation of our natural resources- which he applauds and indorses Then he proceeded:
 At this critical period, when the goal was in sight, enemies of conservation in Congress not only succeeded In prevent ing an appropriation with which to pur- sue the work, bur attempted to forbid It's progress by the Tawney amendment tk the last sundry civil bill. Thereupon the work of the national conservation commission was stopped
 The recommendations of the comrnis- sion still wait for action. All wise men will agree that the situation is serious The Tawney amendment was more than mia fo r. of the future. The dangers which con front the conservation movement today must be met by pos, i've action in Con- gress. No action be equivalent to bad action and will, the same re- suits.
 Losses Will Be Great.
 Unless Congress acts the waterpowers will pass into the hands of special in- terests without charge and without limit of time So with the phosphate deposits on public lands. when the withdrawals which now protect them arc removed. So with the enormous valuable coal deposits in Alaska which the present law would sell for sio per acre.
 '"rhe danger of bad legislation Is no less serious. The special interests must no longer be allowed to take what they choose out of the great property of all the people. Those who steal public lands steal homes from men and women who need them. Congress can stop the pillage. or Congress can let it go on.
 4 "In the absence of proper action two ugreat conservation plans for the public ! walfare may fail. The first is the con trol of waterpowers on navigabls streams tfin the public interest; the second is the construction of the deep waterway from the great lakes to the gulf.
 "The unanimous opinion of the Missis- sippi valley recognize this waterway as . ~<sfo al Auuff vi reason that the cost, which is already of- ficiaily known, will be trivial when com pared with the benefits conferred. Trans portationy facilities create traffic. The fail- ure to develop our waterways, together with adequate terminals and connections by rail. leaves to the railroads com plete monopoly of transportation in the Mississippi valley"
 Rights of the People.
 MT. Pinchot then calls upon every s.man of good will" to mako 1t clear to his representatives in Congress his firm intention to hold them personally respon- sible for safeguarding the "rirhts and property of the people" In such action. says MT. Pinchot, lies the remedy.
 'The first immediate danger is that the waterways will be lost; the second. >- that the coal lands will be lost" the state \nent concludes
 "But these specific dangers of public loss gre merely parts of the great is- sue between the special interests and the rest of us That issue is whether this country shall be managed by men for human welfara, or by money for profit
 Tt Is tremendous voral issue. far greater than any mans lNrsonal feelings or personal fortunes. It lies between tho people and their representatives on one side, and the interests and their repre- sentatives on the other; between progress
 
 and q square deal. repeat that the su- preme test is the welfare of tho plain people. It is time to apply f."