New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-14
From The Tribune Bureau.l
Washington, MAY

1
| TREASON.-Treason OF the most .dia-
bolical character, conceived in infamy AMI
nourished on blasphemy. has once more
been discovered in the government service.
| and once more the monopolists Of
patriotism and civic virtue are on the verge
OF Mysteries and the foundations Of the Re-
public tremble to their foundation. The
Geological Survey. Or. George Otis Smith
director is the chief culprit in this
dastardly attempt to overthrow the sacred
tenets Of conservation and thus to hasten
| this tottering nation to It's inevitable doom
And Sheridan is twenty miles away" In
deed, when last heard OF he had sailed for
the Mediterranean. AS the presiding
genius, the evil genius in this instance, Of
the Geological Survey, II is impossible to
acquit George Otis Smith Of responsibility
for this dabolical plot to defeat the will
Of the people. On him must rest the grava-
men of the crime, for he II is who has de-
| termined to obey the law. He II is who
wilfully and without one palliating cir
| cumstance has read the law. the so-caled
Weeks law, whereby II was purposed that
numerous worthy owners of practically
worthless acres OF land should sell those
/
broad acres to the government OF the
| United States for good and more than
sufficient remuneration and thus save the
eastern shore from Maine to Florida, from
that denudation and erosion which have
made Of Palestine barren and an arid
waste But enough of futile attempts to
portray depth of infamy which beggars
| description. Here are the appalling facts
The Weeks bill appropriates total OF
s1l COO 900 for the purchase and conversion
10 the care Of the Forest Service Of lands
in the White Mountain anu Appalachian
ranges, to conserve the forests and protect
the navigable streams. A clause OF the
bill reads: Provided. that before any lands
are purchased by the national forest reser-
walton commission said lands shall be ex-
amined by the Geological Survey and re-
port made to the Secretary Of Agriculture
showing that the control Of such lands will
promote or protect the navigation OF
streams on whose watersheds they lie.
This is the diabolical joker which some I'M
known miscreant caused 10 be inserted In
the bill and this Is the provision OF law
which Director George Otis Smith, without
q scintila Of excuse except that II is the
law, has taken occasion to read, and, in
credible and shocking as this assertion
must appear to all enthusiastic conserva-
tionists. which he purposes to obey.
Neither threats nor cajolery have succeeded
in bringing Director Smith to even an APP
proximate realization Of the depth of his
heresy, TO call it by no severer name.
Logic nor reason, nor even threats OF
anathema by the conservation cult have
served 10 bow the proud head Of the Geo
logical Survey nor 10 prove 10 him the per-
fdy OF his course in seeking to obey
provision Of the law which nobody wanted
there but the lawmakers, and which even
some Of those would be glad TO see dis
regarded. But the worst is yet to come.
Both Secretary Fisher and Secretary Will
son are disposed TO uphold Director smith,
while the reports of the Geological Survey
seem almost certain 10 show that some OF
the most widely advertised streams are IN
no sense navigable, and thus TO expose
much of the buncombe which has been so
Iinextricably mixed up with the forest
policy. II is a sad. sad world, my masters.
MORE BUNCOMBE.-In the selection or
Henry Lewis Stimson for Secretary of war
President Taft has made an appointment
which will commend itself TO all who know
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Mr. Stimson's ability while unprejudiced
observers will rest content TO await deVel-
| opments whereby they may judge Of the
merits Of the selection. This will not pre-
vent however. the oft repeated and silly
charge that because, in this instance, Mr..
Stimson knows little of war or military
affairs the selection is misguided and UNI
fortunate and was made solely for political
reasons. To those familiar with the affairs
of the government departments nothing
could be further from the truth than TO
say that il is necessary TO secure an expert
on military affairs for the War portfolio,
an expert on naval affairs for the Naval
portfolio or even an expert or farming for
the Agricultural portfolio The pre-emi-
nent requisite OF a Cabinet officer Is hard
common sense AZ for technical affairs, he
enjoys an amplitude of advice. That IS the
province, in the War Department. of the
General STAFF; in the Navy Department OF
the General Board, and even in the
Agricultural Department it would be easy
to form a board Of experts amply
capable of rendering advice on technical
subjects, were the Secretary unfamiliar
with agricultural matters. The man
who, possessed Of some measure of tech
meal knowledge undertakes the control
Of one Of these highly technical depart
ments more often than not succeeds only