Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-02-20
P|NCH0T REPORTS.
Country's Progress Seen
By Deposed Chief Forester.
Payne-AIdriCh Tariff Labeled
! Breeder Of Distrust.
Declares Last Two Years Most
j Formative Since Civil War.

| flee of chief forester of the United
/ States today before the Peoples For
um OF New Rochelle delivered what
h" entitled "A Report of Progress
In his speech he summarized the
achievements for tn" conservation al
rnfional resources which he attribut-
cd to the Progressive movement,
paid tribute to the Roosevelt admin
iStration, Crediting it with enormous
+ tlr5uucu-c III awakening the people t.
their rights and opportunities. and
declared the Payne Aldrich tariff was
the most powerful single factor IN
breeding popular distrust of the OLD
| line politicians and their methods
| That mere than all else. he said. was
Responsible for making the last tive
years the most formative since tho
Civil War"
In his summary of achievements
| Mr. Pinchot placed first The great
doctrine of the conservation of natur-
al resources which he said has been
adopted by the people of the United
states once and for all as their rule
of Judgment and action.
l. we have checked the Guggenhcims
lin their efforts to absorb Alaska, and
|
the vast resources of that territory
mainly for the benefit of the people
of Alaska and the United States.
| In that connection the speaker laud-
| ed the services of THAT soldier of
the common good. Young CLAWS" and
declared it as his belief that we shall
yet save the coal and all the rest"
within the last two years" Mr.
| Pinchot continued, IAN effort of the
| water power monopolists to turn the
water powers of the nation over to the
| control Of the states, whence they
might more easily pass into the hands
of the men who always knew exactly
what they want, was born, flourished
and disappeared Its death blow was
on the announcement from the White
| House that d wise federal water pow
er policy has been adopted by the
| administration. The position thus
taken by the President along the lines
already laid down by Garfield and
| Roosevelt. deserves, and | doubt not
will receive. the endorsement and
support Of every friend of conserva-
ton and every enemy of monopoly.
There are nearly 200o0000o acres
of national forests in the West, but
none in the East. The recent pass
age of the bill which will establish
such public forests in the southern
Appalachians and White Mountains
concludes in victory an effort which
has lasted 10 years. and furnishes
one of the best of all illustrations OF
the value of persistence in Il good
| cause"
I t'E'inlllvr hI TnitaI St
service, with the policies which it
represents, has won its fight agains,
the open attacks of it's enemies, and
the covert hostility of men who should
have been its best friends. Both
| the service and its policies are now
more firmly established in public
confidence and support than ever be-
bore. 1t would be difficult to set toe
| high value on the work of the new
| forester Henry S. Graves. to whom
| this result, as we'll as the adoption OF
a sound water power policy by the
administration are directly due.
| Side by side with the conservation oi
| our natural resources and material wei
| fare stands the conservation of our in
| dustrial and political liberties. In thi,
| field the great forward step of the las
two years is that at last our people hav,
| seen the light. At least we have come
| Ia realize the fundamental proposition
| that equality Of opportunity no Longer
exists among us. The industrial and po
| itcal power of the great interests denies
| a square deal TO the average man. 1t il
not the consolidation of capital in itsell
that has brought this about, but rather
| the use of money in politics by the great
| combinations Thus the political value ol
| the individual voter has been reduced OF
| destroyed.
AT last we understand that the contro
Of politics for profit has reached point
where the lfc of free institutions is al
stake; and when a people like ours come
to realize fact like that they act. Oul
people know today that however devoted
10 the public interest congressman and
| individual senators may be (and there
are many suchl, Congress. as whole, nc
| longer represents the people,
| Mr.. Pinchot described the closing hours
| of the present Congress as besct by a
swarm of hungry lobbyists" all seeking
| TO get from. Congress what they ought
not to have"
| He said that playing with loaded poll
| ties was no better than playing with
| loaded dice. and added:
The fact that a relatively small num-
| ber of gentlemen. all unusually well off,
| have set ont to relieve the American
people of the task of governing them
selves and are carrying out their inten
| ton with remarkable Intelligence and
success, is useful information for voters
ut is out Of such. things as these that
the progressive movement has grown
The progressive movement is nothing
| more than the crystalized determination
of the American people to take their own
affairs back into their own hands, and
manage their own business themselves" !"
Abiding to the election of Senator Lor-
| inner of Illinois and thus far unsuccessful
| candidacy Of William f. Sheehan for the
senatorship In New York as illustrations
| of the need of some form of direct cleo
| ton Mr.. Pinchot expressed his faith in
| the peoples ability to govern themselves.
He also dwelt upon what he thought a
| direct election system would do in New
| York state.
| he characterized the birth of the new