The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-02-12
THE RECLAMATION SERVICE.

| attack which is made upon him, and
Department expenditures seems TO be
| considering favorably. We in the West
here know Mr.. Newell very well. We
have the utmost confidence in him, and
we know that his enemies arc those who
simnlv were not able 10 influence him
towards schemes that did not commend
themselves to his judgment. Secretary
Fisher reminds the committee that AS
sistant Secretary of the Interior Samuel
Adams and Director f. II. Newell have
been criticised without notice and con.
demDed without hearing; and that
many Of the charges made have no
credible evidence whatever to support
them. Secretary Fisher takes upon HIM
self the responsibility for three rulings
which are criticised in the document be-
fore the House committee. and he af-
firms the propricty of those rulings, and
ia entirely willing to stand for them,
since he went over the whole matter
and explained them to and was ap-
proved at q meeting Of the Water
Users Association held in Phoenix, Ari.
zona, Involving the propositions re-
ferred to. Secretary Fisher afirms that
he believes ''it is a good thing to have
a periodical investigation of the opera,
tions Of the Reclamation Service, bat II
competent to judge Of these operations,
and which will hear tho officials before
it condemns them
There can be no question of the
soundness of this view. There have beeu
many allegations against Director
Newell, extending for some years back,
These allegations have been for the
most part ignored. because they were
self evidently prompted by mischief and
personal motives rather than devotion
to the public service. We do not be-
lieve that any censure can properly lie
against Director Newell with respect to
any of the reclamation work for which
he is responsible.
There is only one thing that can be
criticised, so far as we know and be-
heve, in the operations Of the Reclama-
tion Service, and that criticism does not
lie against Director Newell personally,
but must apply, whore it applies at all,
to mistaken policy adopted, policy
for which we do not believe that Di-
rector Newell himself is responsible. We
refer to the policy under which so many
reclamation projects were taken up
when there was not money available in
the reclamation fund to carry those
works to completion. When President
Taft made his visit to this Western
country in 1909, he saw the evil effects
OF that policy, and pressed upon Con-
gress q measure for relief in the way
of issuing bonds redeemable from the
reclamation fund as it accumulates,
to push on to completion the reclama
ton works begun. That gave great re-
lief, but further relief is necessary, and
doubtless will be afforded. Yet the fact
that this relief was required was in 1T
self in the minds of manv who were
disposed to criticise, censure Of the
reclamation policy; and naturally those
who were foremost in the reclamation
work came in for their share of that
censure, unjustly as we believe, and
unfairly to good and wellmeaning men
We are glad TO see Secretary Fisher
step into the breach and assume the
responsibility which he does in this re
spect; for we arc fully convinced and
have been at all times, that Director
Newell has carried on his work with an
absolute fidelity TO the public interests
that is altogether praiseworthy. and
that so far as he personally could
control affairs. everything has been
done with skill and forethought and a
Just consideration for the interests Of
general interests Of the Reclamation
Service, that could not have been i'm
proved To arraign man without Civ
ing him an opportunity for defense. and
on indefinite and anonymous charges, is
unfair and contrary to the spirit of jus
tice which usually prevails in an
American community We believe that
this attack upon Director Newell is
entirely unjust. and that it Is made
more for political purposes than for any-
thing else. Those who have been
enemies OF Director Newell all the time,
think that they sec in the change OF
administration. and especially in the
change Of politics and National control,
an opportunity to wreak vengeance
upon him which they have failed to get
heretofore: and that we believe to be
the real secret Of the whole matter