The daily sentinel., 1913-12-03
tBy EDWARD KEATING.)
tCongressman-at-Large from
CoIorado.)

NOipEado-D
Washington, ID. c., Dec. 3.-The
conservation shoe is beginning to
pinch the eastern foot. So long as
Mr. Pinchot and his supporters con-
fined their activities to locking up
the lands of the west. they received
the earnest and all-but-unanimous
support of the people of the east and
south. But when they attempted to
extend federal control to the great
navigable streams of the region east
of the Mississippi and began planning
to make the water power developed
from those streams a source of rev.
enue for the national government
they quickly discovered that they
could no longer count on many of
their old time friends.
What was sauce for the western
goose was by no means sauce for the
eastern gander.
This change in sentiment manifest
ed itself in striking fashion in the
national conservation congress re-
Gently held in this city. Unfortun-
ately none of the Colorado papers
gave an adequate report of the pro-
ceedings, and in most cases altogeth-
er overlooked the features which
were of greatest Significance to Col
ne uullOudl
congress was organized and has al
ways been controlled by Mr.. Pinchot
and his friends. The congress Of
1912 appointed a committee on the
water power problem with instruc-
tions to report to the congress of
1913. in Washington. This Is what
the politicians would call hand
picked" committee. Every member
was supposed to be dyed-in-the-
wool disciple of Pinchotism, and the
report was looked forward to as the
final word in the matter of conserva-
ton of water power.
PinchOt Men Divided.
When the congress convened it
was discovered that the water pow
er committee was split wide open.
The majority favored state control,
and even went so far as to insist that
water power trust. properly reg
ulated" might be very good thing.
Mr.. Pinchot and the other minority
members vigorously dissented, advo-
eating federal control and denounc-
ing everything suggestive of monop-
oily.
This war of the conservationists
was highly entertaining to the hand
full of western delegates, and we
grinned contentedly for we knew
that. conservation which for years
had been sectional issue, had at
last tecome a national problem.
While Mr.. Pinchot triumphed in
the convention his victory was bar
rem one. He can no longer rely on
the support of the south and the
east and because of this division the
west is placed in position where
A. Al. .
the theories of conservation are to
be translated into legislative action,
and thus made fixed national pol
icy, the west must be consulted and
its opinions must be respected.
The Western Idea.
Right here let me say that | be-
lieve the people of the west, partic-
ularly of Colorado, are conservation
lists in the true sense of that much
abused term. We have no desire to
see our forests, our coal. oil and
asphaltum lands, and our almost un-
limited water power. drift into the
hands of unrestrained monopoly-or
any other kind of monopoly, so far
as that is concerned. We want these
resources developed in such way
as to benefit the greatest possible
number of those now living and with
a decent regard for the interests of
posterity. II revenue accrues from
that development. we believe 1t
should go TO the maintenance of our
state and county governments and of
our school system. We contend that
Uncle Sam should not pocket this
money and thus assume the roll of
an absentee, non-taxpaying land
lord.
If Mr.. Pinchot and his friends re-
ally desire to defeat the plans of the
monopolists and conserve the nations S
natural resources. they will cease
to treat the people of the west as
unconvicted criminals. Instead they
will give ear to our reasonable COM
plants and Join with us in formulat-
ing a well-thought-out national pol
icy which will be Just to all sections
of our common country and oppres-
sive to none.
The times were never more propi-
tious for such a movement. We have
in the White House, and at the head
of the interior department men who
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