The Coconino sun., 1915-09-03
SUBSCRIBER GETS WRONG
ANGLE

To Editor Williams News:
noticed an article in the "Coconino
Sun" headed Forest Officers Get in
Bad" etc.
Now we all know Mr.. Breen does
not like the Forest Service and is
ever ready to knock it.
wish to say this much. Were any
other common individual arrested the
same as were Ex-Congressman Mar
tain and friends, would the Editor
make such fuss over it? Guess not.
l understand the Hermit road was
built by the r. R. Co. and they did
not want teams or autos to 60 over
that road only the Company's. The
Government would not stand for it
and said if one auto were barred then
all would be, and that is why the sign
is placed there, also a manager to see
that no one breaks that rule. The road
is narrow in places and if an auto
were to brighten a horse some bad
accident would occur. Teams and
horses belonging to any one are allow
ed over this road but all autoes are
barred.
The sign is very plain, any one who
has been taught their letters can read
it, and it seems to me that Congress-
man Martin could have. l heard Ex-
Congressman Martin make a fine
speech in Congress in favor of giving
US Statehood with all the mean things
in the bill but we forgive him for that.
1t did not give him any more right to
come here and break rule than it
does me. Seems to me the "Sun" tries
to please the outsiders and not the
home folks. Wake up Mr.. Breen and
don't get sore over nothing, help those
who are helping you. The Forest
Officers are only doing their duty as
ordered.
A Subscriber.
Subscriber" seems to have got the
wrong angle on the proposition entir-
ely. The Suns article was in the dir
ect interest of all people concerned,
local people especially. Naturally Ex-
Congressman Martin is no more to be
considered than others.
AS evidence that the Forest Service
officials realized that the arrests of
the three men was a bone-head stunt,
they endeavored by wire to have the
men released and were unable to Sc
cure the sanction of the Albuquerque
office.
The act of former congressman
Martin was a technical violation of
the rule; he did not happen to see the
sign, when advised of the fact, was
willing to get off the road immediate
ly, but the officer instead of using
little judgment used his authority.
Even a park policeman would have
warned a man off the grass before
arresting him. A persistent violator
of a rule is a different matter.
What is the use of boosting North
ern Arizona and touting the Grand
Canyon as one of the great wonders
of the world, then spoil it all just be-
cause petty officer wants to show
his authority when the exercise of a
little judgement would have smoothed
out the whole trouble. That's the rea-
son, not because it was former con-
gresham Martin, though it may be
through his arrest and influence a
marked change may come about.
don't know just who eve all" are that
"known that Mr.. Breen does not like
the Foerst Service and is ever ready
to knock it," since Chief Forester
Graves is a personal friend as are
many other men high up in the Forest
Service, and, if any of them had been
present nothing of the kind would
happen. That there was manager"
there present to prevent the nitric
ton of this rule is not true,
for if ranger or guard had
been stationed at this point there
would have been no infraction of the
rule.
The Sun has freely criticized what
we believed to be arbitrary rules Of
the Forest Service in the past when
we believed it was in the interest Of
the people who live here, and in many
cases there were charges for the bet
ter as result. The broad minded
local officers understood that we were
aiming at the policy and rules, not
the men who enforced them, and if
subscriber ever read the Sun much he
would realize the fact.
All of Northern Arizona should not
be made to suffer, Santa Fe railroad
or the people, just because of an I'M
fortunate display of this kind.