The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1916-09-30
HON. CLIFFORD PNCHoT OF MIL
FoRD, PIKE COUNTY, PA, SETS
FORTH HIS VIEWS ON ooNSER-
WALTON OF NATURAL BE
SOURCES.

The Conservation of natural re-
sources has become one of the largest
issues of our time. In the campaign of
1912, it formed one of the chief planks
in the Democratic platform, and was
often endorsed in Mr.. Wilson IS speech
es. His inaugural address committed
him fully to support it.
For these reasons it is important
to know what the Wilson Administra-
ton has done. AS one man deeply in
terested in Conservation and familiar
with the record, I am writing to lay it
briefly before you.
When he took Office, Mr.. Wilson
ceased to say much on Conservation,
preferring to let the members of his
Cabinet speak for him. After his in
auguration, the friends of Conserva-
ton, regardless of partisanship, offered
him their help in putting the Conserva-
ton policies through. The opportunity
invited action. The fight to save Alas
ka from the Guggenheims had created
a living body of public opinion which
lacked only official leadership to save
what resources still remained in pub
lie hands. It seemed at first that Presi
dent Wilson would lead.
At the outset of the work of the Will
son Administration in Conservation
was good. Congress passed, and Mr..
Wilson signed, the Alaska Railroad
Bill and the bill which assured Govern
ment control of coal lands in Alaska.
These measures were excellent, and
President Wilson deserves praise for
their enactment. So he does for his
veto of a bill to give away National
Forest lands.
Unfortunately these creditable in
stances form but little of the record.
Politics came into control. Thus a bill
seeking to turn the natural resources
of Alaska over to a political commits
sion was repeatedly recommended by
the Administration through the mouth
of the Secretary of the Interior. If
passed it would have thrown Alaska
into the hands of the special interests
and established a policy almost certain
to destroy the National control of nat
ural resources everywhere else as well.
This measure we were fortunately able
to stop.
When Wilson became President, the
Reclamation Service, in its great work
of irrigating the arid lands of the
West, was wholly free from politics.
By the mouth of his Secretary of the
Interior Wilson advocated, and later
signed, bill which leaves the choice
of lands to be reclaimed to a Commit
tee of Congress, and so makes politics
dominate the Service.
Director Newell was the man who
created the Reclamation Service. He
made and kept it one of the most eff
Gent Bureaus under the Government
The Secretary of the Interior forced
him out, and replaced him by "a Com
mission in which politicians control.
The Newlands bill is a Conservation
measure which proposes to develop al
the resources of our inland waterway:
-waterpower, navigation, irrigation
and domestic supply,-for the public
benefit. Although Wilson strongly en-
dorsed it during his campaign, as Pres
ident he let it drop, and instead ha'
signed two waterway bills of the ole
pork-barrel type, which are everything
the Newlands bill is not.
Waterpower is the most valuable re
source still in public lands. There Ii
undeveloped waterpower in our navi
gable streams equal to twice the powel
of every kind now used in the United
States. 1t is a huge prize. For year
the waterpower interests have beer
fighting to seize it, and the Conserva
tionists to save it for the people.
A waterpower measure, the Adam
son Bill, came before the House in 1914
1t favored monopoly, and gave tn
special interests, for nothing, the pub
lie waterpower on navigable streams
Nevertheless Wilson endorsed it.
On its way through the House, tn
bad parts of the Adamson bill wer
stricken out, and the public rights wer
secured. Thereupon Wilson reversed
his previous stand, and endorsed tn
amended bill. This good bill then wen
to the Senate, where it was shelved
and the indefensible Shields bill wa
reported in its place. The Shields bil
gives away the public waterpower
forever and for nothing. Both Roose
Welt and Taft vetoed bills drawn Of
the same principle. Yet, by anothe
reversal, the Wilson Administrator
got behind it, and when a widely cir
culated public appeal was made to tn