Norwich bulletin., 1916-09-27
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

NIT EolIOr: The conservation Of l natural resources has become one of | the largest issues of our time In the campaign of 1912. it formed one of the | chief blanks in the democratic plat | ford, and was often endorsed in MT. i Wilson's speeches. His inaugural ad- | port it.
 For these reasons It is important to 1 know what the Wilson administration | has done. As one man deeply inter- ested in conservation and familiar l with the record I am writing to lay it l briefly before you.
 When he took office. MT. 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- tion, regardless of partiSanship, of | fered him their help in putting the con- servation policies through. The op- portunity invited action. The fight to save Alaska from the Guggenheims had created a living body of public opinion which lacked only official lead ership to save what resources still re- mained in public hands. It seemed at first that President Wilson would lead.
 At the outset the work of the Will son administration in conservation was good. Congress passed, and MT. Wilson signed, the Alaska Railroad bill and the bill which assured gov ernment contSol Of coal lands in Alas ka. These measures were excellent, and President Wilson deserves praise for their enactment. So he does for his veto of a bill to give away Ma tiOnal Forest lands.
 Unfortunately these creditable in- stances form but little of the record. Politics came into control Thus a bill seeking to turn the national re- sources of Alaska over to a political commission was repeatedly recon- mended by the administration through the mouth of the secretary of the in- terior. If passed it would have thrown Alaska into the hands of the special interests and established a policy al- most certain to destroy the national control of natural resourles eveEy- where else as well. This measure we were fortunately able to stop.
 When Wilson became president, the Reclamation Service, in it's great work of irrigating the arid lands of the West, was wholly free from politics. By the mouth of his Secretary of the signed, a 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 1t one or the most eff ficient bureaus under the govern men The secretary of the interior forced him out, and replaced him by a commission in which politicians con- trol
 The Newlands bill is a conservation measure which proposes to develop all the resources of our inland water Ways--waterpower, navigation, irri- gation. and domestic supply-for the public benefit. Although Wilson strongly endorsed it during his cam paign, as president he let it drop, and instead has signed two waterway bills of the old pork barrel type, which are everything the Newlands bill is not
 Waterpower is the most valuable resource still in public hands. There is undeveloped waterpower in our nav igable streams equal to twice the pow CT Of every kind now used in the Unit ed States. It is huge prize. For years the waterpower interests have
 servationists to save 1t for the peo- pie.
 A waterpower measure, the Adam son bill, came before the house in 1914. It favored monopoly, and gave the special interests, for nothing, the streams. Nevertheless Wilson en-
 dorsed 1t.
 On it's way through the house, the bad parts of the Adamson bill were
 stricken out, and the public rights were secured. Thereupon Wilson re-
 versed his previous stand, and en- dorsed the amended bill. This good bill then went to the senate, where it
 was shelved and the indefe1ssible Shields bill was reported in its place. The Shields bill gives away the pub
 lie Waterpowers forever and for noth ing. Both Roosevelt and Taft vetoed bills drawn on the same principle. Yet by another reversal, the Wilson ad- ministration got behind it, and when a widely circulated public appeal was made to the president for his help to defeat 1t, he refused.
 As to waterpower on the public lands, there is but one reversal in- stead of two. Wilson first, by the
 mouth of a member of his cabinet, en- dorsed the Ferris bill. which was senate by the Myers bill, which is thoroughly bad Among other things this bill actually throws the Grand Canyon, the greatest natural wonder l of America wide open to individual appropriation. Nevertheless, Wilson | reversed himself in order to give it in | the same way his endorsement.
 Both as to waterpowers on naviga- 1 ble streams and on public lands, the 1 last reversals leave the administration l standing with the special interests i against the people.
 The Phelan oil land measure, would | hand over to private individuals who | have DO legal rights the valuable oil | lands set aside as reserves for the | navy. The navy department has | made public announcement that the | merc threat of the Phelan bill's pass age has caused it ito seriously con- sider the advisability of abandoning''