The Washington times., 1921-09-27

ton Of our forests was begun under
Mckinley. Theodore Roosevelt threw
himself into the cause with full cour.
| age and all his strength. Mr.. TAFT
started to go backward. but CLAWS,
Pinchot and part of the American
press combined to beat him down and
restore the Government to a conserve
ton program under Secretary Fisher.
Mr.. Wilson continued the general
conservatio policies and took some
| steps in advance on water power.
Harding Stand Unknown.
President Harding has not shown
where he stands personally, but he
| has put into his Cabinet two men who
wholly disagree with the policies OF
Mckinley, Roosevelt, and the con-
servationists generally, and wish, as
Ballinger wished unsuccessfully, to go
back to the earlier policy of giving
AWAY anything that anybody asks for.
Those men are in key positions. Mr..
DENLY has control over oil fields that
had been set aside for the navy and
that are now in danger Of being given
up to private interests. Mr.. DENLY
stcadfastly supported Mr.. Ballinger.
Secretary Fall has in his department
the most critical conservation issues.
and Is trying to get still more OF them
put in his department. He Is frankly
out of sympathy with the whole con.
servation trend. from Mckinley down
to 1921.
Secretary Fall Is behind a bill that
Las been introduced in the House OF
Representatives by Congressman Sin
mott. 1t undertakes to undo the policy
Of the Forestry Service regarding
grazing land.
In brief the policy OF the Forestry
Bureau has been to favor the smaN
owner and householder, in granting
permits for grazing on the public for
ests. In order to do this. and also to
protest the rublic. II has endeavored
to prevent the acquisition Of perma-
nent private rights by prescription.
Tries to Keep Old Policy.
The forestry service tried to extend
the same policy of preference for the
small owner and householder to the
public lands generally that II had APP
piled to the public forests. but it was
never able to secure the necessary
legislation.
As Colonel Graves. until recently
chief forester. put 1t. the purpose was
to see that the privilege granted con.
tributed to the permanent upbuikding
OF the stock raising industry, rather
stockmen."
The Sinnott bill provides that the
Secretary OF the Interior Is authorized
to divide the vacant unreserved public
lands Of the United States into grazing
areas and dispose of the grazing privi-
leges on them.
1t Is provided that the Government
shall charge not more than l cent per
acre where the rainfall Is over ten
inches per annum, and not over half
a cent where II is less. The policy Is
to be directly the opposite Of the for
estry service policy, for II is provided
that there shall be preferential right
to those now engaged in the livestock
business tbereupon."
Lively Fight Impends.
II the bill goes through the large
absentee stock raisers will be given by
law the preference over the home
steader and the small land owner,
whose use Of the public lands tends
to increase the stable population. to
build up agriculture and hence. in the
end, to build up the other industries
that follow agriculture.
I do not mean to argue the case
today, but merely to point out that
the Sinnott bill. like the Curry bill
for taking all control off Of the re-
sources OF Alaska, ana ike tne navy
Department plans for giving away
oil, means a lively controversy not
many months away.
Secretary Fall is the leader Of the
forces that wish to scrap the con-
servation ideas OF the last twenty
years. The leadership in defense of
conservation must come from the
insurgent Republicans in the House
and particularly in the Senate.
A great deal will depend on the
attitude Of the President. Fully as
much will depend on the degree of
interest manifested in the press.
Whenever there is a fight between
special interests on the one side and
the general welfare on the other,
the special interests have the inside
track unless the bright light Of day
can heat nm the transaction