The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-20
Frederick Haskln's Letter
Shall The Forests Change Keepers?

Washington. D. c., Jan. 19.-An
interesting struggle between two
] departments of the government
seems to have arisen over the prop
Observation-Disclosures in several bills
and also considered as part of the
departmental reorganization scheme
to take the national forests out
of the Jurisdiction of the depart
under that of the department Of the
| interior.
| Ostensibly, of course, there is no
struggle between the two depart
menIs, no difference of opinion or
desire between the two cabinet Of
/ ficers at their heads, no rift in the
administration Lutte. None of these
things ever appears on the surface.
Nor do the ostensible reasons for
the proposed transfer suggest ANY
issue worth struggling over. But
the ostensible reasons are not the
real ones.
! What everyone really familiar
with the situation sees in the pro-
posed transfer is an effort to mod
ify the Roesevelt-Pinchot policy of
careful conservation in favor of one
which will allow a much freer use
of the timber, grazing and other
natural resources under the pro-
lection of the forest service. "Freer
use" is the term used by the friends
of the proposed change. "Exploita-
ton" is the word the conservation
lists prefer. You can take your
choice.
That a change of policy in the
administration of the forests is the
thing aimed at is evidenced in var
ious ways. For one thing, it is
known that the proposition to make
the forest service part of the in
terror department originated with
Secretary of the Interior Fall, and
Mr.. Fall has repeatedly placed him
self on record as fayoring a much
freer use of natural resources and
as opposed to the conservation pol
icy which has been followed in this
country since Roosevelt's admins
tration, and which is regarded by
many persons both here and in
Europe as the most successful of
American administrative achieve
ments
The Pioneer Policy.
Secretary Falls attitude is the
most interesting factor in the stu
alton. Some of his enemies have
described him as the agent of GER
tain western capitalistie interests
which desire to exploit the forest
resources, and therefore as not sin
cere in his proposed policy. But
there is evidence that he is per-
fectly sincere.
Mr.. Fall is an American of the
vanishing pioneer type, which will
be forever extinct in this country
in another generation. He went to
New Mexico as young man when
the southwest was a truly wild
country. AS everyone knows, to
the pioneer of that era the natural
resources of the country seemed
inexhaustible The vast forests, the
seemingly limitless prairies. the
herds of buffalo that reached far
Their than one could see-all of
these were surely more than man
could ever use. The difficult thing
was to subdue and master nature,
to bring any part Of this wild treas
ure under mans control. Nature
to the pioneer was not thing to
be studied and cared for. She was
a grim enemy for strong men to
fight. Game was to be killed, for
ests to be felled, land to be plow-
ed. The pioneer developed toward
the natural resources of the searth !
an aggressive, embattled attitude !
He rejoiced in every dent that /
mans energy made on the wilder |
ness, and he hated the sight of the |
unconquered.
The typical pioneer has never got !
over this attitude, just as he has i
never got over his hatred of the In !
dams. And Secretary Fall seems |
to be the typical pioneer. Hiss ex- !
pressions nearly always have the !