The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1922-07-06
WASHINGTON LETTER
BY J. E. Jones.
BASIC PRINCIPAL


OF CONSERVATION
"Conservation' and "Pinchot" are
almost Synonymous in some parts
of the country. Pinchot is finally
being understood in his own State of
Pennsylvania where he is the Re-
publican nominee for Governor. And
it may be that the "Ford Offer will
serve very useful purpose in vim
dicating before the country the Pin
chot principles of CONSERVATION. !"
Philip T. Wells, president Of. the
Connecticut Forestry Association, is
the man who wrote the two famous
vetoes of President Roosevelt on the
water bills of 1903 and 1909, and he
has stated before the Senate COM
mittee that the Ford offer violates
all the basic principles for which
conservationists have fought for SO
many years. Mr.. Wells and Mr..
Pinchot wore the same armor in the
famous political battles when "con-
servation" was bigger issue, and
less understood than is the Ford
offer at the present time. Mr.. Wells
defined what he called the Roosevelt
water policy to the Senate Com
mittee on Agriculture and Forestry,
There We're certain principles of
chat policy for which we contended all
chose years." he said "The first
one was that there should be no grant
Of water power. privileges for more
chan fifty years. The second was
that there should be some rental paid
to the Government for the raw, water
power. The third was that there
should be public control of the. rates
charged to consumers, and the SER
vice rendered to them by the lessee.
It was always assumed that the
lessee was going to risk his own
money in building the works, and
take the risks of any disaster that
might come to it; then there was the
further principle which we con-
tended for, and which was finally en-
bodied in the water act, that excess
profits, if any existed after regula-
ton of rates and service, should be
paid to the Government" Accord
ing to Wells: 'The Ford proposal
seems to violate every one Of those
principles. There is no pretense of
any rental for the raw water power.
There is no fifty year limit. /" He
commented on. the fact that there.
IS no proposal that would furnish
public control of the rates Mr.. Ford
would charge or the services that he
might render. There is likewise no
provision for the return Of excess pro-
fits to the Federal treasury.
Incidentally Mr.. Wells pointed out
that the personal representative of
Mr.. Ford in Washington in the mat
Ter is the identical individual who
led the fight for the "big interests"
as they were called, in opposition to
the Roosevelt water policy He
likens the Ford offer to the old fight
and says that the representative of
Mr.. Ford is Consistent" since the
demands made for many years by the
wall Street men, and SO forth, as
we call them, are pikers in COMPARE
son to Mr.. Ford in this matter" Mr..
Ford has never personally appeared
before committees of the House or
Senate in support of his proposition
although he has frequently been in
vited to do so. His personal at
titude in the matter conforms to
the observation of Oscar Wilde who
described a character: "He knew
the precise psychological moment
when to say nothing
ASKING THE GOVERNMENT
TO INTERVENE