564 CONSERVATION 



over again as a complete betrayal of by the League, there is a great gulf 

 the sinister motives of the Federal "feu- jfixed. They are polar opposites. They 

 dal baron," and as carrying with it its no more agree than do plus and minus, 

 own refutation and the final and utter or fire and water. Mr. Pinchot pro- 

 condemnation of its author. poses that "these reserves" shall be 

 Again, the Forester is reported to "handed down as a national heritage." 

 have said: The Public Domain League propose 

 "In my judgment it is a perfectly fair that "every resource pertaining to the 

 and right thing for any man who comes public domain * * * shall pass * * * 

 and takes property belonging to all the into the ownership of the individual." 

 people, which because he has it, some- The advocates of forest reserves be- 

 body else cannot have, that he should Heve that "the public domain and all 

 make a return of some kind to the peo- its resources," in so far as it may be 

 pie. The time of free land, free timber, deemed wise to set these aside in the 

 free everything, has gone by." form of National Forests, "belong to 

 This declaration also, repeatedly quo- all of the people," collectively. The 

 ted, fires the blood and rouses the ire of League, instead, "adheres to the * * * 

 the Public Domain League. principle * * * that the public domain 

 What the National Public Domain and all of its resources belong to all of 

 League wants is shown by such declara- ^.j^g people to come, take and use" in- 

 tions as follow: dividually. The conservationists be- 

 lt is declared to be "the duty of every jj^^g j^ maintaining a public property 

 citizen to urge the fullest possible liber- -^^ certain selected portions, at least, of 

 ality on the part of the Government m ^^^ ^^^y^^ domain. The Public Domain 

 passing the lands and their resources League believes in turning the whole 

 into the hands of bona Me citizens." ^f ^j^jg i^jj^ domain into private prop- 

 "Exactly the same principle is in- ^^. ^^ quickly as may be. The con- 

 volved relative to ^wr_y na/Mm/ r^.yo«rc^ servationists believe in limited col- 

 pertaimng to the public domain, m that jg^^tj^jsm ; the League, in unlimited in- 

 they shall pass, in an equitable manner, diyidualism 



into the ownership of the individual, in ^j^^ irrepressible conflict between the 



order^ that that tremendous resource, ^^^ j^it of the conservationists and 



ever incident to the West, viz., oppor- ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ p^^j-^ Domain League is 



tunity, may continue as an incentive to ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ proposal, above 



bring into our citizenship the best peo- ^j^^^ "our prosperitv" shall "be 



pie of the land, and our prosperity be ^ ^ j. ^ ^u 1 *.u £,',11 .„.o„ ^f 



^ 1 ^ J .lu 1. ^t- r 11 r accelerated through the full sway ot 



accelerated through the full sway 01 . , , ^ • ^- ^ ^ 



our national characteristic, viz., 'w- ^"^ "^^lonal characteristic, namely, in- 



dividualism/ " 



In his Outlook editorial of March 20 



diz'i dualism.' " 



"The League is opposed to the prin- . , /- n t-i 1 -o i*. 



ciple that the public domain and all its ^^^^ (P^ge 619 Theodore Roosevelt 



resources 'belong to all the people,' in PO^ts out that absolute individualism 



the sense that those words were used would not be compatible with civih- 



by President Buchanan in i860, in his nation at all * * ^ That every step to- 



message vetoing the Homestead Bill ; ward civilization is marked by a check 



but the League adheres to the national o" individualism." He continues. The 



principle immediately thereafter 'estab- ages that have passed have fettered the 



lished, in adopting that Homestead law individualism which found expression 



—that the public domain and all its in physical violence, and we are now 



resources belong to all of the people to endeavoring to put shackles on that 



come, take and use." kind of individualism which finds ex- 



The meaning of such expressions as pression in craft and greed." 

 these is unmistakable. Between the In seeking to ensure "the full sway 



position taken by Mr. Pinchot in the of our national characteristic, namely, 



language first quoted, and that taken "individualism," the Public Domain 



