570 CONSERVATION 



how President Roosevelt had sought. As the Secretary left the room, Form- 

 by grasping the spirit of our funda- er Governor Pardee was introduced, 

 mental law, to protect the plain Ameri- Laying his manuscript on the table, he 

 can citizen, but how, through a Phari- launched into the ex tempore address 

 saical emphasis upon the letter of the published in this issue, 

 law, it is possible wholly to miss its It is needless to say that the Pardee 

 spirit. Finally he made clear that speech was a bomb shell. The excite- 

 "this strict construction necessarily fav- ment, high before, here rose to a white 

 ors the great interests as against the heat. 



people, and in the long run cannot do Former Senator Turner denounced 



otherwise." the speech, and interpreted its closing 



He declared that "the great, oppress- statement to mean that "public officials" 



ive trusts exist because of subservient should "act first and then investigate 



law-makers and adroit legal construe- the law afterwards." 



tions. Here is the central stronghold The governor, however, w^ould not 



of the money power in the everlasting have it so, and closed by rejoicing that 



conflict of the few to grab, and the he was "neither a lawyer nor the son 



many to keep or win the rights they of a lawyer." 



were born with. Legal technicalities The preceding day had brought the 



seldom help the people. The people, not reports of the alleged Montana land 



the law, should have the benefit of every scandal, 



doubt." The story came from Helena and 



It is here that Mr. Pinchot "threw gave added point to the tale, already 



down the gauntlet ;" for it is exactly outlined, of the withdrawals of lands 



this strict construction that has char- by Garfield and their reopening by Bal- 



acterized Mr. Ballinger's administra- linger, 



tion. It told of a vanishing coal supply, 



Strict construction gave him his of electricity generated by water-power 



ground for restoring to entry the lands as the coming successor of coal, and of 



Secretary Garfield had withdrawn. the billions of wealth, potential and soon 



Strict construction enabled him to to be actual, represented by water- 

 declare cooperation between the Indian power. 



Office and the Forest Service on Indian It told of Montana's water-power 



forest lands unlawful. sites as strategic in the plans of the 



Strict construction, again, was kill- power trust, 



ing the cooperative work on the rec- Finally it told how Secretary Gar- 



lamation projects. field and President Roosevelt sought to 



Excitement rose high while Mr. Pin- save these lands, how Secretary Bal- 



chot spoke, and the applause as he end- linger threw them open to entry, how 



ed was loud and long. President Taft warned him to re-with- 



On the following day, Secretarv draw them, but how, during his delay 



Ballinger came, read his paper, and, ^f weeks in so doing, the trust seized 



without waiting for questions or discus- ^^^ power sites, 



sion, hastened from the room. ^^'^ Spokane Press demanded edi- 



His apparent disposition to limit torially of the Secretary that he meet 



strictly the work of the Reclamation ^^^^^ charges. How he met them we 



Service, his dread of Government com- ^""^Zf ^,^^"- , ^ • ^.. 



petition with private enterprise, his \^'^'T .^' Interior Office will yet 



belief that irrigation farming is not l" V f. k'; ^he facts have 



u u , '^ . . ,, been applied for, but, thus far, without 



generally a poor man's proposition," success. 



and especially his restoration of lands The office has said: "The public has 



to entry, raised questions which many all the information we care to give out 



were eager to ask. at present." 



