i908 EDITORIAL 185 



ures two dollars and fifty cents. Another The President has just 



Beside the values transferred by this Message ^^^^ another message to 



legislation from public to private own- Congress. At the risk 



ership, such payments are, of course, of delaying the presses, attention must 



but as the crumbs which fell from be called to some of its features. He 



Dives' table and were granted as char- says : 



ity to the beggar at his door. "i am of the opinion, however, that 



one change in the tariff could, with 

 The .^^ ^^^ ^^^^.^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ advantage, be made forthwith. Our 

 Danger ^^^^ i" committees. How forests need every protection, and one 

 long, however, they may method of protecting them would be to 

 thus slumber, no one, outside the lead- put upon the free list wood pulp, with 

 ers, probably knows. It is but nee- a corresponding reduction upon paper 

 essary to focus public attention upon made from wood pulp, when they come 

 them to make the average congress- from any country that does not put an 

 man as shy of them as of the plums export duty upon them." 

 and prequisites of which Mr. Dooley so Forestry and Irrigation delights 

 effectively writes. Until however, the ^^ record this blow at the paper trust, 

 appearance of the President s message while no tariff tinkering, or modifica- 

 above quoted the public knew little or ^ion either up or down, will, without 

 nothing about these bills. Exactly p^bHc ownership and administration, 

 there lies the danger m such legisla- solve the forest question, the tariff 

 tion. It slumbers quietly m a pigeon .^po^ wood pulp and paper made there- 

 hole until the opportune moment ar- from is an anomaly and abuse which 

 rives, and then, with many members should long since have beea corrected. 



absent, others preoccupied, and still n^u r n • r ^ 



,, 1 1 • • r ^- -^ The following regarding waterways 



others lacking information, it goes mi ^. ^.u ^ ^^ 1 r 



4.U u 4.U t J. -j.^. 1 1 r ^1 will meet the full approval of our 



through the chute with a lot of other readers • 



legislation and is entered upon the ,, . ', • . , , , , 



statute books. Even now, there is a , ^"^P^^ provision should be made 



possibility that some of the more vi- ^^^ ^ permanent Waterways Commis- 



cious clauses in these bills may be at- ^^O"' Y^^^. whatever power is required 



tached as riders to the agricultural ap- ^^ "^^^^e. '^ effective. The reasonable 



proprlation bill, and thus forced expectation of the people will not be 



throu<yh """e^ unless the Congress provides at 



'^ ' this session for the beginning and 



. ^ It is conceded that the prosecution of the actual work of wa- 



sjQn power of the Secretary terways improvement and control.' 



to revoke licenses in his For this Nation, at a time when its 

 discretion might possibly^ in hypo- railroads cannot handle the traffic 

 thetical cases, work hardship. In the thrown upon them, to permit its vast 

 Agricultural Appropriation Bill, there- network of inland waterways to lie 

 for, the following concession is made idle is as preposterous as for China to 

 (page 24, lines 2-5) : "Hereafter, per- leave her coal unmined. The sinister 

 mits for power plants within National influence^ which have prevented the 

 forests may be made irrevocable ex- utilization of our inland waterways 

 cept for breach of condition, for such were made clear in the recent prelim- 

 term, not exceeding fifty years, as the inary report of the Inland Waterways 

 Secretary of Agriculture may by regu- Commission and the presidential mes- 

 lation prescribe." It is hoped that sage accompanying it. I,iko American 

 every friend of the National Forests, timberland owners in respect of wood 

 whether within or without Congress, pulp, railroad managers, of course, 

 may be alert to see that the conces- wanted no more competition than was 

 sions to private interests go no fur- inevitable. Hence, the Commission 

 ther than this. points out, they set themselves to kill 



