EDITORIAL 



Giffor d Pinchot Let it not be forgotten, then, that 



THE sudden act of dismissal by Gifford Pinchot, who might have en- 



which Gifford Pinchot, the builder Jy ed llfe easil y, who mi g ht have had 



of the United States Forest Service, * 11 the fruits of the society tree passed 



was removed from the office he has down to him ' has ele cted to be one of 



raised to so high a level of dignity and toe hardest working citizens of this re- 



usefuness, left the people stunned. It publlc ' ^vmg himself heart and soul 



is the reward and the peril of such tO a c ? us ? m whlch he believed, to a 



creators as Mr. Pinchot has been that work he ov , ed ' because it was a great 



they become so closely identified with work ' and that he has labored year in 



their office that the people can hardly and ^ ear out lth ceaseless devotion in 



understand their severance from it. ms C 1 au , se ' a " d Wlth an ever-widening 



We do not propose to discuss the bSSies '* ^ P SSi " 

 merits of the dismissal. Every con- 

 ceivable view of that has been expressed Lie was the fir r st American to adopt 

 and people may take their choice. We the P rofessi n of forestry which we 

 may concede that the gage was thrown ? w know *? b / one f u the first m se - 

 down by the forester so defiantly that it f " lne ?' and f r whlch we are now 

 must have been taken up by the Presi- ducatmg young men as fast as our in- 

 dent. We may even suppose that Mr. creasing facilities will allow but hardly 

 Pinchot, who knows official Washing- ; . eno "? h to meet the growing de- 

 ton thoroughly, may have expected and ^f contagious enthusiasm and 

 courted the action that came so swiftly. eadership has been a potent 

 He has entered a great fight ; the official * actor m thl p s nse of his chosen pro- 

 harness may have galled ; he could not fes JL lon mto favor ' 



resign under existing circumstances; Forest Service, then 

 but he could secure relief and freedom humble division of a somewhat 

 to carry on the campaign by this bold humble Government department, a di- 

 stroke. Opinions may differ as to the vision th at had one room and five or 

 wisdom of his course, but no one can S1X employees, and built it up to its 

 doubt that his act was a brave one and present proportions, with over two 

 his purpose honest. On the other hand, thousand men employed in the adminis- 

 we must concede that his provocation tration of the National Forests alone, 

 was great. The Service has the administration of a 

 Whatever its merits, this controversy vast public domain of 190,000,000 acres, 

 has been swept into the great fog-bound presenting problems of stupendous 

 region of politics and personalities, and magnitude, which have been grappled 

 since this is the case, in order that we w ^h successfully for the most part. If 

 may see more clearly, there are certain some mistakes have been made in single 

 things that no American citizen should cases, who should cavil at it ? Is there 

 allow himself to forget. It is easy any private of Governmental business 

 enough to criticize individual acts and of similar magnitude the whole frame- 

 errors of judgment in any man who has work of which has had to be created in 

 done great things. Unfortunately, we a few years from the ground up in 

 are not always so ready to take full which mistakes could not be found ? Is 

 measure of the good things in his it often that such a business shows as 

 record. f ew mistakes as the Forest Service? 



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