EDITORIAL 



185 



the subject solely from the standpoint 

 of his special field. Note this state- 

 ment : "The run-off of our rivers is 

 not materially affected by any other 

 factor than the precipitation." To say 

 this is to shut one's eyes to many 

 factors which affect the run-off of 

 rivers and which are known to every 

 observer, even to those who are not 

 trained in scientific methods of investi- 

 gation. 



But it is not our intention to discuss 

 the details of Mr. Moore's report. We 

 have made provision for doing that in 

 the pages of this magazine by the most 

 competent hands. We wish to say a 

 word of the circumstances under which 

 this report was made and the apparent 

 animus behind it, both of which are of 

 interest to the country as a whole, since 

 the report has been very widely dis- 

 tributed, and have some bearing upon 

 the estimate we may make of its value. 

 We are told that "when Prof. Willis L. 

 Moore was before the Committee on 

 Agriculture of the House of Repre- 

 sentatives in 1909,, to explain the esti- 

 mates for the Weather Bureau, a dis- 

 cussion arose as to the influence of 

 forests on climate and on the run-off of 

 water. Professor Moore stated that 

 he was then making some studies on 

 the subject which might lead to some 

 definite conclusions, and he was re- 

 quested by the chairman of the com- 

 mittee to continue these studies and 

 make a report when they were con- 

 cluded. This has been done, and the 

 report submitted by Professor Moore, 

 which follows, is printed by the direc- 

 tion of the committee." It is not ex- 

 plained what the relation of this dis- 

 cussion was to the question of esti- 

 mates for the Weather Bureau, nor 

 why Mr. Moore, a bureau chief in 

 the Department of Agriculture, should 

 be privileged to issue a special report 

 of this kind bearing upon the work of 

 other bureaus of his own department 

 and of a coordinate government de- 

 partment, under authority of a congres- 

 sional committee, and without the au- 

 thorization of his chief, when other 



chiefs of the bureaus of these depart- 

 ments were barred by executive order 

 from discussing his conclusions or mak- 

 ing any reply thereto. In a speech by 

 Hon. Charles F. Scott, chairman of the 

 Committee on Agriculture, delivered at 

 the Boston City Club about a year ago, 

 Mr. Scott spoke of Mr. Moore as "one 

 who could sing the birds out of the 

 trees," and intimated that when Mr. 

 Moore appeared before his (Mr. 

 Scott's) committee to ask for anything, 

 he generally got pretty nearly what he 

 asked for. Does this remarkable state- 

 ment have any bearing upon the fact 

 that at a time when other bureau chiefs 

 are kept in leash by executive author- 

 ity, Mr. Moore is permitted to issue a 

 report upon a general question and to 

 introduce into that report the remark- 

 able series of italicized clauses which 

 apparently are directed at certain legis- 

 lation to which the chairman of the 

 Committee on Agriculture has shown 

 most determined hostility? It is well 

 known that Mr. Moore's conclusions 

 are not those of the best authorities 

 on the subject in the Forest Service or 

 in the Geological Survey, yet they must 

 keep silence while Mr. Moore's report 

 is sent broadcast under frank and every 

 available mailing list is utilized to give 

 it the widest possible circulation. 



There is neither honesty nor fair play 

 in this method of procedure, and in 

 view of the fact that the recognized 

 authorities in the Government service 

 cannot talk, we propose through this 

 magazine and through the bulletins of 

 the American Forestry Association to 

 spread as widely as Mr. Moore's report 

 has been spread the opinions of the 

 best authorities on this question whom 

 we have in this country. In doing this 

 we believe that we shall simply be per- 

 forming the public duty which the 

 American Forestry Association and this 

 magazine owe to the people. All that we 

 ask for is a fair discussion and an open 

 forum. Mr. Moore has attempted to 

 speak his piece in a closed forum. We 

 propose to throw the doors wide open. 



