EDITORIAL 703 



Thus safeguarded, it was believed Conservation Not Owned by Mr. Pinchot 



the state could place upon the corpora- * j^S already been pointed out in 



tions such restrictions as it might see /-\ tnese co lumns, the city of Denver is 



fit, and so preserve its natural gas and the headquarters for the fast-vanishing 



other interests. b ut die-in-the-last-ditch contingent who 



But the constitution-makers, it seems, st in believe that the yet ungobbled por- 



failed to reckon with the Federal courts. t ions o f our national heritage belong, 



A Federal judge is now reported to ^ inalienable right, to the grabbers 



have launched a sweeping injunction wno can g et t h e re first, 



restraining state officers from interfer- CONSERVATION, including especially 



ing with the plans of corporations to t he September and October issues, is 



pipe gas into other states. evidently read in that fair city, and 



The judge holds that, like grain or the wails that ascend from those whose 



coal, natural gas is a product of inter- means of gain at the people's expense 



state commerce, with the .handling of are threatened by the great American 



which the state has no right to inter- awakening, are wild and weird, 



fere. From the press utterances emanating 



The state of Maine has a similar law, from Denver, it may be gathered that, 

 prohibiting corporations from transmit- in the opinion of the contingent referred 

 ting electric power beyond the confines to, this magazine and the press bulle- 

 of the state. tins issued by this office are the prop- 

 It is now suggested that, if the Okla- erty of Mr. Gifford Pinchot, United 

 homa law in invalid, the same is true States Forester, 

 of the Maine law. For the benefit of these, and any 



But how, may we inquire, may . the others who may labor under like delu- 



interests of a state be protected? sions, a brief historical statement may 



If its own legislature is powerless, be submitted. 



recourse must next be had to the Na- There was a period when the Secre- 



tional Congress, the responsibility of tary of Agriculture was the president 



which body is correspondingly in- of the American Forestry Association, 



creased a fact dwelt upon by the present writer 



Yet appeals to Congress do not al- in CONSERVATION for March, 1909. 



ways bear fruit, as friends of Appala- There was also a time, practically co- 



chian legislation can testify. incident with that of Secretary Wilson s 



When thev call upon Congress to pro- presidency, when Forester Pinchot was 



tect the forests and streams of New chairman of the Executive Committee 



England and the South by enacting ap- of u the sa f Association, and when 



,, J f, other members of Government Bu- 



propna e legislation, they are told to associated with him were mem- 

 go to the state legislatures and not its ^^ Q{ Directors . 

 trouble Congres ; with state affairs ^ on [{ Mr pinchot 



Are the people s interests to be wrote the followi letter to the Sec . 



kicked like a football from state legis- r of the American Forestry As- 



latures to Congress and back again? soc iation 



Are their rights to be denied them 



through a "dog-in-the-manger" policy Dr - Thos - E - Will, 



j , . . ^ -11 i <LU Secretary. American Forestry Association, 



under which Congress will not, and the Washington, D. C. 



state must not take the necessary pro- My dear Doctor Will: After mature con- 



tective steps ? sideration, I have decided to present my 



" T Q 4-Up "twilio-ht- 7 nnp" hptxvppn srarp resignated both as chairman and as a mem- 



twilight between state bef of the Executive Committee of the 



and Federal jurisdictions to be a per- American Forestry Association. I do this 



manent obstructive fact ? partly because I am about to leave Washing- 



With the convening of Congress ton for an absence of six months and partly 



, i ,. i_. ,1 - & ij u because I believe it to be unwise for a Gov- 



just ahead, light on this point would be ernment fo res t officer to be connected with 



appreciated. the American Forestry Association in a 



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