HERMAN H. CHAPMAN 



813 



To my mind the American Forestry Association exists for the purpose of getting things 

 done which ought to be done. Achievement in American forestry depends directly on 

 the twin forces of progressive legislation and efficient public administration. To secure 

 the latter we must have technical foresters in charge of the executive machinery, and a 

 complete freedom from political or partisan control of the National and State Forest Service. 

 Only in this way can we hope to secure impartial administration of forest laws. The present 

 and growing tendency on the part of politicians to endeavor to secure control of the appoint- 

 ments and appropriations of State forestry organizations by means of consolidation with 

 fish and game administration and other devices must be resisted by a campaign of education. 

 Similar attacks on the policy of National forestry through the arguments for States rights, 

 must be fought with equal vigor. 



The ideals aimed at and secured by foresters in public service constitute a new standard 

 for our American civilization, of unselfish devotion to common good, the harmonizing 

 of conflicting interests for the best prosperity of all, and the guarding of our future welfare 

 without neglecting the still more important needs of the present. 



The American Forestry Association represents the popular demand which created this 

 public service and it is through our association that the public can best secure its continuance 

 and protection from political attack. 



Whatever else we may do, is secondary in importance to the maintenance of a high 

 standard of efficiency in S'tate and National Forest Service. If efforts to degrade and debase 

 public forest administration to the level of party politics are successful, American forestry 

 will utterly fail to establish itself and the preliminary achievements which so far have 

 merely laid the foundations, will be of no avail. 



Herman H. Chapman. 



Director American Forestry Association. 



