340 
zens. So far all agree that the present legal 
relations could not be improved; they are sub- 
stantially ideal. 
How about water for irrigation? Prior use 
is the determining element in ownership, ac- 
cording to the laws in all the western states, 
and continuity of use is the element which 
perpetuates the title. This is the simplest 
possible plan, and taken all in all is the most 
feasible one, and works as little hardship as 
any. 
Now about water for power. This is the 
“nub” of the whole matter for the conserva- 
tionist, and is probably all that Dr. McGee 
had in mind in enunciating his principle, 
which seems so fundamental to him as to be 
“ axiomatic,” ‘incontrovertible,’ and even 
(principle 38) “a part of the body of ethical 
conviction underlying American character and 
constituting its strength.” In the face of 
these overwhelming assertions, I will under- 
take to maintain that the people as a whole 
have no interest whatever in any specific water 
power. A portion of the people are in each 
ease interested, those who are in a position to 
make a reasonable use of the benefits of the 
power, but the rest have no right whatever to 
claim a share by taxing those more favorably 
situated with reference to this particular 
power site. ‘To illustrate: the Snake River in 
southern Idaho has several large falls, prin- 
cipal among them being Shoshone Falls, with 
Twin Falls second. These have been partialiy 
developed, and a large amount of power, light 
and heat can be obtained from the present 
installation. Now what part of the people of 
the United States are equitably interested in 
what is being done here? Simply those who 
live within the range of power transmission, 
and are not more accessible to another source 
of power. ‘These people, in a very real sense, 
have an interest in that water power, and 
have a right to be protected from extortion 
by the laws of the state, and as a matter of 
fact they have a recourse in the constitution 
of Idaho. But the people of Cape Cod, or of 
Washington, D. C., have no equity in Sho- 
shone Falls, and no right to expect dividends 
from its successful development. This is not 
SCIENCE 
[N.S. Vou. XXXV. No. 896 
only ideally sound in principle, but it is recog- 
nized in law and embedded in the whole 
organization of state and nation. 
Differences of opinion in regard to policies 
of conservation have had their origin very 
largely in loose and vague thinking such as is 
illustrated by Dr. McGee’s principles. Not 
realizing that the west has been facing these 
problems for decades, and has pretty nearly 
settled them, a class of theorists in the east 
has taken up the same subjects de novo, treat- 
ing them as if they had never before been 
touched by the hand of man and the way were 
free for any sort of plan to be carried out. 
I do not accuse all conservationists of being 
so visionary, but Dr. McGee represents some- 
thing of an element. It wearies the patience 
of the people of the west to be obliged to deal 
with such persons, who have a missionary zeal 
to teach us things we have always known, and 
know much better than the would-be teachers, 
and who would view us as either a set of 
thieves and robbers or helpless children whom 
they would protect. Our best'reliance is our- 
selves; we are amply clothed with authority 
to do all that is necessary; our experience and 
training have familiarized us with the work 
ahead; and our purpose is to protect the in- 
terests of the public, our own public, our- 
selves, in all necessary and reasonable ways. 
J. M. Awpricu 
FIRST USE OF WORD “ GENOTYPE” 
I wave recently asked Dr. J. A. Allen, the 
leading authority in this country on nomen- 
1A beautiful illustration, which I will not 
charge to Dr. McGee, is in the withdrawal of 
power sites from entry under the public land laws. 
It was a great relief to many eastern conservation- 
ists when sweeping withdrawals of this class were 
made a few years ago; but in fact under the laws 
of Idaho the acquisition of a water power is a 
process entirely apart from the filing of any sort 
of entry on land, and the withdrawal did not 
change the legal status of the power sites by one 
iota. The mode of acquisition of water power 
under the laws of the state is precisely the same 
as before, and I doubt not that the same is true 
in other western states. 
