Conservation Commission 49 



above the hope of the rich man's favor, which is as barren as the 

 favor of princes. 



If this problem is to be properly adjusted the underbrush 

 must be first cleared away; all this prating about the poor man 

 must be eliminated ; and the cant and hypocricy of the self-elected 

 guardians of the people must be expelled from the subject, as well 

 as the influence of the politician who curries favor at any price. 



Honest or just legislation is for the whole people, rich and 

 poor alike. There is no benefit in such things for one man over 

 another, and to induce persons to lend themselves to any public 

 movement, with the promise and expectancy of bettering their 

 condition, particularly if they are poor, is deception of the very 

 worst type. 



But I do not believe the poor man is so easily fooled as the 

 professional ranter thinks. For years I have been listening to 

 the lamentations of the professional supporters and defenders of 

 the poor man, asking and receiving legislation in his behalf ; and 

 year after year the poor man's condition is no better. Some 

 poor men rise to affluence in spite of their poverty, while other 

 poor men fail terribly notwithstanding rare mental attainments. 



There is a something at work in each man's life which has 

 more to do with shaping his course and fixing his position in 

 the world than the operation of officials at the Capitol. Petty 

 agitators still indulge in the fallacious idea of being able to trick 

 the people into believing they can get something for nothing. 



No progress has been made in the graduation of this question 

 because of the misapplied rules and wrong principles engaged. 

 It is my opinion that it is a misunderstanding of the logic of 

 the commercial situation surrounding this question which is re- 

 sponsible for a great deal of the tinkering which has been going 

 on for the last several years. Because the State owns the water is 

 no reason why Tom, Dick and Harry should be allowed to experi- 

 ment at the cost of the people, or why it should engage in the busi- 

 ness of hydro development — not at all. There are some things 

 the State can do, such as approximating values of estates — real 

 and personal — levying and collecting taxes and disbursing the 

 cost of operation, etc. ; and there are also some things the State 

 cannot do, and one of them is to engage successfully in a com- 

 mercial enterprise. It is too true that a question in astronomy 

 cannot be settled by applying the laws of philosophy. 



