Creator
[William F. Bade]
Recipient
[Walter L. Fisher]
Transcription
Feb 13, 1912.The Secretary of the Interior,Washington, D. C.My dear Sir:-Replying to your letter of February 1, 1912, regarding a supplementary hearing to be held in San Francisco at the request of the City Attorney, I beg to say that I consider the holding of such a hearing most inadvisable for the following reasons:1. The policy of the San Francisco papers, inspired by local prejudices, has been to cartoon and ridicule any one who publicly attempts to represent the interests of the larger public and the nation. The papers have never given truthfully the faots of the situation, and063162.large numbers of uninformed residents of San Francisco have been led to think that they will need to pay nothing or next to nothing for water if the Nation gives them Hetch Hetchy. The San Francisco authorities know that they can get up a local demonstration which will make up in feeling what it lacks in knowledge, and that it will be easy to scare off or intimidate opponents.2. On account of tho local feeling and the local press many of our beat informed opponents of the City's scheme will be prevented from appearing on our side because they would Jeopardize their business interests.8. Certain of the City officials, foremost among them the City Engineer, in spite of better knowledge, give it out that men like Colby, Parsons, Muir, and myself are really secretly working in the interest of the Spring Valley Water Company, in order to be able to direct06314
3.against us the local prejudice which hag teen aroused against that corporation.4.On all the points mentioned all important evidence has already been set forth in previous hearings in Washington. where it was offset by contrary evidence. The purpose apparently is to get their side of the case restated and printed where a minimum of opposing evidence will be presented because of intimidation on the one hand, and because of the inability of some of our strongest helpers, who reside in New York, Boston, and Chicago, to he present.5. We should have to go to the expense of employing exports to present some of the evidence on our side. This we are hardly in a position to do because we are men of small means. We have already spent more time and money than we can afford because we are convinced06316---------------------------------,-------4.that the project of San Francisco is selfish, unnecessary, and prejudicial to the best interests of the nation. We will do our best again if it seems necessary, but we hope the hearing will not he held. 6. For some time past the City Engineer and City Attorney have quietly hold little dinner parties in the small towns around the Bay at which persons with political ambitions and known to be in sympathy with the City Engineer's scheme have been persuaded to pass resolutions which mean nothing as far an local sentiment is concerned, but which is apparently intended to magnify into a specious demonstration of public sentiment. By holding a hearing here the local press would be burnished with an occasion for exploiting politically the ambitions of those persons under the guise of it public spirit.Respectfully yours,WFB/F06316
Location
[San Francisco]
Date Original
1912 Feb 13
Source
Original letter dimensions: 14 x 21.5 cm.
Recommended Citation
Bade, William F., "Letter from [William F. Bade] to [Walter L. Fisher], 1912 Feb 13." (1912). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 6224.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/6224
Resource Identifier
muir20_0823-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 20, Image 0823
Collection Identifier
Online finding aid for the microform version of the John Muir Correspondence http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0w1031nc
Copyright Status
Copyright status unknown
Copyright Statement
Some letters written to John Muir may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Owning Institution
Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Pages
2 pages
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
