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Show 516. development" of resources. In the same year as the California Legislature approved the recession of the Valley, "The transfer of the [forest] reserves to the Department of Agriculture in 1905 represented the v i c t o r y for the development point of view in the Roosevelt a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . The change of name from 'forest reserves' to ' n a t i o n a l f o r e s t s ' symbolized i ts significance." The whole conservation program of the Roosevelt Administration was planned along the lines of "divide and conquer," as public domain was c l a s s i f i e d into economic categories, and Pinchot continued to press for more control through the Department of Agriculture, which he thought should be responsible for National Parks, Geological Survey, General Land Office, and even (!) the Office of Indian Affairs. Over a year elapsed between the S t a t e ' s decision to give up Yosemite Valley and the federal government's decision to accept i t . During t h a t year, Muir received the news of Pinchot's doings in Washington with more equanimity than the future would warrant. He wrote to Johnson, about the forests being put under control of the Department of Agriculture: What a glorious chance t h i s gives Pinchot to distinguish himself and bless the world; but p o l i t i c i a n s I fear will try as hard as ever to get in t h e i r deadly work in spite of a l l we can do. *n the same l e t t e r , he commented t h a t there were rumors of a renewed i n t e r e s t in a r e s e r v o i r at Hetch Hetchy- He had heard that Pinchot had approved of the plan but could not helieve that possible if Pinchot r e a l l y knew the valley. |