Transcription:
GIFFORD PINCHOT, CONSULTING FORESTER, NEW YORK. UNITED CHARITIES BUILDING, FOURTH AVE. AND 22D ST. Dec. 9th, 1896,.
John Muir, Esq., Martinez, Cal. My Dear Mr. Muir:- I am going to take the liberty of sending -you another copy of my
little book on the White Pine, because I want very much to have you see it, and because I am fearful else the copy which I
sent you last Spring may have been lost. If the two reach you safely perhaps you can find someone else upon whom the burden
of one of them may be thrown. As Prof. Sargent may have written you, the report of the Commission will not be presented to
the coming Congress but to its successor. While I had been strongly in favor of immediate action, still my own personal convenience
is very materially served by this delay for it has given me a chance to get at certain work which would otherwise have been
still longer delayed. I am going ahead with it now full steam. In accordance with your advice, and also I must say, with
my own inclination in the matter, I have made no answer to Mr. Fer-now; After going over his article very carefully I found
that an adequate answer would be so vigorous an attack on his whole conception of Forestry in this country that I did not
think the result would be worth the quarrel. On the other hand, I am trying to get 02186