He tried to enforce the Raker Act against the city of San Francisco, an act of Congress that specified that because the dam at Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park was on public land, no private profit could be derived from the development.
Han forsøgte at håndhæve Raker Act overfor byen San Francisco, en lov som specificerede at fordi dæmningen ved Hetch Hetchy Valley i Yosemite National Park stod på offentlig jord, måtte der ikke skabes privat fortjeneste fra den.