Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-19
ARRAIGNED BY FULTON
ADNINIsTRATIoN OF FORESTRY
BUREAU CRITICISED.

garding the increase provided in the salary
of Mr.. Pinchot, chief of the forestry bu-
reau. led Mr.. Fulton to make general
criticism of the administration Of this bu-
| reau during the discussion in the Senate
yesterday of the agricultural appropriation
| bill. The salary increase was agreed to
before Mr.. Fulton took the floor. He did
not wish to be regarded as criticising Mr..
Pinchot personally.
But" he said. II undertake to say that
| of all the frauds that have ever been per-
| losses this government has ever incurred
/, through the operation of any department,
| 1t has lost more, and greater frauds have
| been perpetrated under the administration
| of the forestry bureau than under any
other department of government.
Continuing, Mr.. Fulton said much had
| been heard about land frauds In the west,
but as matter of fact, the government
had never lost dollar under the timber
| and stone act. whereas. 1t had lost mil
lions of dollars under the administration
] of the forest reserve statute.
| Persons entitled to land in areas of for
| est reserve had been given scrip for an
| equal quantity of land without regard TO
| it's quality outside such reserves. Through
this method. he said, vast areas of the
! most magnificent timbered land in the
| northwest had been taken under the scrip
| by persons who had relinquished worthless
lands in other sections.
| Senator Carter interjected at this point
the suggestion that the general land office
| had originally ruled that this scrip did
not apply to holdings of land-grant rail-
| roads. yet the Secretary of the Interior
had reversed this ruling and had permitted
| these roads to exchange large areas or
their worthless lands for valuable lieu
| lands.
| Messrs. Flint and Perkins of California
| maintained that fniS criticism did not aDDly
| to the forestry bureau, but rather to the
Secretary of the Interior Mr.. Flint said
the President in recent message had said
| there had been 30 per cent of fraud against
| the public land laws.
| II do not challenge the Presidents mes
| sage. but 1 do challenge the facts. as
| serted Senator Clark of Wyoming. Senator
| Carter explained that the Presidents fig
ures were based on conditions in only two
! land Offices
Replying to suggestion of Mr.. Bever-
| idge that no one had impugned the hon
| esty of these officials Mr.. Carter said: Il
regret calling in question the motives OF
] integrity of any public official AS to the
Secretary of the Interior I have ventured
| no opinion. AS to the basis upon which
| his action has been hypothecated from time
to time should certainly scrutinize before
| passing final judgment as to his dealings
| with the railroad Immigrant companies.
| Mr.. Fulton said that '"rhe chief of the
forestry bureau is highly cultured
! dreamer.
Administration Defended.
| Senator Dolliver defended the admins
| tration of the Agricultural and Interior de-
| partments. He said he wished to negative
! any idea that there was a unanimity Of
| sentiment in the Senate in condemnation of
| the Secretary Of the Interior and Secretary
of Agriculture.
| said. the country generally believed in his
| integrity, and several institutions of learn
| ing had conferred degrees on him, mot for
| his learning. but for his integrity
| Senator Warren asked if eastern colleges
| were in better position to judge of the ad-
minstration of the Secretary of the In
| terror in reference to western states than
| senators from those states.
At this point Senator Aldricn asked if the
| government had gone into the sheep farm
| ing industry for the preservation of the
| forests.
Mr. Fulton interjected that it was doing
! just that thing.
! Senator Nelson of Minnesota, claiming
Ito be somewhat of a farmer myself" said
it was generally known that it was the
worst thing for forests to allow sheep to
Craze among the trees.
! Mr.. Dolliver closed by demanding clearer
details of complaints against the officers in
question.
Senator Patterson made an extended criti-
| cism of the forest-reserve system.
| 1.-The men of the west" he SAID. "are ut
| tering united protest against the system"
I
another year the Senate would vote an in
| crease Of salaries Of government employees.
| 'all along the line" He asserted that the
matter was one worthy of such considera-
| ton as would enable intelligent action to
| be taken. He suggested that a non-parti-
san commission should be appointed to re-
| port to the next Congress that enlightened
| action may be taken.
| Depicting conditions in the government
! service in Washington, Mr.. McCumber said
| there was nothing comparable to the fraud
| that results from the operation of the civil
| service law. The law-Provided that the
| representation in the civil appointments
| He maintained that the government en-
| ployes In Washington were mainly bona
| fide residents of the District of Columbia
| and that many members of the same family
| were drawing government salaries. And
when a young man and woman in the
| service marry, does the wife give up her
| position? By no means. They both hold
! their positions and live together. But GER
| tainly they are not conforming to the de-
mands of the President of the United States
| in what he believes to be the best interests
| of this great government in the increase of
population. There are no additions what
ever. They still hold their government po-
sitiOns and remain here while other people
are kept out of government positions
| Mr.. Pinchot's Salary Increased.
| The increase Of Mr.. Pinchot's salary was
voted inf to 8.
| The provision authorizing the accumula-
| ton of the revenues from grazing leases as
| a special fund to be administered by the
| forest service was opposed by Mr.. Hemen-
| way of Indiana, who said the department
| called this method understanding Con-
gress.''
| Mr.. Hemenway called attention to the
| tendency toward extravaganza in appro-
| priations. Congress at this session. he
| said. would appropriate more than a billion
dollars. which means as am told by the
senator from Maine .(Hale). a deficit for
| next year.
Mr.. Proctor (vt) expressed the belief
| that all moneys collected by the forestry
! bureau must now be turned into the treas
l ury. and he presented an amendment re-
curing annual estimates to be made for all
| expenditures
| MIR. Flint (CaD made an elaborate de-
| tense of the forestry service. He said the
! service would be self-sustaining after a few
more years.
] The committee amendment. which had
been construed as not herea fter reuuirinp