The Detroit times., 1909-12-23
BIG PLOT IS ON TO
MAKE P|NCHOT A
SCAPEGOAT
Forester's Dismissal From Govern
ment Service Is Back of Plan
for Congress To Probe
s Ballinger Case.
Plunder and Politics Seen in Con-
spiracy-Aldrich and Cannon
Have Stuffed Committee.
BY GlLsoN GARDNER.

WASHINGTON. ID. c.. Dec. ga
purpose to force Clifford Pinchot out OF
the government service Is back OF the
plan for an alleged investigation OF the
land office and forest service
President Taft has yielded TO the
persuasions OF Frank Hitchcock and
Attorney-General Wickersham. They
have convinced him that the head OF
the forest service must go.
Behind Hitchcock. Ballinger and his
friends Us the power OF the Guggen-
helms. Standard Oil. the electric power
trust and the other tremendous influ-
ences which have taken open issue
with Pinchot's efforts to save. the coun-
try's resources for the people.
Congress Is also hostile. Speaker
Cannon at one end of the capitol and
Senator Aldrich at the other are fight
ing the battle OF the big special inter.
ests They have their lieutenants like
Moudefi in the house and vtve-Prest-
dent Sherman in the senate. On the
peoples side are very small ma
jority called insurgents"
Publicity the Only Hope.
Publicity is now the peoples only
hope. II an aroused public sentiment
forces an investigation open to the
press. and permits the development OF
all the evidence. there will be YER
dice which cannot be twisted or per
verted TO the end intended.
President Taft has been assured
that Pinchot can be eliminated with
out drawing down unpopularity on the
White House. Congress is quite will
Ing TO assume the responsibility.
A carefully packed committee Is
planned To do the work. The present
scheme is for a joint committee OF the
house and senate which would 30
named by Speaker Cannon and Vice
President Sherman. Mr. Ballinger has
been working on the files OF the land
ufice and the interior department, and
he believes he has the cards all
stacked.
A model for the present enterprise
is furnished BY the Lilly investigation
In the last congress. The Connecticut
congressman charged the house lead
crs and the majority OF the naval af-
fairs committee with graft. The charge
WAS true No man can live In wash
ineton and know his business as
newspaper correspondent and be ignor-
ant OF such facts But Cannon. Bou-
tell Tawnev and the rest rallied to
the defense OF their clients and made
q report which called Lilly everything
from q race track tout to lunatic.
His constituents understood. and Lilly
was elected governor, but the trying
sxperiences with the house leaders
broke his health, and he died in con-
sequence.
1.-THE Beast in the Jungle"
What Judge Lindsey calls the beast
IN the Jungle" prowls in Washington
md nothing Is more cruel or more saw
age wnen once aroused or driven TO
bay Pinchot has got the besast on
lis track. and the beast Is determined
g have Pinchot's blood.
Politics and plunder unite In con
tributing reasons for the proposed
whitewash of Ballinger and the elm
nation Of Pinchot.
Politics, impersonated by FRANK
Hitchcock saws that Taft must he re-
heved OF the Pinchot-Ballinger trouble.
And there is a plunder reason which
Is quite as insistent.
The enemies OF the forest service
have planned a legislative harpoon Tor
his service to be thrust this winter
Il takes the FORM OF al dIheHuiHN'
he law permitting the secretary or
he interior to take away from the
,orest reserves all land not actually
covered with mature forest growths'
This would take away all lands not
Iseful for agriculture which are being
,eld for reforestation. and would d.
y,de and subdivide the forest reserva-
ions until they would be mere shoe-
strings. It would make them lmpoS-
sible to administer as forest reserves
All of which is well known 10 Bar
linger. Guggenheim. Hitchcock, can
non q Co., and for that reason desired
by them. rs.
Clifford Pinchot will not resign. The
forest service has been his lie WORK
Possessed of large independent TOT.
tune. he has devoted 20 OF his oes'
wears to this branch of the public ser'
vice. To see his work crushed before
his eyes will he deep grief 70 nlm'
He saws frankly that this Ia the pros
meet which now seems inevitable.
But he will not surrender. He VIII
go down fighting, and letting the peo-
ME know who and what their enemies