Evening star., 1909-09-04
HAVE NAUGHT TO FEAR
Secretary BaI|inger and Co.
workers Welcome Inquiry.
HIS REPORT IN LAND CASES
Will Communicate Facts Discovered
to President Taft
FRIENDS SAY HE Is ANGRY
Gossip Regarding Rumor That the
CLAWS Charges Were of
Serious Import.
lis REPORT IN LAND CASES
FRIENDS SAY HE Is ANGRY

After carefully looking the situation
over and examining the reports OF AS
sistant Secretary Pierce. Commissioner
Dennet and Chief Clerk Schwartz OF the
land office, Secretary Ballinger is con-
irmed in the opinion he previously held
that the Interior Department officials
have nothing to fear from the closest
scrutiny of their conduct in the land
cases upon which President Taft demand
ed a report
Secretary Ballinger will hurry to BeV-
erly to repeat this statement to the
President He will take with him the IN
dividual reports of the under officials, and
probably a statement of his own, put
in writing Secretary Ballinger will show
up at Beverly the first of next week.
Secretary Ballinger is not talking much
for publication. His friends on the out
side saw he is mad clean through and
through at the attacks upon him and
his under officials, and that somebody
will have to answer for them pelore the
shndy is over.
In view of the extremely confident at
titude assumed by the Department OF
the Interior considerable perpleXlty Is
expressed among the gossips over the
persistency of the reports that the dlaVis
charges are of nature TO cause iiil-
|
are leveled, and to require some eX-
planning.
Curiosity Excited.
Every body now is curious TO know
what those reports are, and wondering
if the President will give them out. The
Department of the Interior has not seen
fit to make them public, taking the posi-
ton that the proceedings at present are
executive, being an exchange OF COM
muncations between the President and
the department. The pest the PUBIC
can get out of it is a very broad IN
timation in other quarters that II the
President does not take the lid off
the lid will be lifted" in the west
where, it is said, the CLAWS charges are
known.
Secretary Ballinger burned the mid
night current last night. and the lights
in his Office glistened until very late.
He Is "a glutton for work., they say.
and in the pending case there is no
out for him. The Cunningham cases did
not comprise the whole of the knotty
questions awaiting his action. The Ok
lahoma oil cases had been put up to him
by Assistant Secretary Pierce, and there
was a budget of other public questions
stacked up on his desk.
Defers to the Secretary.
Assistant Secretary Pierce was as happy
as a boy on vacation today, his troubles
over until the Secretary disappears again
and leaves him sitting on the lid.
Il never talk when the Secretary is
here" said Mr.. Pierce, in answer to a
question whether he had anything to say.
Whereupon it was observed to him that
he never talked when the Secretary was
not here. AS matter of fact, Mr. Pierce
piyeS a pretty good imitation of a SDhinS
at all times.
Secretary Ballinger after his cleanup
with the President, proposes to return to
the west and complete his tour of in
tion projects which was so rudely inter
rupted by the CLAWS bombshell.
Expects to Kill Snakes.
"Incidentally,'' said the Secretary, at
| the close Of the first day after his hur-
ried trip from the Pacific coast; Incl
dentally. I intend to kill some snakes "
The remark was made in response to
questions relative to the Ballinger
Pinchot controversy regarding water
power plants, the Cunningham Alaskan
coal entries and other conservation mat
ters, and the illustration used by the
Secretary was drawn from an incident
in his own life, when. some twenty-odd
years ago, as cowboy at Medicine
Lodge, he found the night camp infest-
ed with rattlers- He then said: Boys,
before l sleep I propose to kill some
snakes and the fact is recorded that he
did kill about dozen Of the venomous
reptiles before stretching his blanket
over the buffalo grass for night $
rest.
Mr. Ballinger refused to explain the
purport Of his later remark. and de-
| clned to further discuss the matters
| in controversy between his department
and the forestry bureau.
"Manifestly," he said, "it would be i'm
proper for me to talk on this subject. The
| heads of the various divisions of the de-
| pa rtment which are involved in this con
| troversy have all prepared their reports
| and expect to submit the whole question
| to the President at an early day. l coulC
not, therefore, properly go into the sub
| ject at this time, further than to say thai
my previous knowledge of the situation
| together with the information / have de
| rived today from the perusal of the re
ports of MesSrs. Pierce, bennett anC
| Schwartz, justifies the statement that thi:
/ department has nothing to fear from
scrutiny.
Will Seek the President Next Week
| Mr.. Ballinger said that he did not know
just when he would go to Beverly, bu
presumed that he would be there early
next week. He spent much of the day II
conference with Assistant Secretary Pierce
\ Commissioner bennett. Mr.. Schwartz anl
! Assistant Attorney General Lawler. The
remainder OF the time was given to tn,
reading of the reports of his subordinates
Mr.. Ballinger intimated that he NIGH
prepare a report of his own for the pub
/ lie. but said that his course in that respec
| would depend entirely upon the wishes O.
| the President. He had no doubt however
| that a full statement of the entire MATES
| would be given to the public at an earl,
day.
| Secretary Ballinger has been absent
| from the city for more than two months
the greater part of which time has beer
| spent in tour of inspection through tn.
| west. He gave very careful attention tc
/, conditions in Yellowstone Park, and wen
over a large number of irrigation projects
and Indian reservations. In order tc
perform these duties he was compelled tt
ride much on horseback. and on one occa
sion covered eighty miles in one da,
| while inspecting the Grow Indian reser
| walton in Montana. After seeing the Pres!
dent Mr.. Ballinger will return to the ives
to continue his labors. He probably will
join the President at Denver on the lat
ter's western tour and proceed with hin
to Seattle.
Outline Of His Tour.
Mr.. Ballinger gave out the following
statement regarding his tour:
with the consent Of the President,