Omaha daily bee., 1909-08-30
Original Arrangement that He Was to
Remain in Office Six Months.
CONTROVERSY GROWS ACUTE
General Belief President Must Take a
Hand in it Soon.
MEMBERS OF CABINET CALL
Knox, NaEeI, wickersham and Won
Meyer Among the Sunday Vis-
itOrs at the summer
Capital.

BEVERLY, Mass, Aug. 2s.-The resigna-
tlon of Ormsby McHarg, assistant score
tary Of the Department of Commerce and
Labor, will be accepted. Secretary Nagel,
head Of the department, had an extended
conference with President Taft today and
discussed with the chief executive the
question of q successor to Mr.. McHarg.
Secretary Nagel received a letter from
the assistant secretary today saying that
he must adhere to his first intention of re-
naming in the department only for pc
riod of six months. This term Of duty will
expire September 4 and by that time Sec
retary Nagel hopes to be ready to an
nounce the choice of a new assistant.
Mr.. McHarg announced some time ago
that he soon would leave the government
service to engage in private business. In
his letter to Secretary Nagel he reminds
him Of his intention to leave the service,
but says that If a successor cannot be
found by September 1, he will continue in
office until october l. Mr.. McHargs for
NAL letter of resignation will follow.
There is no one In Beverly today willing
to say that Mr.. McHarg's resignation was
in any wise the result Of the interview
with him published in Washington last
week in which the assistant secretary is
credited with having said some rather
sharp things about Former President
Roosevelt and his policy of forest conserva-
tion.
Mr. McHarg is reputed to have said that
the policy of conservation outlined by
President Roosevelt was too dream-like to
ever be of practical value and that only
"the Lord himself would have carried it
out. Mr.. McHarg further was represented
as having said that perhaps Mr.. Roosevelt
thought himself equal to the Worker of
! Miracles
Taft Must Take COGnizance.
Assistant Secretary McHarg is said to
have grown quite bitter over the free man
ner in which some Of the government Of
ficials in Washington, generally known as
the Roosevelt element" have been criti-
cising members OF the Taft administra-
ton Consequently he is reported to have
Expressed his own views in rather a fore
ible manner and the controversy started
by Chief Forester PiHchot with the secre-
tary of the interior, Mr.. Ballinger, is de-
ciered here to be growing to such proper
tions that the president will have to take
a hand in it and put the government house
at Washington in order.
| Mr.. Taft has been reluctant to take Of
| ficial cognizance of the controversy which
started at the irrigation congress in Spo-
| kane, continued through the Transmits
| sippi conference at Denver and since then
has been waged with more or less intensity
at the national capital He had hoped
that the whole affair was a tempest in a
teapot which soon would simmer down
without any action on his part. 1t seems
now, however, as though he would have to
| take hand in the tangle and straighten
it out.
In addition to the secretary of commerce
and labor President Taft had with him
this afternoon the secretary of state, Mr.
Knox, and the secretary of the navy Mr.
Meyer 1t is said that the Pinchot- Bal
linger controversy had a large share in
the deliberations of the cabinet confer
ence. President Taft has no engagement
to see Secretary Ballinger earlier than Just
prior to his arrival in Seattle on Septem-
Der %. Mr.. Ballinger has been invited and
has accepted an invitation to accompany
the president on large part OF the latter's
Pacific coast itinerary. The invitation was
extended prior TO the outbreak of the con-
troversy and has no especial Significance
1t will offer an opportunity, however, un-
less an earlier one is taken, for Mr.. Bal
linger to lay his side of the controversy
before the president
Some Precedents,
In all matters affecting departments
under the control of cabinet officers, It has
been the PRESIDENTS policy to uphold the
cabinet member unfailingly Secretary
Nagel recently had a controversy with the
former director of the census, s. N. d.
North. There were many predictions at
the time that Director North would be up
held. President Taft, however. approved
the course of his cabinet officer and Mr..
North's resignation was accepted Friends
OF Secretary Ballinger are drawing a
parallel from this episode to fit the present
controversy.
The president, while refusing absolutely
to discuss the Pinchot- -Ballinger contro-
versy in any way. has intimated to friends
that he hopes that no drastic action will
be necessary. Mr.. Taft is soon to traverse
the territory where the conservation plans
are of supreme Importance.
Secretary Knox is the guest of Henry