Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-16
PINCHOT HIS SUBORDINATE
Likely to Be Called Upon by Presi.
dent for Report.
MIR. BALLINGER IN THE WEST
Controversy Regarding Rights of
Syndicate of Which He Was
Formerly an Attorney.

That Secretary of Agriculture Wilson
will be drawn into the controversy be-
tween Secretary of Interior Ballinger and
Chief Forester Pinchot, which arose out
of speech made by the latter before the
irrigation congress at Portland last
week. is the opinion expressed by those
who have followed the case. The Presi-
dent it is thought, will deal with Mr..
Pinchot through Secretary Wilson, since
the forestry service Is under the Depart
ment of Agriculture, and Mr.. Pinchot is
really subordinate, to Mr.. Wilson and
not an independent officer of the govern
ment.
If the ordinary formalities are gone
through with the President will ask Mr.
Wilson to call on Pinchot for an explana-
ton and then make his own report
directly to the President. And since the
President is stickler for formal pro-
cedure in such matters. it seems likely
that this will be his course.
In any case the President will prob
ably not take any action in the affair
until he has heard from Ballinger and
Wilson. Mr.. Ballinger will be with the
President during part of his prospective
tour of the west. Mr.. Pinchot is also
in the west, and the chances are that
dinates for their views of the situation
during his western tour.
Hearings in Cunningham Case.
That the matter will be brought to a
head by the opening of the hearings in
the Cunningham case is the opinion OF
officials of the general land office These
hearings open October Is and will be
carried on In several western cities. The
case involves the rights of syndicate
of coal operators to coal lands in Alaska
and is said to be at the bottom of the
trouble between Ballinger and Pinchot
The chief forester, 1t is understood claims
that the Interior Department is acting too
hastily in the case. and that it will not
be able, in the short time 1t has allotted.
to develop the proper and necessary evil
dence.
II the Interior Department should win
out in the suit Pinchot's feet will be
knocked from under him and Ballinger
will loom up as the real conservation
power of the administration.
Under the Roosevelt administration
Pinchot was foremost among the con-
servers of the nations resources He
was one OF Roosevelt's favorite subordl-
mates and had the almost unlimited sup
port Of his former chief.
One Of the points of interest in the pros
ecution Of the Cunningham syndicate is
that before he became Secretary of the
the Cunninghams. His former connection
with their legal affairs was known to
the President when he appointed Mr.. Bal
linger a member of his Cabinet.
Owing to this situation Assistant Secre
tary Pierce OF the Interior Department
will proba bly, be called upon by Mr. Bal
linger to take complete charge of the
Cunningham case. while Ballinger him.
self holds hands off.
No Direct Statement Made.
Although neither the Interior De-
partment nor the forest service will
make a direct statement concerning the
identity of the corporation which was
to take over the Cunningham holdings,
there are indications that the Guggen-
helms have evinced a lively interest in
the coal contracts north of Katalda. 1t
is asserted that the Guggenheim people
have paid the expenses of inspection
trips throughout this territory.
Although fight between Ballinger
and Pinchot was bound to come sooner
or later, the Cunningham case would
not have presented the opportunity had
not President Roosevelt, on the last
day of his term of office, issued an ex-
ecutive order extending the boundaries
OF the forest reserves in southern Alas
ka. This order served to place between
1000 and 1000 acres of the Cunning
ham. tract within the Jurisdiction OF
Forester Pinchot. 1t was in this way
that the Interior Department and the
forest service got their lines cross
ed The officials and agents of the
forest service have free access to all
the maps and documents OF the Inte-
rior Department which deal with the
territory under the supervision of the
service. Some of the documents discov-
cred by the forestry people since the
beginning of the present administration,
according to the whispered charges made
by Mr.. Pinchots men, led them to be-
lieve that Mr.. Ballingcr was permit
ting too much haste in the disposition
of the Cunningham claims for the good
rr,ra t,S interests