The Washington times., 1909-08-26
Taft Convinced by Evidence
Adduced That Secre-
tary Is Right.
REPORTS ORDERED
FROM DEPARTMENT
Forester Pinchot and His Bureau
Must Make Good Their
Accusations.
By JAMES HAY, il.

BENERL MASS, Aug. <.O.--iI
the fight of Forester Clifford Pin
chot against Secretary Of the In
terrier Ballinger, the last ditch has
been reached, and unless the Forestry
Service and L. R. Claws, chief of the
field division of the General Land
Office, make good en- their charges
of irregularities in the Interior De-
parhment in connection with the
Cunningham coal claims, the battie
according to the Administrators
friends, is over, in Ballinger's favor.
FIGHT IS BITTER.
Administration circles beIieve
that Pinchot has been making, and
is making one Of the bitterest
fights On Ballinger ever waged by
one Government official on another.
They also believe the Forestry
Service is back Of the Cunningham
coal claim story as a last resort to
discredit Ballinger.
Up to date. the President IS con-
vinced that the Secretary OF the
Interior has done no wrong, and
that. In the last analysis, the In
vestigation Of the matter will show
everything to his credit.
Wakes Doubly SIRE.
Te make doubly sure. the President
has ordered detailed reports from high
officials Of the Interior Department on
the claims in question. These reports
VIII come from Mr.. BaIIinger, Assistant
Secretary Of the Interior Pierce. Land
Commissioner bennett and his assist
ant, Mr.. Schwartz.
..fter these reports have been SUBJ
nllsted and Nr. Taft has read them
things viii begin to look lively In wash
iIgton. If the charges made by Claws
are borne ont, the Interior Department.
VIII come in for shakedown. but II the
accusations fall fat. the Forest Service
viii be overhauIed. Claws. and the
men associated with him. must produce
more evidence than they have yet
brought to the surface.
Although the President refuses today
10 say anything in regard to the cases
some Of his closest advisers make the
following statements:
As things stand now. Mr.. Ballinger is
not in the least discredited, nor does
the President believe there has been
anything crookd in the Department OF
the Interior with Ballinger's knowledge.
Distasteful To President.
There have been phases OF the Pin-
chot fight on Ballinger which have been
extremely distasteful TO the President.
Although no newspaper man in Beverly
has sent 20 any newspaper in this coun-
try in the last four or FIVE days any
articles bearing IN any way on the
CLAWS charges, newspapers have been
printing such articles under a Beverly
date line. The inference is that these
articles or the material for them orig
mattel IN washington.
side has any press agents working on
the fight. It does seem to friends Of the
President that too much has been given
out for publication, especially from the
Forestry end OF the controversy When
CLAWS was in Beverly, he did not sue
ceed IN convincing the President that
Mr.. Ballinger's conduct was open TO
suspicion. and. is was then reported. as
il is now, on excellent authority, that
Mr. Taft had no idea that Mr.. Ballinger
will in any way be touched BY the
matter.
Wants All Facts.
The chief reason back OF the Presi-
dents request for reports from the
heads Of the department Is his desire
10 start on his Western trip armed
with every possible fact in connection
with all the charges and insinuatiOns
against the Secretary or the Interior
Mr.. Bailinger viii Join the President
on his special car ar either Denver or
Seattle, and. with him, viii 90 down
the Pacific coast.
According 10 the present plans the
President will have much 20 say about
the conservation policy as outlined By
Ballinger and VIII lndorse it A natti-
raj sequence 20 this viii be a defense
Of the Secretary against the CHARGES
made against him by Mr.. Claws and
the Forestry Service. acting in cOnfunc-
ton.
The position taken here is that there Is
no probability that Ballinger viii he
affected By tae charges. II Is figured by
the Administration tnal he Is too brsfuv
B. man. even II he had no scruples in
the matter, TO entangle himself in such
a vulgar play
AS a matter OF fact, the President
knows that. before accepting q POSITION
In the Cabinet, Ballirger was. IL anv-
thing, over conscientious in his sepsrst-
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