The Washington herald., 1909-08-19
DELEGATES SILENT
ON FORESTRY row
PinchOt Attends Commercial
Congress at Denver.
KEYES' SECRET APPOINTMENT
Those Who Have Followed the
Present Controversy Regard Secre-
tnry BRIIinger'S Assignment of
Young Engineer Amusing Incident.
Attack on Roosevelt Suruised.

Calm and peaceful were the 6eubera-
itons Of the Mississippi Commercial
Congress at Denver yesterday. despite
the fact that Secretary Of the Interior
Richard Baniager's friends were there.
and that National Forester Pinchot was
in attendance. prepared TO enter into open
warfare Il an attempt was made 20 in
troduce resolutions that could be con-
st-ued as a reflection upon the conserva-
ton policy Of President Roosevelt.
And that brings forcibly to mind the
fact that though AIr. Roosevelt is now in
the wilds pursuing the 1.-the and agile
nippoDotamus. and tracking TO its lair
the bloOdth.rsty phHiHoo bird. his name
VIII again be upon the public tongue
within a fen days. The friends OF the
departed are assuming that the Secre-
tary OF the Interior is covertIy attack
ing the poicies. and they are ready q
rush 20 his defense.
In fact. some did on the North Platte
. project. and for fear many NAV have
missed that incident the story OF Mr.
BaHiuger's entertaining scientific EMS
sary Mr.. Keyes. Of scant years and
sparse engineering experience. is. here set
down
Mr.. Keyes a FIedgIing.
Mr. Keyes is younE-thirty or there
abouts. He is a civil engiaeer-not exact
ly a fedgling but stlI embryonic 20 a
degree. when compared TO many of The
hardy veterans VINO are connected with
the Reclamation Service
soon after Mr.. BaUinger assumed the
duties Of custodian OF the Interior De
partment he secretly assigned NIr. Keyes
10 go 20 the various projects in the des-
ert states and make an examination OF
the great tasks thar were being carried
out. The assignment would have beer
insulting. II is said. had il not beer
merely amusing, for 70 send any but an
+ engineer of mature years and ripe ex.
/ perience 10 give criticism Of the great
structures and dams that had been. O;
were being built. would have been par
alleled only by sending ''Reddy. the Once
E imp tb NA-Nt a NN..lal4li-4 AlAN4t Ae 0-
the playing OF de Pachmanu.
[ But Mr.. Keyes went. II would have
i been courteous and ethicaUy correct 10,
: Secretary Ballinger to have informed Dt
rector Newell that such an appointment
. had been made, but rumor has 1t thai
ethics have been AT a discount in that de
( partmeat since March 4. and naught wa.
1 known In the service of the Keyes an
pointment He appeared at the Nortl
Platte project. where an army Of laborer.
/ We're az work. and where engineers wer,
striving to solve the problems that wer,
enmeshed in the harnessing Of that grea
and erratc stream.
| Mr.. Keyes introduced himself ant
showed his credentials The officials IL
/ charge treated him courteously until som,
/ of the younger engineers discovered b,
was a ''tenderfoot." Then they proceede,
to have fun with him. They told hin
weird stories Of the tasks they were &C
/ complishing and OF the marvellous fruit
! fulness of the land They dnated upor
I the wonders Of a peculiar grass tha
would grow nowhere but on that spot
! So thoroughly did he become imbued Will
the tales that he listened with widening
eyes. That grass never did grow any
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