The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-08-12
Chief Forester, Determined to Garry
Forward Roosevelt Policies, Plumes
Himself for the Fray
DEMANDS A FULL
RESTORATION OF
ALL PUBLIC LAND
Renewal of Bitter Controversy
Skaters Harmony of the
irrigation Convention

W p ASHINCTON. Aug.
M 1l.-Ciford Pinchot.
w chief forester. convinced
that Secretary of the In
terror Ballingcr has shown fdporitism
TO the wdtcr power trusts. is after the
scalp of Ballinger. and mill resign
himself unless he gets it.
The moment Secretary Ballinger
took Office he insisted that the vast
domains withdrawn by order of Presi-
dent Roosevelt in Montana and
Wyoming for forestry purposes be
restored to the public domain on the
ground that there was no warrant OF
law for their withdrawal
SubOrdinateS in Turmoil
The subordinates in the department
Of the interior, in the general land
office, in the agricultural department
and in the reclamation service are
badly scared and hope Forester Pin
chot will quit shooting. But he will
not, for he is not bit afraid.
Ballinger knows that his scalp is
wanted and will fight back. With
the help of President Taft he expects
to win. But it is not known where
Taft stands. therefore it is not known
who will win 1t is quite certain that
Pinchot will quit if he does not win
in the contest with the secretary Of
the interior. Naturally the president
starts on the side of the cabinet min
lister. but it is not certain that he will
stay there after Forester Pinchot gets
through blazing away with the old
Roosevelt bang stick, carelessiy left
behind in the hut of the forester
Works Only for Glory
Clifford Pinchot is one of the few
persons holding comparatively incon-
spicuous Office in Washington because
he thinks he can do important work,
not because he needs the pay He IS
rich. He was fair haired boy in the
Roosevelt administration and the siren
mons president trusted him more than
he did most of his cabinet ministers.
It was frequently said that Roose-
Welt suggested to the president that he
would be glad to see Pinchot made
cabinet minister. 1t was also said at
the time that Taft did not want the
forester in his cabinet. The place de-
sired was that of secretary of agricul-
ture, and many think that one OF the
reasons Uncle Jimmy retains his
Mace is because President Taft did
not want to disappoint Roosevelt.
These reports may not be true. but
they are interesting in connection with
tbe row which has broken out between
the forester and the interior secretary.
BaIIinger's Record
Secretary Ballinger is an aggressive
man also. He left the position of land
commissioner under the Roosevelt sd-
ministration because he could not have
his own way. When he became secre-
tarv of the interior one of the first
things he did was to have a clash with
Forester P1nchot. IL was over Jurls-
diction.
Pinchot really belongs in the domain
of the secretary Of agriculture. but
Roosevelt, who was never overparticu-
lar about the laws of jurisdiction, had
given him a large section of the in
terror department.
There is not the slightest doubt that
Pinchot intends making Ballinger ac-
count for every acre which he has re-
leased from the first million acres
withdrawn by Roosevelt. He will not
he dissuaded from this by pleas to keep
quiet in order to keep peace in the ad-
ministration family.