New-York tribune., 1909-12-19
From The Tribune Bureau !


Washington, Dec. 1S.-James r. Garfield.
former Secretary of the Interior, in an
article on conservation in Senator La Fol-
lette's magazine, reveals the fundamental
difference between the Taft and the Roose-
welt administrations difference which is
at the bottom of the entire Ballinger- Pin
chot controversy THE work for conserva-
ton was possible" says Mr.. Garfield, be
cause Ire president ROosevelt) was con-
stantly looking out for the public interest.
and tods tCiIIing 10 take action for the pub
Tic tceIfare unless there tcGs some prohibit
ton under the Constitution or in Idto to
prerent such GctiOH' The italics are Mr..
Garfelds. President taft is willing 10
act and is willing that his Secretary Of the
Interior should take action only when
thority therefor can be found in the Con-
stitution or in the law. Mr.. Roosevelt be
Iieved the discretion vested in the Executive
was limited only by specific prohibition in
the Constitution or in the law. Mr.. Taft
believes the Executive enjoys only a dele
gated power, limited by the authority con-
fered by the Constitution or by the statutes.
precisely as the power of the federal gov
ernment consists only of that which has been
delegated 10 il by the states through the
Constitution. Those familiar with the his
tcrv Of President Roosevelt's concept of
with Clifford Pinchot. was eagerly accepted
by Mt Roosevelt, was originally somewhat
reluctantly assented 10 by Mr.. Garfield, and.
after being rejected By two Of President
RooseveIt's Attorneys General was finally
asserted to by Mr. Bonaparte. Whether
the Roosevelt concept be good law or the
Taft narrow construction be correct, it must
be appreciated that with SO radical diver
eencc of opinion regarding the powers or
the Executive there must follow radical dii-
ferences in methods of administration, and
this must be so regardless of the fact that'
so far as the policy of conservation Is con-
cerned. for instance, both Executives are
in perfect harmony
Mr. Garfeld's article is regarded in Wash
ington as an able presentation OF the con
servation policy. Moreover, 50 far as the
,,oIicv is concerned the propositions laid
1ou,n b,- him are all TO be found not only
il, the annual report of Secretary Balllnger
but most of them IN the annual report
made by Mr. Ballinger as commissioner ol
the General Land Office. Mr.. Garfeld says
however that Congress passed ne" Ia"
anectin1 Alaska coal lands under "hlch
M was still able To prevent the pateHIlhs
Of fraudulent or illegal entries, such as tne
cunningham and similar claims IL l.
suggested that Mr. Garfield $ memory taliei
him wheu he made that statement lor u
was under the old law that he ordered that
inyestieation Of the Cunningham claims
which is still in progress, and the ne" IA"
did not affect those claims in any way
t,a.e,,er Mr. Garleld's choice Of Send-
,or Il Follette's magazine in which 10 eX-
,,rosz his views is regarded by some pol-
.;;.,e here as additional evidence OF the
lyietence Of an anti-Taft movement tor' IL
uu he recalled. those who believe IN the
existence Of that movement nave All aloHs
,..s,arde9 Senator La Toilette as planning
= rro6t nv a deadlock between the ldit
"a the Roosevelt forces in the convention
- 1919 preciseIy as Mr.. Garhelds > iather
,,rofted bv the deadlock between the ''rd'c
-. ,he blaine forces in the convention OF
anu @ -, aa,.er the fact that in the same
io'' s,,.or Ia Toilette severely criticises
D-ogida,, Taft and lauds Mr. Roosevelt
- ,ever liked or trusted the Senator
-. wisconsin. is regarded as additlohal
evidence Of the latter's ambtiohs'
.. mos nositiveIy asserted at the slate
,,o,srtuent to-day that there Is no lri0
-, betu,een the United States ana Mexico
over the Nicaraguan situation oecie'''y
Krox - disposed 10 regard win no siha'i
Decree of irnpatience the erroneous rePo'tS
of the foreign AFFAIRS OF 'iii9 e'u''''
a,d their way into print ana 10 cofiiihei'
,,nfsvorably on the fact that ne iIequenus
ende il necessary TO deny uhIouhueu N
,.t,,s aud even assertions. II never
ea.r,s IN occur 10 the Secretary Of State
-, that the chief cause Of these
,rs is the policy Of secrecy which he
- instituted i'm his department The IN
etsnces where q guarded intimation or the
facts or A hint that certain rumors or
assertions were without foundation would
I've saved the newspapers from making
mistakes are many. Mr.. Knox or one OF
1,.g assistants has later found II necessary
80 furnish contradictions where q word IN
se.son would have obyiated that necessity
when the administration IS older MI Knox
viii probably realize that steleoD peu