The Washington herald., 1909-08-18
WICKERSHAM MAY
GIVE PINCHOT AID
Continued from Page One.

failure Of Gen. Wickersham 10 appear"
said a prominent official yesterday
They are Senators Warren and Borah.
Both are enthusiastic champions OF the
| entire conservation policy Of President
/ Roosevelt. and both are firm believers
+ in the work Of the Reclamation and
/ Forest Service. Senator Warren Is an
expert on these subjects. and he was
3 prepared 10 give the Attorney General
! a c-oss-exam!nation that would have
( been interesting. I don't know as 1
blame him for having had important en-
/ gagements on both committee meeting
days"
Called at the White House
Because he did not appear, the Sena-
tors named called at the White House
/ Senators Dixon, Burton. and Newlands
had been there before The Wyoming
and Idaho Senators urged the President
10 take cognizance Of the fact that the
Attorney Generals decision was based
upon misapprehension. and he should
have further facts placed before him.
And then the President made the move
. that is construed as a reflection upon his
/ Secretary for he asked the Attorney
/ General If he would consent 70 give c0n-
I sideratiOn 10 Another reclamation case,
( and he insisted that the case be prepared
/ uy officers Of the service rather than by
the legal force IN the Secretary's office.
That case has been prepared Whether
/ it has been sent 10 the Office OF the At
/ torney General was not learned last
night but f. is known II had been held
/ In the SecTet1ry's Office Cor three weeks
a law officer there protesting against the
form IN which 10 had been prepared. and
urging that II be amended 20 suit his
Ideas rather than the ideas CT Director
/ NeWou
II. on consideration Of this case the
/ Attorney General hands down a decision
contrary to the one he rendered before.
his associate in the Cabinet. il IS con-
/ tended. wil find himself IA a very un-
I enviable position
And II he does he will do no more
than the Secretary himself did when he
reversed his own ruling IN connection
with the issuing Of the very certificates
on which the charge was first made 20
the Attorney General against the chief
OF the Reclamation Service.
Secretary Baliuger ruled that this sys-
tem-put IN effect by Secretary Garfield
less than three weeks before he stepped
down from ofhce-Was Illegal and he
issued a circular ordering the plan stop
ped. The storm Of protest that arose
from influential men caused him 20 pom
der and IL was said two weeks ago he
would issue another circular on his re-
turn from the West restoring IT,
/ This certificate system is not under
. stood On the East but 20 one who is not
burdened with a hair-splitting legal mind.
+ 81 seems 20 possess great merit and % be
well within the law To it Secretary Car
. field gave great thought. He pOndered
on IL for months, and. being a good law
/ yer, decided shortly be-ore retirement that
. he could evolve a plan that would not
/ conflict with either the provisions Of the
I homestead or the reclamation acts and
/ which would be OF benefit 20 thousands
/ OF struggling men.
/ shortly after the reclamation work was
started the Secretary OF the Interior
I learned that a complication had arisen
. that was not contemplated That was
the seizing Of desert lands by homeseek-
I ers under the homestead act Men who
learned that areas % desert lands were
20 be reclaimed and irrigated would set
( lie on those lands and make fight %
drag existence from the barren. Fun-baked
soil They hoped II they could win the
unequal battle they would be well repaid
when the land was finally put under wa
ter
Ten Annual Payments.
The reclamation act provides for the
/ payment for ell lands IN ten annual pay
ments Some cf these hardy and tena-
Ic.ous desert dwsIeTs spent three and even
four years in the desert waiting for the
great projects 70 be completed. so as 10
take in the lands on which they had set
tied 4 number Of pretty legal questions
/ arose because Of these settlers. II was
. questioned whether they could sell the
lands on which they had settled. or
I could assign them 20 others before a full
deed was given.
Mr.. Garfield determined q hardship
would be placed on them II they were
/ debarred from taking these steps 20
/ get the money they needed TO carry on
/ the fight for homes. and he ruled that
/ they could assign. To further aid them
1 he evolved the system Of issuing Ger
/ tifcates for work Gone
/ The plan was backed by the Water
J Users Association. Tre st0rekeeuers ac-
/ Cepted those certificates and advanced
! money and supplies upon them. and the
/ government stood ready 10 redeem them
I at their face value when the projects had
/ been completed and the owners had per
/ fected their titles.
/.
not as a legal question. but as a question
/ OF administrative policy. for it benefited
/ deserving men. facilitated the work Of
/ the service. and az no time was the
/ government IN danger OF losing any
4 monev.
Five Senators Interested.
! Senators Warren. Borah. Dixon. and
/ Newlands informed the President that
/ any cessation Of that system would w0~k
/ a hardship. and Secretary BaIinCer is
| said 20 have listened 70 the distant mu--
murings and decided the system, which
was good enough for his predecessor. bur
which he ordered stopped, is again good
| enough for him.
/ Late last night word was received from
J Seattle that National Forester Pinchot
/ was prepared 70 carry the fight far before
/ he would withdraw one step from the
policy he represents. and that. while ha
will do nothigS - embarTass the Fresi-
/ dent. he will not consider a resignation.
1 The matter must be adjUdged by thu
! President
/ II was also learned that since Mr.
! Pinchot has dashed so boldly into the
/ fight and intimated 70 Secretary Ballin-
/ ger that 1t must be 10 a finish. Director
/ Newell has determined 10 line up bis
/ forces and fight, also, he was willing
Z TO resign two weeks ago. because he
I feared the great work to which his life
| has been devoted would suffer were he
/ to strive 10 remain under the direction
! Of a hostile chief Now he IS with
/ Pinchot. and both men have their backs
! 10 the wall.
/ AS Sir Lucius O'Trigger said: a very
pretty quarrel as il stands"
West Virginia Delegates Named.
| Sr.claI % The Mnshiretrr Hcrala