The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-12-21
BALLINGER HOT;
)|CALLS FOR PROBE
/ Secretary Demands an Inyesti-
CATION.
5 FEARS TO Be "WHITEWASHED"
5 Driven to inelight BY Charges
Of Claws.
. Secretary Of Iaserior And HIS Friend.
Tell Tart Republican Party Cam
not Face L.as grsas. with
out Refutation.
Of Charges. =

A
dent Taft today yielded to Secretary
Bailinger and his critics for public
! Investigation of the whole subject
matter underlying the so-called Ball
in-er-Pinchot controversy. M
Mr.. Ballinser this afternoon served
upo.s ftesident Taft virtually an ulti-
matum, to the effect that such an In
vestigation was In, fact the prizes of
his remaining In the cabinet. He made
IT clear to the president that he. was
1 not willing to sit longer In his office
and wait for the thing to blow over"
Mr.. Taft reluctantly admitted his
disappointment of/his hope that the
country at large would accept his
own yindication Of Mr.. BaIIingers In
the dismissal OF the charges brought
before him against the Secretary of
the Interior, by L. X. CLAWS, the
FORMER special agent of the land Of
i fec.
Mr.. Ballinger's attitude In thisI mat
ter has the support of leading re-
pubiicans In both branches of con-
gress, senators and Representatives,
who feel that. entirely apart from the
merits of the controversy itself. "a
fostering care OF this character must
poison the whole system of the party
In power, and that Ii Is high time to
resort to the lancet. These leaders,
determined that cleansing OF this
I WOunu 10 necessarily nave not nGSlIAIea
to go to the White House and i'm
press their Views hpon Mr. Taft.
| Private Conferences.
| Conferences of confidential char
| acter in which party leaders In both
/ houses of congress and the president
| himself have participated have been
held at various times during the past
few days. They eliminated today when
Secretary Ballinger, Attorney Gem
eral Wickersham and Postmaster
General Hitchcock met In Mr.. Wicker
sham's office and proceeded thence to
the White House, where the matter
/ was laid before the president.
Mr. Ballinger told the president. II
Is said. that the situation lad be-
come sfntoierab1e to him and that
though the constant charges against
him had come from irrNspohhiisik naf-
ties. he could no longer sit BY, and III
Justice TO himself, he felt compelled
10 insist on an Investigation.
The president was given to UNDER
stand that Mr.. Ballinger's demand
| carried with 1T the endorsement of both
Mr.. Wickersham and Mr.. Hitchcock. II
IFS known fact tonight that he has
| the sympathy also of other members
i of the cabinet.
| There is little doubt that this will
be one of the important subjects of
the cabinet meeting tomorrow. Pre-
sumably this is one of the principal
reasons why the investigating backed
ny the administration will not be
preached to congress before it's add
JOul nnlent tomorrow for the holiday
| recess.
Several things have served to bring
the matter to a head. The speech of
Representative Hitchcock. demo-
crat. of Nebraska in the house a few
days ago, demanding action on his re-
4 ftera
of the land office. was factor.
| Mr.. Ballinger IL is said. feared that
| this resolution might be laid upon the
| table by the republican majority and
that such action would be construed
| by his enemies as an effort on the
| part OF the administration to white
wash" him.
May Have III Eject.
A few days ago he received pointed
| advice from a close personal friend a
man who has recently left the gov
eminent service, who had himself been
an investigator of the department Of
| justice, and who is an expert on land
laws, urging just such an uitimatuni
as Mr.. Ballinger carried to the White
House today. He is impressed with
4 the conviction that tire time had come
to either demand an acquittal or re-
| tire to private life"
Four important aspects of the situa-
tion are taken into consideration by
the party leaders;
| First---The effect upon the future
| of the Republican party and of the
Taft administration IL attacks upon
| the integrity Of a member of the
| presidents official family may be
made with impunity and allowed to
| pass unanswered. even unchallenged
Second--The possibility of the con-
| troversy between adherents and OPP
ponents of Secretary Balllnger becon-
| ing SO bitter as to endanger party
legislation.
Third-The practical standstllI of
the whole policy OF conservation of
natural resources during the present
! conflict among those In whose hands
| lies the administration of that policy
| Lastly. the desire to do justice to-
ward the cabinet officer whose person
al and official integrity has been as
sailed.
So the decision has been reached to
sift the entire matter to the bottom
All parties know that the investiKa-
ton must be of such a character as
to leave In the public mind not tho
| slightest doubt OF it's thoroughness
and impartiality.
! Mr. Ballinger is impatient OF delay
| and Is said to have urged mat q
resolution providing for a oongression-
al investigation be presented in the
Senate tomorrow. 1t Ia understood to-
night that he has been overruled on
that point.
A joint congressional committee
probably will be appointed to make
the investigation.