The National tribune., 1909-09-16
The CONSERVATION
QUARRELS.
The President Has Maintained a
Tenacious and Impartial Silence.

The President has continued tena-
ciouSly silent about the conservation
quarrels, as accentuated by the Ballin-
ger-Pinchot controversy, altho Secretary
of the Interior BalIinger has come and
gone and concluded conferences that
occupied two evenings with the Presi-
dent at Burgess Point. Secretary Bal
linger has refused to say anything that
throws much light upon the situation
since he left here, and President Taft
has said nothing.
Hints here and there are to the eff
feet that there will be compromise,
and that a pacificatory policy will pre-
vail. The impression is very strong
that Chief Forester Pinchot will not
be removed from Office for insisting
that there is a water power trust and
that Secretary Ballinger is wrong in
his Interpretation of the law regarding
the withdrawal of public lands from en-
those lands which a trust might gobble
up. Perhaps Congress will be prevailed
upon this Winter to enact some legisla-
ton that will legaliZe, from Secretary
BalliBger's point of view, the withdraw
ais of such lands as Chief Pinchot ad-
vOcates.
The Secretary. as has been widely
stated, is to accompany the President
on portion of the Western trip. 1t is
also likely that Chief Forester PinchOt
will be invited to attend the President
for some portion of the way. That
would be accepted as an indication of
the Presidents favor toward him.
Secretary Ballinger in his contention
that the National forests and the great
reclamation projects have not been adj
ministered in strict accordance with
law, has been steadily upheld by the
| Department Of Justice. The Attorney
General has been rendering opinion
after opinion during the last four or
| five months upholding Mr.. Ballinger.
One of the latest. rendered few days
ago, upheld Secretary Baliinger's de-
| cision against the so-called cooperative
work of the Reclamation Service. That
| has been the bone of contention be-
| tween Director +. H Newell, of the
Reclamation Service, and Secretary Bal
| liDger.
The cooperative system describes a
practice that has grown UP during re-
cent years in connection with Govern
ment irrigation projects. When the
| Government has dug canal and bitches
and brought water upon given NUM-
her of land nnits, there have generally
been homesteaders on adjacent lands
| who are anxious also to obtain Govern
ment water. The Reclamation Service
| has been saying to those homesteaders
that If they would construct the neces-
1
and specifications made by the Reciam.
| alton Service, certificates of credit
| would be issued to them for the
amounts which the semi-private work
represented. Then the Reclamation
Service, having created a Government
obligation in this manner, would pro-
ceed to cancel it by deductions for the
use Of the Government water.
The Attorney General has ruled will
Mr.. Baliinser that the creation of such
debts against the Government is moi
warranted by any laws now on the
statute books, and so the cooperative
work, which has come to be of great
magnitude, must cease.
This and other kindred opinions from
the Attorney-General undoubtedly
strengthens Secretary Ballingcr tremen
dously. Ii is certain to restrict the ac-
tivities of his opponents in the West
who have been laundering for his Off
cial decapitation.s AS Director Newell
is an official subordinate of the Secre
tary of the Interior, there is nothing fol
him to do but to obey the rulings inn
plicitiy. 1t is not believed however
that he will be .1Sloved from Office for
like Chief Fores:.. Pinchot, he is ar
exceedingly popular official in the West
| The President, of course has beer
behind all these efforts to determine
1.-THE legality of conservation operations