The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-09-16
TAFT ONLY AROUSES
FOES OF BALLINGER
Letter Is Signal sor Pressing
Conservation Warfare
To Limit.
By ]. c. wELLIvER.

From all indications today. President
Taft's exoneration Of Secretary OF the
Interior Ballinger Of all charges Of un-
frfendliness to the governmental conser-
walton policy. will be the signal for
pressing the conservation warfare to a
new and more determined stage than
il has yet reached.
The Presidents letter TO his Secretary
Of the Interior gives the latter as com
plete, sweeping and hearty a vindica-
tion as any official could well desire
The President not only finds that Mr.
Rallinger has been guilty Of no wrong
doing. but credits him with a more ef-
fcient administration Of the conserva-
tion program. as 70 water powers. than
his predecessors in the Interior Depart
ment and the officials Of the Forestry
Service had secured.
Goes Even Farther.
Beyond this, the President directs tr,
dismissal from the public service OF
Special Agent L. r. CLAWS. OF the Land
Office CLAWS is the man who. beIirv-
Ing that the Cunningham coal land
claims IN Alaska were being uuduIv
FASTENED 10 patent, went with his com
plants first 10 Forester Finchot. ar7
then. Mr.. PlnChot declining TO take d
hand IN the matter 70 President TAFT.
The President finds that CLAWS not
only did not make a case. but was Un-
fair 20 his superiors, in that he did not
lay before the President all the facts az
mis- command; suppressing some facts
which would have been 10 the advautaga
Of the officials against whom lie was
making the accusations.
CLAWS, who is now at Seattle. will. ac-
cording 70 information secured at the
Interior Department today, be relieved
without unnecessary delay from his no.
sition. Report Is current and circur1-
stantial today that very soon after ba
IS dropped from the Government service
Claws will make public his side Of the
case. 90 that there may be opportuuIfv
for the country 10 Judge the merits Of
the case he laid before the President
Claws is described as a fighter. ard
beyond that it is well known that he
enjoys powerful sympathy and backing
in the position he has taken.
Ballinger at Home Today.
Secretary BaIlinger was not AT bfe
office today. lie has not been entirely
well for two or three days. and the ex-
planation IS made that, while he couId
have gone 10 his office today and resumed
duties there. he preferred 90 remain
at his apartments and avoid the racos-
sity Of meeting the newspaper repre-
sentatives and others who have been
anxious 10 secure statements from hin,
Beyond the statement that he was much
gratifed at the fun and thorough vim
dication the President had given him.
the Secretary had nothing 10 say for
publication.
on the side OF the critics OF Secre-
tary Ballinger and his administration
there was an even more notable reti-
cence Absolutely no statement could
be secured from the anti -Ballinger camp.
The Presidents support Of his Secretary
OF the Interior was in no way surBris-
ing; Il has been expected for some time
that he would take such a position
Men who have been following the con-
troversy with great care from its be-
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