Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1909-12-02
CONGRESS SHOULD NOESnGATE
RUIhlESSLY.

Justly or unjustly the country at
large suspects and distrusts Ballinger,
Secretary of the Interior. If he were
to be further involved in scandals rel
alive to the grabbing of water power
sites, or the improper preempting of
coal lands, or any other form of cor
porate or individual greed backed by
cunning there would be a general
chorus of Just what we expected"
He is today--it may be unjustly, but
it is nevertheless the fact-the one
somewhat discredited member of the
cabinet. Even the clean bill of healt
given him by President Taft has nc
sufflced to remove the doubts and fea
that there is much foundation to the
charge that he is the friend of inter
ests seeking to grasp control of min
eral lands and water power sites thai
should be retained forever in the
hands of the government for the pro-
lection of future generations.
When Congress meets there is a
likelihood of there being consider
able threshing out of the Ballinger-
Pinchot controversy. Pinchot seems
to be hankering for it. He is out in q
series of replies to questions pro-
pounded by the editor of The Outlook
in which, while not referring person
ally to Sect. Ballinger, there is an I'M
dercurrent of hostility apparent &c
that offlcial's methods that is unmis-
taxable. Coupled with his previous
utterauces and actions it would clear
| ly seem to be a case of where sooner
or later Pinchot must retire or tbs
secretary give up his portfolio.
1t has been long time since q
cabinet officer has been under fire tC
| the extent that Ballinger has beer
| during this, the first, year of his of.
fetal career The wisdom of policies
of heads of departments has been as.
sailed, but Ballinger is the first CAP
met officer in many years whose
motives have been attacked, whose
honesty of purpose has been openl!
questioned, and who has PRACTICAL!
been accused in the public prints o
being an enemy to the public and tn,
friend of grasping financial interests
According to Pinchot he is helping t.
fasten the handouts of corporate con
troll upon the country. That is wha
one reads between the lines of tht
Chief Forrester's remarks.
The growing suspicion of public
men in this country is lamentable. i
is the slow but sure outgrowth of tn,
tariff system, of the alliance of tn,
| Republican party with trusts AM
monopolies of all sorts. The belle
that men in official life, In the Con
gress and in the departments, lin,
their purses through affiliations will
those who are fattening off the public
has received a remarkable stimuli;
through this Ballinger controversy
the exposures in the sugar trus
frauds, the tobacco frauds, etc. Unde
the circumstances It would not b.
amiss If Congress engaged in an in
vestigation, provided those heading
were not of the type suspected of co
partnership with the powers that hav,
so long preyed upon the government
and the people. The nation cannot af
| ford to have its confidence furthe
shaken in the probity of those en-
| trusted with the conduct of it's affairs
A thorough investigation. ruthless a
to whom it reaches. would be bless
ing to the country as whole. I
there is an Augean stable of corruption
in official life it should be cleansed a
once.