The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-24
MORE DIGNITY,
LESS FRICTION
President Taft Does Not Treat
Cabinet Officers as Mere
Clerks. =
MISTAKES OF ROOSEVELT
ADVICE OF UNDERSTANDINGS
SOUGHT ON ALL OCCASIONS.
Especial TO The Herald1

washington, ID. C., May 23.-One OF
the notable results Of the Taft admin
istration is the Improvement in the
status of cabinet officers. Under the
Roosevelt regime a cabinet officer was
niue more than a high-salaried clerk.
and in order to hold his job it was often
necessary 10 stomach rebuffs and hui
mutations 10 which few self-respectIne
clerks would submit. It was the GUS
tom Of Mr. Roosevelt 10 deal directly
with subordinate officials Of the various
departments whenever he felt inclined.
paying little or no attention to the feel
ings Of the head Of the department.
When the late Z. A. Hitchcock was
secretary Of the interior President
Roosevelt dealt directly with HIS subor-
dinate. Indian Commissioner Ieupp.
when ne took any important action in
regard TO Indian affairs In land mat
ters he frequently called Land Com
missioner Richards to the White house.
ignoring completely the secretary Of the
Interior. In forestry matters. under the
Roosevelt administration Forester
PinchOt was supreme. and his chief,
Secretary Wilson Of the agricultural
department. was practically a figure
head. When the president wished 10
know something about territorial sf-
fairs he invariably consulted the re-
spective governors. instead Of the sec
rotary of the interior. under whose ju-
T sdiction territorial officers are sup
posed 30 be placed. One result of this
was the presence in Washington most
of the time of one or more governors
from New Mexico. Arizona. Hawaii or
Alaska. In the department Of justice
Special Attorney Francis J. Heney had
more pull than Attorney General Bona
rHo nd ~, fr-rfr f-F
attorneys could go over Bonaparte's
head and get instructions direct from
tine president
The phenomenal energy and activity
of President Roosevelt fmDelled him 20
frequently cast as de the routine Of de-
partmental tradition and to take short
cuts TO get results. and III taking these
short cuts ne frequently ignored the
heads Of departments. his cabinet Of
I f}cers
Different Under Taft.
/ Under Taft there IS "a far. at least.
/ little OF no dealings direct between the
! president and the subordinate officers
Of department. The president holds
{ his cabinet officers responsible for their
/ respective branches Of the government
/ service and leaves The details Of admin
/ istration to them. For instance. in the
/ department Of commerce and labor the
director Of the census. q capable and
valuable administrative Official who.
under the Roosevelt regime. had been
I practically Independent Of Secretary
/ Strsus, was obliged. when Secretary
Sagel took the portfolio. to ACT IN ae-
cOrdance with his wishes and to report
/ TO him. rather than 10 the president a.
/ he had been accustomed to do. In the
/ interior department Secretary Ballinger
D n
/ One of these was the assumption OF the
! reclamation service that it was para
T mount. Under previous secretaries or
/ the interior the reclamation service had
almost unrestricted power. Tt usually
placed its own construction upon fed
/ eral laws and from the passage Of the
{ irr cation law in 1902 until the present
/ time has had no checks placed upon It's
+ operations. While he was commission
/ or Of the general land office Mr.. Ftll-
I linger became convinced that I'm many
/ instances the reclamation service was
acting without good legal authority, but
/ he was powerless TO interfere Nov.
( however. he is in position TO speak W In
| authority. and he is doing il. Last
/ February the TeCiamatio service se-
I cured the withdra way from entry and
I settlement Of over 600 004 acres OF lana
/ along western streams FOR "conserva-
/ ton Of water power resources
+ Ballinger Knows Things.
/ Early in Secretary Bailinger's adj
= ministra ton this was called to his ar
/ tenti0u. He is a lawyer particularly
well veTsed in United states land laws.
ana he knew Of no law by which this
I wholesale Withdrawal OF land was su-
fhOrized. When questioned. the head Or
I the reclamation service could not show
/ the secretary any law authorizing the
I Withdrawn and. al the suggestion 0f
/ the secretary. ne requested that the or
ders Of withdrawal be vacated. and
I this was done. Secretary Ballinger
+ claims 10 be a friend of conservation. -
/ but he proposes to use lawful. and not
arbitrary. methods. Another branch 81
his department which had been prac-
I ticaHy independent OF the head was the
/ geological survey. The new secretary
had the head Of the survey on the car