The Washington times., 1909-09-16
Chief Executive Brands the
Pardee Allegations AS a
Criminal Injustice.

public domain for settle nent certain
| lands which had been Withdrawn by the
last Administration for the purpose Of
conserving water power sites, and that
I after complaint made thereof you had
| subsequently withdrawn some of the
lands again from settlement; but that
meantime, between the one act and the
other, an opportunity had been given
! TO the so-called Water Power trust
70 hle entries and obtain vested rights
| IN valuable water power sites in the
State of Montana
At the same time that this charge was
| made by Governor PaTdee there ap-
peared In the public press In a telegram
Whlcn seems to have had the widest
! circulation statement quoted from a
Montana paper that water power
COMPANY with a capital Of so, 000, 600
had. IN the interval between the order
OF restoration and the order TO with
draw, located and obtained vested rights
IN 1900 acres of land in Montana. which
absorbed for the company ali the valu-
able water power sites In that State
and that the statement was accom-
panied by detailed reference TO the par
Icular land Office and the particular
cOmplished
The inference which It was sought TO
nave drawn and which was drawn by
newspapers hostile to YOU was that Won
settlement OF the land upon which were
the water power sites for the purpose
OF enabling private and water power
companies to acquire vested interests.
that after doing so, Won had then with,
Drawn what remained from public set
tlement, and that you took this course
because you were out of sympathy with
the policy Of conservation Of national
resources, and were in favor of the
corporate control Of such water power
sites.
Calls Action Cruel Injustice.
When the facts are examined in this
regard it Will be found that the persons
responsible for the circulation of these
charges have done you cruel Injustice.
me fact was that in January 1909. in
the last Administration, executive or
ders were made, Withdrawing from pub
lie settlement 100000 acres at the in
stance of the Reclamation Service for
conservation Of water power sites. Soon
after you became Secretary of the In
terror you brought this order to my at
tention and said that 1t included a great
zeal OF land that had no water power
sites on II, running back many miles
from the rivers, and that II included
much land which ought to be opened
TO public settlement; that you had an
pied TO the reclamation bureau 10 know
whether IL was desired for reclamation
purposes and what their recommended
ton was In the premises, and that they
recommended that II be returned TO the
public domain.
You also advised me that It was pos
siole TO procure from the Geological
survey an accurate statement Of the
water power sites which were availabIe
and which might be subjected to private
O"nersnlp and that you could direct the
Geological Survey 10 make such state
ments and that then there could be
maze temporary Withdrawals of the
Iand needed to preserve these water
power sites latH Congress could act
Inc order revOking the withdrawal Of
l59,VW acres was made in April Sufd-
clent Information was procured from
ire BIOLOGICAL Survey to permit an
order Y1thdra wing the land upon which
were water power sites in Nav and this
withdrawal covered about 10000 acres
instead or 100000. The form Of The
new order Of withdrawal was such that
II set aside all filings and entries OF auv
KIND which had been made prior TO lis
going into effect. and, as a matter of
Continued on Seventh Page)