Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-16
Fall to Elect Successor

NEW YORK, Sept 15.-No successor
to Edward H. Hartman as a director
Of the New York Central railroad
was chosen at today's meeting of the
board of directors.
! i. 4 :: i X !. K \ 4 :. + 4 < i 4 +
service with homesteaders and entry
men by which certificates were issued
to entrymen for work done and mater
ial furnished with a view to enlarge
the reclamation projects.
Legality Questioned
"You brought up the question of the
legality of such certificates in a cabi-
net meeting and were directed to SUB
NIT it to the attorney general. That
officer has very properly, in my Judg-
ment, decided that it is at variance,
with an explicit prohibition in the
reclamation law to issue such certit-
Gates; that laws fundamental mandate
is that no project shall be entered upon
until there is money enough in the
reclamation fund to pay for the project
or the part thereof contracted for.
1.-The certificate system is in fact
system for borrowing labor and mate
rial and making the government
debtor to intending setttlers-a system
that is inhibited by law and cannot
but result ultimately in disaster. OF
course LHOSe WIlO nave dGCtpLCo oON4I
certificates for labor and material in
good faith ought to be recompensed,
and I shall ask congress at the next
session to make special relief for them.
Meantime the work of reclamation
should be carried on whenever funds
are available, with all the dispatch pos
sible, and l am assured that this Is
being done. 1 hope that after you have
made personal investigation of all the
reclamation work and looked into the
finances you will be able to report to
congress showing exactly what has
been done, what ought to be done and
what additional legislation If any, is
needed and ought to be passed to fur
ther this great and important work.
BaIinger's Conduct
another instance in your conduct
which has been mentioned as indicative
of your purpose to block the general
plan of conservation of natural re-
sources was your refusal to carry out
a contract made in the last administra-
ton between the secretary OF the in
terror and the secretary of agriculture
by which the interior department dele
gated to the forestry bureau of the ag-
ricultural department the power and
the duty to conserve forests on the
Indian reservation and to eXpend I'M
der the control of the forestry bureau
the money appropriated to be expended
by the Indian bureau for such con-
servation of Indian forests.
"Your declination to carry out the
contract was made necessary by a
ruling of the comptroller whose rul-
ing is final and without appeal even
TO the president, that such an ar
rangement Is a delegation of respon-
sibility and authority for the expendi-
ture of money which the appropriation
by congress for the Indian bureau did
not authorize.
"While 1 agree that it would avoid
wasteful duplication in organization to
authorize the forestry bureau to take
care of and develop the forests because
the forestry bureau is much better able
with its trained men to do the work
with efficiency and economy, 1t is
plainly necessary, in view of the comp
troller's ruling, to secure congression-
al sanction for such cooperation,
Meantime your withdrawal from an
unauthorized contract does not furnish
the slightest basis for attributing TO
you unfriendliness to proper foresta-
ton.
Friend of Policy
I'm my judgment, he is the best
friend of the policy of conservation
who insists that every step taken in
that direction should be within the
law and buttressed by legal authority.
"Insistence on this is not inconsis-
tent with a whole-hearted and bona
fde interest and enthusiasm in favor
of conservation. From my conferences
with you and from everything l know
in respect to the conduct of your de-
partment, 1 am able to say that You
are fully in sympathy with this ad-
ministration's attitude in favor of con-
servation of natural resources.
Sincerely yours.
"WILLIAM II. TAFT"
Hon. Richard A. Ballinger, Secre-
tary of the Interior, washington, d. 9,