The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-12-31
STANDS HIGH WITH
ALL WHO KNOW HIM
Secretary BaIIinger, of the In
terror Department, Has In
tereSting Record.
BUSY FROM HIS BOYHoOD
ACCEPTED OFFICE At GREAT
PERSONAL SACRIFICE.
BY JONATHAN WINFIELD.

BY JONATHAN WINFIELD.
! Washington, Dec. 30.-Now that DR..
| Cook has been pushed overheard from
/ the ship Of responsibility by the once
I credulous Danes, and the COOk-Peary
/ controversy has lost its popularity as
main attraction, the spotlight will, for
/ the next few months at least settle
/ upon Secretary Of the Interior Bal
| linger.
/ The Ballinger- Pinchot controversy
| over the conservation Of the nations
| natural resources is to be thTashed out
/ by congressional investigation. All
! brands Of rumOFs are aflOat as to VINO
/ is to get crushed in the great exposure,
! and comment is rife as to what attl-
| tude in the alignment Of forces Bwana
/ TumbO will take. Both attackers and
| attacked claim to have his approval.
| The PinchOt clan is loudly proclaim
| ing that it is the only original, genuine
society for the enforcement of the
| ROOseveltian policy of conservation and
/ that it has the official endorsement OF
! the former executive. The Ballinger
! forces, publicly ChampiOned by Presi-
/ dent Taft, make a similar claim.
| Spokesman for the secretary of the
| interior say that he was Roosevelt
| discovery, brought from the far west
| to be made commissioner of the land
| office, and then promoted to be head
| of the interior department when Mr..
| Taft succeeded to the office and poll
| cies Of Roosevelt
!
| velt's secretary of the interior and
chief refOrmer of the iniquities Of the
public land system that were brought
/ to light in the west, was sponsor IOr
] the Seattle man. A new land commits
sioner was needed Garfield, who as
/ a member of the Roosevelt tennis cabi-
net was mighty of influence, recon-
mended Ballinger. The President took
/ kindly to the suggestion
West for 5aIlinger.
Ballinger for a year and at great
| apparent financial sacrifice, as he left
| unattended a splendid law practice,
guided the affairs of the land ofIlce.
] When he was named as secretary of
/ the interior the west, to man, loudly
sang his praises, and President Taft
was congratulated on his selection.
Then came the CLAWS charges con-
! corning the Cunningham coal lands of
/ Alaska, couple of irrigation and con-
| servation congresses in the western
states and a division Of the solid sentl-
ment that had been behind the interior
department chief
The career Of the man who is the
storm center Of a tempest that Con-
/ gress viii attempt TO clear is like
| that of many Americans, who, by their
| own endeavOr, have risen from OBJ
security and commonplace position TO
offices OF credit and honor.
Richard Achilles Ballinger was born
| in 1858 at BOOnesbOrU. Iowa. His
| father, a Kentuckian, had studied law
! in Abraham LincOln's office at Spring
field. III, The father, naturally was
an ardent abOlitiOnist during the
stormy days leading up 20 the Civil
Bauinger, sr., served through the war
and was promoted for signal bravery
on the battle field When the war was
over Bailinger's father was mustered
out a colonel. He was appointed post
master at Virdon, ILL.,, by President
Grant.
In 1868 the family moved to Larned,
Kan, where young Ball1nger was in
the saddle and on the range a good
portion OF the time, his father being
engaged in the cattle business.
Attended Kansas University.
Having digested a Kansas common
school education, young Ballinger at
tended the state university at Lawrence
and later went to WashbuTn college at
Topeka. It was while pursuing his studies
there that Mr.. Ballinger met United States
Senator ingalls, of Kansas, who urged
him to attend Williams college in Massa-
chusetts. He followed the advice of his
patron and graduated at Williams in the
class of 1884.
The law appealed to young Ballinger,
and Immediately after graduation he went
to Chicago, where he entered the law
office of 5. Corning Judd. In 1886 ne
was admitted to the bar and moved to
Kankakee, Ill, where he hung out his
single
subsequently, he was appointed city
attorney Of Kankakee, and after serving
one term he moved to New Decatur, Ala,
where he was appointed to a similar pO-
stiOn. One term in office there, and
young Ballinger was on the move again.
This time he removed to Port Townsend,
Wash. arriving there during the winter
Three years previously he had married
at Lee, Mass, Miss Julia A. Bradley
graduate Of Wellesley college.
Secretary BaliInger has two sons, Ed
ward, who is IS and a student at VIII
Hams college, and Richard, 10, who at
tends a public school in Seattle.
The old saying that a rolling stone
gathers no moss is disproved in the case
of the interior department chief. While
he was still a young man, the five states
Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Alabama and
WashingtOn-had known him as resi-
dent, and he had schOoled and married in
the great state Of Massachusetts.
In the great northwestern state Balling-
er struck his goal At Port Townsend ne
became the law partner of John NJ. Scott, I
brOther-in-law of the late President Har-
risOn. For four years he was superior
court judge, but in 1897 found it was
time to move.
He did not quit Washington, moving to
Seattle, where he became the senior MEM
Der Of the law firm, Ballnger Ronald &
Battle. In 1904 he was elected mayor Of |
his city. Two years later, his term hav-
ing expired, he went back to the law.
Thanked by Roosevelt.
In 1907 President Roosevelt made him
commissioner of the land office. When he /
resigned the office, having made many
changes that the then secretary of the |
interior. Garfield declared to have bet |
tered the service, President Roosevelt, in /
a personal letter thanked hin for his |
services. He was back at his law prac-
tice when President Taft made him a /
member Of his official family.
Before the break Of the Ballinger-Pin- |
chot sQuabble, the interior department /
secretary was repeatedly urged to run Tor /
governor Of his state. He always re- /
fused to consider such prefernent. He /
is the author of several law books and /
has held many positions Of honor in the /
Republican ranks of his state.
He was chairman of the Washington 1
delegation to the Republican national +
convention in Chicago, which nominated 1
Mr.. Tar for the presidency, and as /
member Of its committee on resolutions /
took an active part in the framing of the 4
platform. In the campaign he was /
member Of the advisory committee, and 4
as such actively assisted in the work OF /
the election forces.
One Of Secretary Ballinger's friends, /
commenting upon his life today, said.
Secretary BallingeT did not seek his \
present office. He accepted the portfolio /
Of secretary of the interior at great per-
sonal sacrifice, for before accepting he
withdrew from his law firm and sur
rendered his connection with the business
concerns with which he had been iden-