The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-05-21
BALLINGER AND PINCHOT
SCRAP ON POWER SITES

We SHlNGTON, May 2 -RefOTe the
Taft administration is much older, the
President will be compelled to adjust
serious differences between Secretary
Ballinger and Chief Forester Pinchot.
On questions of forestry and conserva-
ton those two officials are very much
at odds, and neither is willing to adj
NIT that the other is correct. They
were unable to work in harmony when
Mr.. Ballinger was commissioner of
the General Land Office, and they have
not worked together since Mr. Balm
ger became head of the Interior De-
partment.
The unfortunate situation that exists
sthe more difficult to adjust because
of the fact that Mr.. Pinchot is in the
department of agriculture, and net I'M
der the jurisdiction of the Secretary
of the Interior. Two departments of
the government being in serious con-
fiict, the President is the only arbiter,
and in the interest of harmony in his
administration he must take cogniz-
ance of the friction between Ballinger
and Pinchot.
In the Roosevelt administration Mr..
Pinchot had his own way in all mat
tiers pertaining to forestry and to
conservation President Roosevelt
heartily approved the forestry policy
in its entirety and backed up Mr.. Pin
chot in all the details of the admins
tration of forest reserves. He dis
played the same confidence in Pin
chot's judgment on all matters affect
ing the conservation policy, and 1t
was through him that Pinchot became
head of the Conservation Commission.
When Mr.. Garfield was Secretary OF
the Interior he interposed no objec-
ton to any of Pinchot's plans. AS
matter of fact, many of the policies
of the Interior Department were out
lined by Pinchot and accepted by Gar
field. And it was in this very con-
nection that Pinchot and Ballinger had
their first row" Soon after Balm
ger became Land Commissioner, Pin
chot called on him to inform him what
the policies of the Land Office were
to be. Ballinger resented the intru-
sion, and Immediately informed Secre-
tary Garfield that Pinchot could not
interfere with the running of the Land
Office, or else the administration would
be obliged to look for a new Land
Commissioner. Pinchot was then call
ed off.
Soon after the Taft administration
got under full steam Pinchot and
Ballinger locked horns over a ques-
ton of conserving power sites on the
public domain. over million acres
of land had been withdrawn from en-
try by Secretary Garfield, on Pinchot's
recommendation, to prevent the mono
polization of water powers in various
western states, it was explained. Pin
chot had asked for, and Garfield had
ordered the withdrawal of large strips
OF public land lying one mile on either
side of a number of western rivers,
supposed to contain power sites. When
Secretary Ballinger looked into these
matters, he found that there was no
law justifying the government in per-
manent holding power sites for lease,
as had been the intention of the Con-
servation Commission, and he also
held that there was no justification
for Withholding from entry hundreds of
thousands of acres that had no con-
nection with power sites, assuming
such sites existed. He therefore can
celled some of his predecessors orders
of withdrawal, and Pinchot promptly
went to the President with his kick.
Pinchot's appeal to the President did