Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-12
his ELECTRIC JAG CLASH OF AUTHORITY
lit Led Mr. Jones Right Into the Dispute Between Secretary
Limeiqht BaIinger and Mr. Pinchot.
ann TWAS IJDGE KMBALL VALUE OF FOREST LANDS
he Casually Observed Fruesch. That Power
enderrcht-" Etc Trust Will Monopoize.
NEVER M1Nn-RERMAN KNEW HISTORY OF CONTROVERSY
President aano ana
Not Those Particular onesS Duplicates Order
Hanrened of His Predeces
Dispute Between Secretary
BaIIinger and Mr.. Pinchot.
VALUE OF FOREST LANDS
Fear of Chief Forester That Power
Trust Will Monopolize.
HISTORY OF CONTROVERSY
President Taft Takes a Hand and
Practically Duplicates Order
of His Predecessor.

With Secretary Bailinger of the Interior
Department and Clifford Pinchot. cher OF
the forestry division of the Department OF
Agriculture, both at Spokane. Wash. to
day, there are interesting reports aHoat
here anent Mr. Pinchot's antagonism to
certain recent policies of Secretary Bal
linger.
It is said that one of Mr. Ballinger's
first acts after becoming Secretary OF the
! Interior in the Taft cabinet was to clash
with Forester Pinchot. The row was over
the jurisdiction OF Mr. Pinchot. who, while
in fact an official of the Department oil
| Agriculture, was given by President
Roosevelt, it is said jurisdiction over
large section of the Interior Department
work The contest was waxing warm
when President Taft interposed ana pr
vented it's continuance at that 'lth'.
| pinchot agreed to confine his enor.S "
his own department, ana Secre.ats "a
finger is said to have promised TO carr
out certain Roosevelt poicies' So iai 90
they affected his department: $50.
! pinchot claims to have learned tIht
Rallinger was not doing as he had prom
ised, and the row was started anew
Withdrawn From Public Domain.
One of the last official acts of President
Roosevelt was to withdraw from the puoic
domain for forestry purposes nearly
million acres Of land. Three-ouattefs VI
this was In Montana and the REMAINDER III
Wyoming. p.u,
| It is alleged on the part OF NJ. D ,.n
| gers friends that these were not W. ~,
| drawn entirely for forestry purposes. ~
to prevent the grabbing r. OF wa s merely a
| means TO an end. 1t is not possinie " 80
IN an argument with Mr.. Pincno. 80 800
about this Both of the principals ais oa'
of the city and cannot speah ~
soon after Mr. Ballinger entered upon
his duties as Secretary OF the lnlel .0oi.
If Is alleged. he nullitied me fsoos ss nt
| order withdrawing the miilion nur
| n,,hjic land from the posslplii1y Vi ~.
abas 81 or redemption by the power Ius.
rh.. Secretary of the Interior practicaa -,
| restored the entire reserved area " -
loriginal status. ~. =, realize the
n,,rnort of such action. He Wen, "a
president Taft with his protest anu w
him to take hand at once. hhe ~ The
/ dent instructed the rewitnoraWal -
,and The whole proceeding-witnora
| aatnr,tion and order for rewithdra"a
| was accomplished in less than iIo
II i, said the total amount % ,aa nnv-
land which the Roosevelt oraei nav
cred was 10000 acres
Trust Gets Busy.
| OF this the rewithdra~ais were
| on but 1000 acres, IT Is assetee'' "
face of protests from Mr. fineho'. :"
4 az, ,,e,ntine the power trust Is SAID 10
have gotten busy. and last June 'i'i'
wax filed at the United States iand of'e'
at Bozeman, Mont, an entry On ~.
II sss acres of land that cinched par
of the monopoly. The entry was n,aue
| for the United Missouri River row
| c-o,nany New Jersey corporation cap
;taiizsd at So 10000. This corporation
| was promoted by leaders IN the AHaIka
mated Copper Company. ~ wsn d.,
izel as a merger Of tho missouri ~
| Power Company ana the Heie""
| Transmission Company. ,,,.
1 II Is stated that the merger coHipan9
nv a coincidence was incorporated IN Nc"
| Jersey at the time of the retirement -
James r. Garfield AS Secreta'y al ),
| terror. This TO Mr.. Pinchot ihuicateu
| breaking down OF the Roosevelt conserta-
| ton policy in Montana. Inc other ~ al" ~
| of the power trust in Montana y .e
group centerng in the Iensr rs. '.nntro,s
/ Comnany The General Electro h'ioia
| oil the power sites in Montana on tue
| Jefferson iallatin and Madison rntls.
Nv agreement the General Electric 10,
| this and left the head waters ol .he g.
| souri, for the Amalgamated compihatio"-
| Together they form the power Iust.
II is further stated that though Presl-
| dent TAFT warned Ballinger Apr'l ~
some of the Montana lanoS VIA -. ..n,1
| withdrawn until as la.e as June 70. or.
| ~ trust agent got what the trust needed
June IL.
Regarded as Valuable Franchise.
| The friends OF Forester Pinchot assert
that the administration has been warned
of the serious danger that the water
mower monopoly would grab the rich VA
l Vet
Baliinser insisted that they be restored
| Immediately after he took office as tho
| guardian OF the public domain, IS the d.
| legation of Mr.. Pinchot.
IT is claimed by Secretary Ballinger ana
| his friends that il Congress wants 70 save
! these water-power rights IT shouid ehatt
! laws to do 50, hut that there IS no NOR
/ sense in using the forestry laws TOT tht3
| purpose than there is for using the nara'
| regulations Mr. Pinchot's friends say
| that this contention Is all bosh. TOT
| MIR. Ballinger wanted to tight the deihof'
| power trust with naked 1dVelin, d
| Roosevelt would have fought IT. instead
of helping 1t with rules and regulations
| as strict constructioniet. he would nav
| withdrawn the whole million acres aiia
| not left the acres round the power SHE'S
for the power trust TO gran.
| The strict constructionists declare there
| is no power trust, that there are merely
individuals who are making investments
Pinchot points to the fact that in tho
BACKGROUND are the Hartman Interests.
the Hill interests, the General Electric
Company the Guggenheims, and others,
.all working in more or less harmony for
I a common purpose-that of controlling
the power of the Rocky mountain water
sheds.
Reason for Withdrawal.
| 1t is said President Roosevelt considered
this real menace. and through Forester
Pinchot withdrew the land around tho
sites to prevent il being purchased by
the power trust. The final settlement OF
the matter he left to future Congress.
| Friends of Mr.. Pinchot declare he in
tends making Mr.. Balinger account for
every acre which he has released from
| the first million acres withdrawn by
Roosevelt He will not be dissuaded from
this by pleas to keep quiet in order to
keep peace In the family. Mr.. Pinchot
proposes to show just what land has been
| purchased after 1t was made poss. BILE by
the official acts of Mr.. Ballinger. Also
the owners of the lands used for power
purposes are to be made known. The ac-
counting must be plain one, according
to the friends of Mr.. Taft, and when II Is
made up and Forester Pinchot is certain
that Ii is In accord with the records. the
whole thing will be passed up to Mr.. TAFT.
Upton Bank to Liquidate.
l