Arizona republican., 1909-12-22
INQUIRY ! BY CONGRESS. Into Charges Made Against
 Interior Department THE SENATE RESOLUTION
Letter By MT. Ballinger Requesting "Pernicious Activity" of Forestry Of- ficials Be Included With in Investigation

Washington, Dec. 21.-The senate to- day virtually decided upon an inquiry into the Ballinger-Pi -Pinchot controversy by adopting a resolution introduced by Senator Flint of California, ealing for all the papers bearing upon the case Senator Jones of Washington said if no one else should propose resolution of inquiry he would do so after the hol- idays MT. Jones presented a letter from Secretary Ballinger expressing desire that an investigation be under taken. and saving that if entered upon it should be sufficiently broad and far reaching to cover the entire subject, in. cluding the forest service. which he charges with pernicious activity.
 MT. F1int's resolution requested the president to transmit to congress any reports. statements or documents upon which he acted in reaching his con- clusions with reference to the charges of Glavis The preamble of this res olution recited that
 Whereas. l.. R. Glavis, then chief of the field division of the general land office and the chief of the field ser vice of said general land office, having particular reference to proceedings re- garding certain coal land claims in the territory of Alaska, and
 "Whereas, the president thereafter recommended the dismissal from the service of the said l.. R. Glavis on the grounds that his charges had not been sustained and that he had been guilty of misrepresentation and the suppress sion of material facts in formulating said charges there the information enumerated is requested MT. Flint had scarcely taken his seat when MT. Jones presented the Ballinger letter, which follows:
 My dear Senator-Any investigation bv congress of the interior department. or of any of it's officers should be suf- ficiently broad and far-reaching to put at rest suspicious, criticisms and repre- sentations of corrupt or improper prac- tices heretofore charged against the present administration thereof; and, furthermore, such investigation should embrace the forest service. since I have reason to believe that the pernicious activity of certain of it's officers has been the source of inspiration of these charges and involves in part the com mon administration of the public do- main.
 The best interests of the interior de- partment require a broad and thorough going investigation and I assure you it cannot be made too broad in indig- mites. unjust censure and deliberate misrepresentation of facts that are plain upon the records.
 T therefore court the widest and fullest inquiry by congress into these matters, and since you have stated to me your desire to aid me in es- tabIishing before congress and the country the injustice of the attacks which have been made. and reiterated from time to time, l hope there will be no delay in offering proper resolu- tion of investigation.
 "The investigation called for by house resolution No. 142 to make full and complete investigation of the land office of the department of the interior during recent years relative to coal lands and other public domain in the territory of Alaska. etc. is entirely too narrow to accomplish a full and inn partial investigation such as I de- sire.
 Yours very truly, R A. BALLINGER, Secretary" In presenting Mir Ballingers letter Mir. Jones referred to the various charges against the secretary which he said. if true would show that official l... l.I 1.f faf- flee He said that he had several con- versations with the secretary and that that official was anxious for the full est investigation. He declared alsc that the people of the state of Wash inston believed in MT. Ballinger as Q
 man of integrity.
 They may not believe in his judg- ment," he added, but they do believe | in his integrity. and that-his admin | istration of his office has been honest. Mir Jones said he wanted to see tho ! investigation made so thoroughly rigit | that there could be no question con-
 corning the verdict He said if no on'
 else proposed such an investigation h' would do so very soon after congres: | reassembled in the new year He ex' pressed an opinion that the investiga 1 tion should be made by joint com mittee of the house and senate, II which. the country would have evidence
 of a fair and impartial tribunal t' which the facts of every phase migh
 be presented.
 Senator Nelson, chairman of tn
 committee on public lands. is the choic'
 both of the friends and opponents O