The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-06-05
DIRECTOR OF RECLAMATION SER
VICE MUST YIELD TO ARMY
ENGINEER.
BAlMGtR'S HAND IS SEEN
Doctor keweIrs Friends Are Shaping
Plans For His Retention--Senators
May Interfere With the Presidents
Desire.

Washington, June lit is given
out by close friends OF President TAFT
that the president has made up his
mind to remove Frederick II. Newell,
director of the reclamation service; in
July or August and place at the head
OF the Reclamation service an army
engineer.
| 1t was reported last fall that Di-
rector Newell was slated to go On
| the one hand it was charged that
his administration of Affairs was eX-
trayaRant, and that he was often work
| ing with a deficit on hand.
! 1t was shown during the Ballinger
! inyestigstion, however, that there
never was time when there was q
/ deficit in the reclamation fund. and
that al no time have the outstanding
contracts exceeded, or even cqualed,
/ the amount OF money on hand
! On the other hand, ii was charged
/ by Mr. NeNells friends that the reas-
ON TOR his expected dismissal from
the service lay in the fact that he
was regarded as 4 member of the
"Pinchot nest which Secretary bal
/ linger had determined 10 get out Of
| the interior department.
| Director Newelis testimony at the
Dalinser investigation was not favor
able to Secretary Ballinger, nor was
I that of Engineer Davis of the recla-
nation service, and ii was accepted
| then as u foTegOne conclusion that
| both men would have to get out Of
/ the service.
| The Ballngor correspondence dis
| closed by the stenugrapher, Kerby. at
the investigation showed that Secre-
| tary Ballingcr, shortly after taking his
ohice. wanted tc get City Engineer
/ Thompson of Seattle appointed at the
head of the reclamation service in
/ place OF Director Newell, and that ne
hoped to bring this about in Septem-
/ Der, 1909.
No criticism is made of the engi-
neering efficiency OF the reclamation
work IL it We're placed under the con
/ troll OF an army engineer, for the eX-
celent service which this branch of
! the army has long rendered in water
way and harbor construction and more
recently in the great task of building
the Panama canal, has won for the
engineer corps of the army unstinted
praise and great public confidence.
The criticism that has been heGrd
so far of the proposed change is that
/ il will bring about a radical depar-
ture in the operations of the reclanIa-
/ ton service in that it would make
/ the secretary of the interior the real
executive and administrative head OF
/ the service, with the reclamation ser
| vice staff proper under army engi-
neers, merely i'm charge of the tech
nical work The conservation element
is in arms over the proposed charge
and is promising to make countrywide
protest at the various conservation
and irrigation conventions which are
scheduled to be held this summer
Director Newell has a strong follow
ing i'm the west. He has been in the
reclamation and kindred S)rk for
about twenty years. He first attracted
attention by his work as chief hydro
grapher OF the geological survey. In
1902 he was made chief engineer for
the reclamation work, and when the
service was made a separate and
Independent bureau he was named as
its director
Washington. June 4.-Preparations
are already shaping among the friends
in the senate TO fight the presidents
plan for the reorganization of the serN-
ice by dismissing Director Newell and
appointing an army engineer OFFICER
as his successor
Senators can not. of course. inter
ferp with the presidents determination
to favor the secretary of the interior
by dsmssing Director Newell, but they
can interfere with and perhaps pre-
vent the carrying out of the plan to
place an army engineer at the head OF
of reclamation service and it is at
this turn in the road that the fight
will be made.
BY significant coincidence the sen
ate committee on military affairs today
reported fayorably to the senate bill
which passed the house on May >.
entitled An act to increase the eff
cheney of the Engineer corps of the
United States Army"
The bill has for its principal object
the increase Of the engineer corps 10
meet the growth of the army, and Cs
pecially to supply the increasing de-
mand for engineers on river and haH-
Dor work
There is provision in the bill hat
has heretofore attracted little attSr
ton. but which becomes highly sign,t-
icant and important in view of vcsrcI-
days semi-official announcement thar
j, was the purpose of the president 90
replace the present civilian CHIEF OIL
the reclamation service with an army
IL 1111HI Ul'EzE1 q