, 1910-01-13
BALLINGER
-PINcHOT
The Chicago Tribune on the con.
tr0versy a. II stands
at present

about the White house to which
the country has become unaccus-
toned and for reasons for which
we will not suggest at this moment.
1t is unfortunate teat the consider
alton of a carefully prepared and
able message will be deferred or
omitted because during this time
the president or those that use his
name have offered to the country
great moral issues for it's consider
alton. Without inquiring into the
technical justice of the discharge
of Mr.. Pinchot the Tribune must
repeat that the country will stand
by Pinchot, right or wrong. 1t
does not understand legal technic-
%alities and it is prepared to accept
the presidents statment that Mr..
Ballinger has acted within the law.
But long since the country has
been able to distinguish between
men whe are honest and those
who are moved by moral zeal for
the preservation of the public in
terest against private privilege.
In that case the Tribune believes
the great majority will dis
approve the action of the president
in discharging Pinchot, Pinchot
who of all men under President
Taft represents in the clearest
sense the spirit of the administra-
ton of Theodore Roosevelt.
Whatever Mr.. Pinchot's faults
may have been, they were faults
that the heart of the people must
forgive. They were faults not dis
approved by Mr.. Roosevelt. He
is a zealot battling in the puplic
interest with his zeal confirmed by
his successful efforts to redeem the
public domain from private spolia-
ton.
There was a hearing before a
Joint committee of the house and
senate to inquire into the charges
against Secretary Ballinger and
Mr. Pinchot. The president re-
marks in his letter OF dismissal
that Pinchot had not heard the
defence. Nor has the public seen
the CLAWS charges The invest
igation by the two houses of con-
gress now will not serve the pur-
pose for which it vas intended
The papers must be laid on the
table and the Ease tried before the
bar of public opinion in order that
1t may decide whether the lawyer
Wickersham in approving the
action of the lawyer Ballinger was
right or whether Pinchot, impelled
by the zeal of his cause and acting
only on the information vouch-
safed him as regards his side OF
the case, was right.
And added thereto comes the
stories from Washington, not to
one paper or two, but to all about
us, that the war chest of the con-
eressional committee. is to be used
against that portion of the party
which did not vote for the Aldrich
law, and that the president has
Joined hands with those that serv-
ed him i'll against those who have
served him we'll.
1t is hard to differentiate the ir-
regularity of those, who opposed
the Aldrich law from that of Cul-
lom and Allison and those who
opposed the ship subsidy bill. II
the reports are true there will be
a deal Of explaining before the
.country is satisfied.
But over the whole activity OF
the White house and the Capitol
during the last twenty-four hours
there has hung the shadow of g
great figure. What has been
done seems to have been done
lest that shadow grow greater
or less. The issues are not YET
Joined, but they are nearer apd
and nearer unto us. The rancol