The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-02-12
ABOLITION OF INSTRUCTION or
RAN0ERe ExclTEs HIS
8cORM.
IN A SPEECH IN NEW YORK CITY
Action Of His Successor Termed Pros
titution Of the law-Deposed
Chief Describes Secret AMP
uIatlon Of the Service.

deposed chief forester Of the United
States. but still loyal to his policies az
president Of the National Conservation
commission, defended the rangers of
the forest service in speech delivered
before the National Arts club in New
York and bitterly assailed the action
Of George P. McCabe. solicitor OF the
department, who, as temporary chief.
after Pinchot's dismissal. took action
to abolish the collegiate training Of
foresters at government expense.
This action Mr.. Pinchot described az
"a secret attack on the service. prosti-
tuition Of the law. . method SO effective
ly used by special interests against the
people, and a cruel and needless loss y
He said in part:
LET me give you the best illustra.
ton 1 have seen in recent years Of how
"a public officer under pretext of ODE.
dience to the law may traffic with 1t
and abuse it to the public injury.
Upon my dismissal the solicitor Of
the department Of agriculture George
P. McCabe) pending the arrival Of an.
other officer from the field, was made
acting forester for three or four days.
It appears that he learned then of the
ranger schools at the four state univer.
stiles and sent kilograms to the dis.
bursting officers in the field to pay no
expense connected with them.
"These kilograms were kept secret
from every member Of the service in
Washington except the stenographer
who wrote them. With equal conceal.
ment from all the men In the forest
service letter was prepared and sent
to the comptroller, asking for a speedy
advance decision as to the legality of
the ranger schools. This letter was
clearly intended and was so framed as
to secure a decision against the schools
and it was successful in doing so.
Essential Facts Omitted.
"This letter is a misrepresentation,
because 1t omits to state the central.
essential and incontrovertible facts.
First: That the forest service must
have trained rangers. and second. that
! 1t can get them only by training them
|
Consider now the situation under
which this decision of the comptroller
was obtained:
1.-THE solicitor of the department OF
agriculture is the officer charged with
promoting the welfare of the depart
ment and all its bureaus on the legal
side. Both as solicitor and acting for
ester he was in honor and in duty
bound to forward the work OF the forest
service by every lawful means at bis
command. BY his official position he
was its counsel and advocate. Yet
he made no attempt to assist the serv'
ice in this matter. :.
ION the contrary. he led the secret
attack upon it and used anxious and
successful care that no attempt to de-
fend it's course should be made by any
other man. The men of the forest serv
Ice were first informed that the legality
of their work was In question only
after adverse judgment had been rem
dered without giving them any hearing
whatsoever.
II am not concerned with the motive
behind this indefensible sacrifice of the
, public welfare. 1t is typical illus
tration of a certain way to obey the
law. OF course. it is no obedience tc
the law at all. but the prostitution Of
the law. 1t is the method 80 effectively
used by the special interests against
the people, and there is nothing to be
said in it's favor"