The Washington herald., 1910-02-10

New York, Feb. 9.-Glford Pinchot.
president Of the National Conservation
Association. speaking al a dinner given
in his honor by the National Arts Club
tonight. bitterly attacked Solicitor Nc
Cabe, Of the Department OF Agriculture az
Washington.
Mr.. McCabe IS the man who was tenn
porarily put in charge Of the Forest
Service after Mr. Pinehot was dismissed
by President Taft.
Mr.. Pinchot accused the solicitor OF
Misrepresentation and Of 'prostituting
the law" The Pinchot attack is based
on the action taken by McCabe in re-
fusing 10 continue making payments for
the education Of forest rangers at some
of the state universities.
President Pinchots complaint against
the solicitor found a ready sympathy
among the diners. They applauded him
again and again.
Mr.. Pinchot said. IN part:
About the middle OF January the pa
pers contained stories Of how the Forest
Service was paying the expenses OF stu
dents at various colleges and how this
alleged illegal expenditure had been dis
covered and stopped.
Picked Men in Service.
The facts are these: The Forest serv-
ice has never spent a cent for the train
ing Of any young man who was not al
ready in the service. It has never seht
any student TO college. But il has or
dered picked men already in the service,
one or two from each forest, TO go for
eight. ten, or twelve weeks TO four state
! uuiversit;sS IN order, 70 learn things rec
essary FOR their regular work for the
government These men were ordered 10
take courses prescribed by the Forest
Service. partly taught by It's officers, and
organized and arranged specially TO meet
its needs. And what the service thus dhI
was well done
Since the Forest Service was created
the uniform practice has been 10 cali
together the rangers for discussion OF
their problems and instruction IN their
work. These meetings were indispens-
ably necessary.
BY the pressure Of necessity the rang
er meetings. which were officially ap-
proved and authorized by the Secretary
Of Agriculture, grew into ranger schools
held in the national forests. Rangers
and teachers attend these schools Official
ly. and at government expense. and 50
far as I am informed, no objection 10
them has ever been made. Certainly no
more useful work is done anywhere IN
the service.
Training Is Necessary,
mo one has denied, or can successfully
deny. that training Of the rangers IS nee
essary for the administration. protecting.
and improvement Of the national forests.
It is SO recognized in the Use Book and
officially approved. Money Is appropriated
in the agricultural bill for AL expenses
necessary for the administration, protee-
ton. and Improvement Of the national
forests The expenditure Of public funds
for ranger schools conducted, attended,
and taught wholly At government expense
is. recognized as clearly within the law.
Money spent for ranger schools at State
universities is in precisely the same legal
position. The only difference Is that such
schools cost the government less for
teaching.
Under this state Of facts, suddenly the
law was invoked To stop the training Of
the rangers. It happened thus: Upon my
dismissal the Solicitor OF the Department
Of Agriculture pending the arrival Of an
other officer from the field, was made Act-
ing Forester for three or four days. Il
appears that he learned then Of the ran
ger schools at the four State universities
and sent kilograms 70 the disbUrsing Off
GERS in the field 10 pay no expenses con-
Continued on Page 3, Column g.
KILLED IN POLITICAL RIOT.