Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1910-01-14
TAFT DISCHARGES
CLIFFORD P|NCHOT
FORESTER CHARGED WITH iNsuB.
ORDINATION AND IMPROPER
APPEAL TO CONGRESS-.
THE LETTER OF DISMISSAL
President Says Pinchot's Own Con-
duct Has Destroyed His Useful
ness as a Helpful Subordinate
of the Government.

of the Government.
Washington, d. Con January z
Clifford Pinchot, chief forester of the
United States, was discharged from
the service by Secretary Wilson of the
agricultural department. The dis
missal was at the order of President
Taft after an all day session of the
cabinet on the subject of Mr.. Pinchot's
letter, read in the senate by Senator
Dolliver. Technically the dismissal is
for violation of executive order 1142,
issued November 26, 1909, by Presi-
dent Taft, forbidding subordinates in
departments to communicate directly
with congress. Associate Forester
Overton w. Price and Assistant Law
officer Alexander G.. Shaw, Pinchot's
immediate assistants in the forestry
bureau, followed their chief out of
government employ.
President Taft's letter to Forester
Pinchot informing him of his dismissal
is in part as follows:
"The White House,
Washington, Jan. z, 1910.
"Sir: The secretary Of agriculture
informs me that on the 2Sth of De-
cember your associate forester, Mr..
Price, went to him and proposed to
resign on the ground that he had been
engaged with Mr.. Shaw, assistant law
officer, in instigating the publication
in various newspapers and magazines
attacking the good name of Secretary
Ballinger and charging the interior de-
partment and the land Office with cor
ruption.
THE secretary thereupon wrote a
note to you, under date of December
30. asking for your recommendation in
the premises. You did not answer,
but on January you had conversa-
| ton with him in which you said you
wished to make statement which
| should be read in the senate at the
same time that my message transmit
| ting the record in the CLAWS case
reached there and that you thought
you could induce Senator Dolliver to
introduce the statement for you. The
secretary advised against such a
course but asked you for recon-
mendation as to accepting Prices res
| ignation, in order that he might bring
the matter to me, to whom, he told
you, it must ultimately come, because
| had considered the CLAWS charges
and had passed upon them.
without further conference with
the secretary, and before making a
report to him. you succeeded in max
ing public, by having it read in the
senate, letter from you stating that
you had sufficiently disciplined
Messrs. Price and Shaw by repri-
manding them and that your recon-
mendation would be that no further
punishment was required, and this
before that recommendation was sub
mitted to the secretary and me, whose
power and duty it was to determine
upon Prices admissions as to his
completely what action should be taken
with respect to his resignation.
1.-THE plain intimations In your let
ter are, first, that l had reached
wrong conclusion as to the good faith
Of Secretary Ballinger and the officers
of the land Office, although you and
|
evidence of CLAWS, the accuser, and
had never seen or read the evidence
of those accused or the records that
they disclosed which were submitted
to me; and, second, that under these
circumstances, without the eXploita
ton by Messrs. Shaw and Price in the
daily, weekly and monthly press of the
] phar nf nd M n CT
including the president and the Off
GERS of the interior department and
land office, would have allowed Ger
tain fraudulent claims to be patented
on coal lands in Alaska, although the
matter had been specifically brought
to the attention of the president by
the CLAWS charges.
Your letter was in effect an i'm
proper appeal to congress and the
public to exclude in advance the
guilt of your subordinates before
could act and against my decision il
the CLAWS case before the whole eVi
dence on which that was based coult
be considered. l should be glad t.
regard what has happened only as {
personal reflection, so that | coult
pass it over and take no official cog
nizance of it. But other and highel
consideration must govern me.
by your own conduct you have de
stroyed your usefulness as helpful
subordinate of the government and i
therefore now becomes my duty to di
rect the secretary of agriculture to re
move you from your Office as the for
ester Very sincerely yours,
WILLIAM II. TAFT.
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