Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-26
P|NCH0T ON STAND
ACCUSES BALL|NCER
OF DECE|v|Nc TAFT
Declares Conservation Inter-
ests of Nation Are Unsafe
in Secretary's Hands.
UNFAITHFUL TO PUBLIC
AND TO THE PRESIDENT
Outlines What He Expects to Prove
to Congress Committee
CHARGES UNDER THREE HEADS
Deposed Forester Presents Briefs Al
leging That the Secretary En-
tered Office Determined to Up
set the Existing Depart
ment Policy.
UNFAITHFUL TO PUBLIC
AND TO THE PRESIDENT
Outlines What He Expects to Prove
to Congress Committee.
CHARGES UNDER THREE HEADS

"Nhem this story has been told. and
the witnesses whom I shall nsk you 10
call have been heard. you will realise
that the interests Of tho people arc not
safe in Mr. Ballingcr's hands. and that
the country will demand of this COM
mittee n verdict in harmony with tho
general conviction that tho Secretary
Of the Interior has bcen unfaithfuI both
to the public. whose property he has
endangered. and TO the President. whem
he has deceived"
With these words Clifford Pinchot.
former chief of the forest service, this
afternoon concluded his opening state
ment to the joint committee of Congress
which is investigating the CLAWS charges
against the Secretary of the Interior.
Mr.. Pinchot. whose testimony has been
awaited with the greatest interest was
called TO the stand Immediately after the
luncheon recess. After answering the
usual preliminary questions Mr.. Pinchot
said:
What l desire to lay before the COM
mlttee is consecutive story of my ex-
perience with Mr.. Ballinger in relation to
the conservation of natural resources
Among several matters there are three
OF principal Importance to be called to
your attention.
Explanation Essentially False,
'The first Of these concerns the policy,
devised and inaugurated by the last ad-
ministration. Of protecting against mo-
owned by the people. / shall show you
pol
with the clear determination to make
short work of that policy; that he re-
versed 1t so far as he was allowed to do
SO: that he restored the power sites to
entry without the remotest idea of re-
withdrawing them. and THAI finally, when
charged him last autumn to the Presi-
dent with being an enemy of the policy
OF conservation, he capped the climax by
giving to the President himself an eX-
planation of his conduct that was essen
TALLY false.
THE second has TO do with my cona
nection a government officer with the
Cunningham coal cases and with the
CLAWS charges. 1 shall show you how
these cases and how CLAWS submitted
his facts to me. | believed then, as l
believe now. that he told the truth. l
am convinced now, as / was when he
came to me, that CLAWS was faithful
public servant and that the facts which
he presented prove that Mr.. BallingeI
has been unfaithful to his trust as a
servant of the people and as the guardian
of public property of enormous value
II shall show you that since | learned
the facts you have heard from CLAWS
and others. which I am about to lay be-
fore you, L have acted steadily in the
light of them. as il my duty, both as
public officer and a citizen, to do.
l shall show You that in pursuance of
that duty | laid before the President
both by word of mouth and in letter
of November !. statement of my con-
viction that Secretary Ballinger has been
a dangerous enemy to conservation.
Deceived the President"
Il shall show you that this letter was
submitted by the President to Mr.. Bal
linger. and that as part of his reply. he
laid before the President a statement
concerning the Cunningham coal cases.
which statement is shown by undisputed
documentary evidence to be absolutely
false in three essential particulars. Ii
will then appear that Mr. Blalinger will
fully deceived the President, and was
disloyal to him.
The third principal matter is concerned
with the attitude of this government in
law and administrative practice toward
the conservation of the natural resources
belonging to the people. / desire to show
you that the story of Claws courageous
and successful fight to protect the prop
erty of the people, which ended In his
dismissal without hearing, Is but sin
gle chapter in the history of the public
lands. L shall show you that under our
present law and practice the more dif11-
cult task falls on those who would pro-
tect the public property and not on those
who would despoil it: and that under the
present system the betrayal into monopo-
Iistic control of what belongs to all OF
us is made easy, and often in practice
inevitable.
Duty Before the Nation.
The imperative duty before this coun-
try is not merely to get rid of an un-
faithful public servant. far more inn
portant duty is to bring about a funda-
mental change in the law and the prac-
tice toward conservation, to prevent for
the future what has been in the past the
almost inevitable sacrifice of the public
welfare and to make possible hereafter
the utilization of the natural resources
and the natural advantages for the bene-
fit Of all the people instead OF merely
for the profit of a few.
when this story has been told ana
the witnesses whom ! shall ask you to
call have been heard you will realize
that the interests of the people are not
safe in Mr.. Balinger's hands and that
the country will demand Of this COM
mfttee a verdict in harmony with the
general conviction that the Secretary OF
the Interior has been unfaithful both to
the public. whose property he has en-