Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-02

mony.
said here-a good many of them" be-
gan Secretary Wilson, ARE correct.
But there are other things which are
not correct"
Emphasizes with His Fist
The secretary brought his fist down
on the table with a resounding whack.
He continued:
He never got my consent to send that
letter to the senate. There are two
things in it that would have made 1t
impossible for me to give my consent.
He attempted to review and judge the
mental processes of the president. He
assumed the authority that was mine
to discipline officers of my department
Mr.. Pinchot says it was January 3
that we talked of this matter. There
Is no use making point as to dates.
1t may have been the third or fourth.
We did have the talk.
Ever since that order by the presi-
dent 1t has been the custom when con-
gressmen asked for information for
the officers of my department to come
to me and tell men that a congressman
wanted TO know this or that. / have
always told them to go ahead and give
the necessary information. Nobody
ever came to me, however, as Mr.. Pin
chot says he did, to get general order
to send in anything they pleased. /
don't remember ever having refused
any officers request to give specific
information as to departmental work.
"Mr Pinchot did not tell me he was
going to send a letter dealing with the
president. He said he was going to
send something to Senator Dolliver re-
garding departmental matters. Ia he
had said he was going to pass on the
president and to judge the confession
made by him TO Mr.. Price, 1 don't
think he ever would have sent that let
ter They kept this Shaw business
from me. I didn't know anything
about It,"
Report Is Delayed
Secretary Wilson said he had tried
for two months to get a report from
Mr. Pinchot on the alleged activity of
the forest service in the CLAWS mat
ter. He said Mr.. Pinchot kept delay
ing the report.
"And what did he finally bring me?"
the witness said. "FIe set Shaw and
Price to work to prepare q report to
him for some reason or other. This
report was nothing more than their
opinion of their own work.
Now, gentlemen, I know eompara-
lively nothing of what you are con-
sidering here. ] have read something
about 1t in the papers and know what
the president has said. Mr. Pinchot
wants you to believe that because 1
raised no objection to his writing let
ters to Senator Dolliver regarding de-
partmental matters, he had a right to
write what he did. He had no such
authority from me. knew nothing
of 1t. The question before this COM
mittee is. Did he have my consent to
write that letter. He did not. I never
saw II until | read it in the Congress
sional Record"
The cross-examination of Mr.. Wilson
was begun by Attorney Pepper, but it
soon was taken out if his hands by
the four Democratic members of the
committee. The Republican members
took practically no part in the exam
nation
In reply to Attorney Pepper, Secre-
tary Wilson said he would forgive Mr..
Pinchot for his assumption of author
lty TO discipline subordinates of the
forest service, but that he could not
forgive the aspersions on the president.
Says Pinchot Bundered
Mr.. Pinchot complains that he did
not get a hearing by the president. .
said Mr.. Wilson. 'He shut the door
himself when he sent that letter to
did you tell Mr.. Pinchot that YOU
and he would believe no trouble re-
garding the order of the president for
bidding subordinates to give out in
formation?"
THAT is all new to me. ] don't say
that l refused to concur in Mr.. Pin
chots request to send a letter regard
ing departmental affairs
Secretary Wilson was interrogated by
= II ,l,,a.,- II y
lection of instructing Mr. Pinchot to
strike out of letter of transmittal all
reference to the DolliYer letter. The
secretary insisted he did not remember
this, and that he did not remember
whether Mr.. Pinchot had dictated the
letter over again in his office.
Senator Purcell of North Dakota,
Democrat, asked Secretary Wilson if
he had not specifically talked over the
Dolliver letter with Mr.. Pinchot The
secretary declared he had not
do you think 1 would have agreed %
he demanded, that should insult the
president of the United States and not
exercise my authority over subordi-
nates?"
Secretary Wilson admitted under a
perfect hail of interrogations that he
did talk with Mr. Pinchot about a
letter to Senator Dolliver, but insisted
ne supposed the letter was 10 De SIM
ply about departmental affairs.
Wilson Appears Confused
"Of course, Mr. Pinchot," he added,
may have had things in his mind
that I did not. He was up in his
work and was not He said he wanted
to get something in the Congressional
Record at the same time that the
presidents message transmitting At