Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1910-01-12

Balllnger controversy. Mr.. I'm
chot's official life terminates some
what earlier than we expected, {
termination which the Interests his
Official conduct aroused never iefl
| in much doubt. Mr.. Baliinge ,
| represents those Interests in Wash
ington offcialdom. The ostensible
motive of MIR. Pinchot's dismissal
is his alleged indiscretion in writ
ing a letter to Senator Cummings.
submitting to the latter certain in
formation involved in the contro.
versy between the Chief Forester
and the Secretary of the Interior
Department against the wishes of
his superiors. The real cause
lies deeper. The Business Inter-
ests- coal, lumber, water power,
ETC., dominated by those close or
CARNATIONS controlling centralized
capital. and which exploit both the
natural resources of wealth and the
labor that develops them to pile
wealth upon their already great
wealth, are continually reaching
out to bring all the outlying natur-
al resources, not already absorbed,
within their control. Former
President Roosevelt was fully cog
infant with this policy of the Busi-
ness Interests, but he believed it
wrong to turn over to them the ma
tural resources of wealth of the re.
naming public domain without re-
strictiOns that would result in
some benefit to the masses of the
people. President Roosevelt
therefore promulgated his conserv
alton policy, and made Mr.. Pin
chot his right hand man in his en-
deavor to carry it out. In Alaska
there is Il great wealth of coal un-
derlying the public lands, and Mr..
Pinchot, through his subordinates,
was, about Il year ago, brought up
against the incon1rovertible fact
that quiet movement had been
pnt on foot by the Interests to get
control of these coal lands for prac-
tically nothing, and that it appear
ed that the machinery of the Inter-
lor Department, where public land
affairs are conducted, was lending
itself to the promotion of this
scheme. What followed is now
common property; the controversy
between the Cnief Forester and
the Secretary of the Interior has
been raging eyer since, the former
insisting upon the truth of bis
statement. and the latter Just as
strenuously denying it; and the
dispute will now be made a matter
of congressional investigation.
Meanwhile the fact that a pussy
foot movement upon the Alaskan
coal lands had been made and
would doubtless have been carried
out successfully but for the vigi-
Ience of Mr.. Pinchot aud his co.
| workers. remains unrefuted. There
are several other facts in this con
nection that indicate that there is
some powerful influence at work tc
depose from authority and Office
all the men who mad anything tc
do with the exposure of the move
ment of the Interests upon the
Alaskan coal lands. The mar
/ CLAWS, in Forester Pinchot's de
partment, who made and reported
the discovery, has been decapitatee
from his job; Overton Price snt
A. B. Shaw, also in the Forestry
Department. who upheld CLAWS il
bis contention, have gone by the
board, and how, as Il tinality, Mr.
Pinchot himself has felt the AK. Ii
taking the attitude of defender
of the latter in this matter, we ar
not intending to line up with th'
insurgents in opposition to the ad
ministration. We believe Mr.
Pinchot is right. and that he sough
merely to protect the people so ia
as their interests are involved Il
the wealth nature has bestowed up
on them in their public lands, an
he has the testimony of many sue
land grating raids in the past b.
the Interests to back him ny
President Taft in removing thi
} zsalons protector OF the right