The Washington herald., 1910-01-08

IN SESSION -FOUR HOURS.
The decision 10 dismiss MegsTs Pinchot.
Price. and Shaw was reached at regular
session OF the Cabinet which was begun
at II o'clock yesterday morning and lasted
until nearly . O'Clock.
The later Cabinet session. called for the
special purpose, was devoted 70 the
preparation and revision OF a letter writ
ten By President Taft 10 Mr.. Pinchot
giving the reasons why Mr.. Pinchot was
to be removed from the government serv-
ice.
Briefly, these reasons were that, con-
trary to instructions from Secretary VII
| son, Forester Pinchot had written let
/ ter 20 Senator Dolliver 10 be read publicly
in the Senate. defending Price and Shaw
after they had admitted they had inspired
the magazine and press campaign against
Secretary BalIinger; that Mr. Pinchot
had cast reflection In the Dolliver letter
on the action of President Taft In direct
ing the dismissal of Louis r. CLAWS, Of
the public land service. the man who
charged that Mr.. Ballinger and other
officers of the Interior Department had
been guilty OF improper official conduct
in connection with Alaska coal claims,
and that Mr.. Pinchot had intimated in the
Douiver letter that without the magazine
and press exploitation of Price and Shaw
the administration would have allowed
fraudulent coal land claims In Alaska to
be patented.
According 10 President Taft. Mr.. PiRchot
wrote to Senator Dolliver to Offset in the
public mind the Presidents decision in
the CLAWS case.
Paid High Tribute.
Mr.. Pinchot in this letter paid a high
tribute to Mr. CLAWS, and indicated that
President Taft had erred in dismissing
him. and, by inference. that Mr.. CLAWS
charges against Secretary Ballinger were
based on proper grounds.
After the second Cabinet meeting Secre- |
tary Wilson wrote the following official |
letter to Mr.. Pinchot:
Department of Agriculture. Jan. T. 1910
Sir: By direction of the President YOU hereby
removed from your oihce as Forester. You vail |
deliver possession Of year Office affairs belonging
the government to Mr. Albert F. Potter. Assistant
Forester. Respectfully. JAMES WILSON,
Secretary Of Agriculture.
Identical letters, mutatis mutandis, were !
sent to Associate Forester Price and Law
Officer Shaw by Mr. Wilson.
According TO what was said last even /
ing in official circles, there was no diff /
ference of opinion at the Cabinet meet
ings in regard to what course should be |
taken with respect 10 Pinchot, Price, and /
Shaw.
Mind Was Decided.
At the special Cabinet session held late /
Thursday afternoon, few hours subse-
quent to the reading of Mr.. Pinchot's let
ter to Senator Dolliver in the Senate. the
President and Attorney General Wicker
sham were strongly of the opinion that
Mr.. Pinchot and his associates in the
Forest Service should be dismissed with
out delay.
However, it was determined that the
matter was too important 10 be disposed
Of until after the fullest consideration
had been given 90 It. and accordingly ac-
ton was deferred until the President
could obtain the counsel OF as many mem
bers of the Cabinet as would be able TO
be present at the regular Friday session.
The view Of his advisers confirmed the
first view taken by the President. and Il
It is declared there was a unanimous
decision that Mr.. Pinchot had trespassed
so far beyond the bounds of propriety
that his dismissal was necessary. and