The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-08
PRESIDENT TAT I
GUSTS P|DCH0T

Continued From Page onc-coumn 10
him that his usefulness as public
servant under the present administers
ton was at an end.
Secretary OF Agriculture Wilson,
Pinchots Immediate superior. 1T APP
pears, was one OF the forester's chief
laccusers, He told President Taft that
he had advised Mr.. Pinchot not to send
the letter TO Senator Deliver; that
Pinchot had told him he had such a
letter In mind aud could induce Sena-
tor Dollivcr' to read 1T on the very
day that the Presidents special mes
sage transmitting the Attorney Gener-
I ais eXoneration Of Secretary Bal
linger was to be presented to the
Senate.
Ii was this story OF Pincbot's appnr-
emily calculated INSTRUMENTATION that
aroused the President to keencst re-
sentiment.
Mr.. Taft accuses Pinchot of having
taken his stand against Secretary Bar
linger wholly upon the evidence adj
duced by l.. r. CLAWS. and without re-
gard for the evidence on the other
side. The letter directing Secretary
wilson to dismiss the forester forth
"1tH was tCoIeAdli the
afternoon sitting of the Cabinet. 1t
is the Presidents own statement OF the
case.
Tnfts Letter.
The President. in his letter to For.
ester Pinchot informing him of his dis,
missal, refers to Mr.. Pinchots letter
TO Senator Dolliver, OF Iowa. which
was read in the Senate yesterday, and
says In part:
"The plain in Il NATIONS In your LETT
ter IRE, first. that had reached a
wrong conclusion rs to the good fnith
OF Secretary Bni1Inger md the officers
of the Land Office, although You and
| your subOrdinntcs had only seen the
evidence of CLAWS, the nccused, md
Ind never seen or read the evidence
OF those accused or the records that
they disclosed, which were submitted to
me, aud, second, that under these cir
cunstnnces, without the exploitation
by Messrs. Shaw and Price In the daily,
weekly and monthly press OF the
chnrEes of Glnyis, the administration,
including the President md tho officers
OF the Interior Department and Land
| Office, would have allowed certain
fraudulent claims to be patented on
coal lands In Alaska. although the mat
ter had been specifically brought to
the attention OF the President by the
CLAWS charges.
make such declaration in Congress
for the purpose of OrsettinE, II possi-
bic. In the public mind the Presidents
decision III the CLAWS ease. supported
| by the opinion of the Acknowledgement,
after full examination of both by
the evidence ndtluccd by the accused
and the evidence on behalf of the nc-
cused, while the latter evidence you
and your subOrdinntes had never seen.
| Against Wilson's Advice.
s'YOu did this against the advice of
the Secretary of Agriculture. without
notifying him that you intended doing
SO, and without comforting with me
NIL. Your letter was. In effect, nn I'M
| proper appeal to Congress and the pub
lie to excuse In advance the guilt of
| your subOrdinntes before could act,
cnsc before the whole evidence on
which that was based could be conAid-
cred.
81 should be glad to regard what has
happened only us n personal reflection,
so that I could pass 1t over and take
no official cOgniznnce of 1t. But other
and higher considerations must govern
me. When the people of the United
States elected me me President, they they
dignity, and charged me with the duty
of maintaining That dignity and proper
respect for the Office ON the part of my
| subOrN1natcs. MOrcOSer, IL were ~
pass over this matter In silence, 1t
would be most demornlizinE to the dis
ciplinc OF the executive branch Of the
| government
Spy your own account you have de-
! stroyed your uscfulnens MS II helpful
subordinate OF the government, ana 1t
therefore now becomes my duty to
direct the Secretary of Agriculture to
remove you from your Office as the
forester"
Quick to Act.
Secretary Wilson was swift In carb
! rying out the decision OF the Presl-
dent. He addressed to Clifford Pinchot.
4 forester; Overton w. Price, associate
, forester, and Gilbert Shaw, assistant
/ law officer OF the Forestry Bureau, let
tors substantially Identical. That 70
| PInchot reads:
"Sir,-By direction of the President,
! you are hereby removed from your Of
| flee ns forester Iou will deliver pos
session of your Office affairs belonging
!
| ( 3 : /. i i = II !