The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-17
Next Cabinet Meeting Likely to
Determine Fate of Secretary
of the Interior.
PRESIDENT is CREDITED
WITH UNFOLDING OFFICIAL
Failure of Majority of Commit
tee to Take Final Action TO
Figure in Case.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16-Whether
Richard A. Ballnger IS resignation as
secretary of the interior will follow
immediately upon the meeting of the
cabinet September &c, to attend which
he is now en- route from Seattle; or
whether he will retain his position in
definitely-at least until after the de.
livery to congress Of the reports Of the
committe that investigated his steward
ship of the public domain, depends now
upon the attitude of his cabinet asso.
ciates.
Mr.. Ballinger is coming to Wash
ington. his friends say, wholly uncon-
.scious of any act on his part OF which
he should be condemned and has de-
termlned 10 force his chief and his of
fetal colleagues TO be in effect his
judges. If they concur in the view at
present attributed to Mr.. Taft that the
accused secretary shall be sustained ms
an innocent and prosecuted man. he
will retain his positions; if they fail TO
back him up he will resign. That this
is Mr.. Ballingcr's position was learned
bere today upon authority hardly to be
questioned.
Democrat Will Be Absent.
AL the first meeting of the cabinet
after the summer recess, Secretary
Dickinson, the Democratic member, Will
not have returned from the Philippines
and will therefore be saved the em-
barrassment of participation in what
Is regarded as largely problem of Re
publican policy. The meeting is ex-
pected to last three days. 1t will sur
prise nobody here if the Ballinger case
occupies 4 large part of the time.
Rumors have been constant and de-
cidedly definite here during the last
few days that Mr.. Balliuger's resigna-
tion would be one of the first de-
velopments of the cabinet meeting;
but his friends. including his associates
in the interior Department, have re-
fused TO believe that he will retire
"under fire and have pointed 10 his
oft.repcatcd declaration to the contrary
and to the recent statement attributed
10 him that he would resign only at the
specific request of the president.
Outlook Not Bright.
Some OF these, however today admit
that they themselves and the secretary
arc alive to the fact that the turmoil
and uncertainty into which the pro"
tracted controversy has plunged the de-
pariment must be abated soon unless
this important branch OF the public
service is TO become hopelessly demoral-
lied
Nobody here doubts that majority
all but one Of the Republican members
of the investigating committee VIII
sustain Secretary Ballinger. But Sec
retary BaIinger and his partisans here
were greatly disappointed that the alb
sencc of Senators Root and Flint from
the Minneapolis meeting left the pro-
III Of tn 4 ffrn -,
the minority and permitted the Demo
crate and the insurgeut Republican
members to put forth reports condemn"
ing him. These reports for many weeks
| will stand before the country as the
only findings of the committee; whereas
he had relied upon the majority for
q vindication
tt is this failure of the committee to
| take final action, which, it Is said. has
determined Secretary Ballinger's s course
/ 1t was said here today by close friend
Of The secretary that had the majority
of the committee been ready to report
at the Minneapolis meeting. he would
then have rendered his resignation to
the president and urged its acceptance
Oh the ground that the dissensions to
which he has been party were detri-
mental to the public interest When
the committee failed at Minneapolis to
take action as whole, and when there
was no quorum at the subsequent meet
ing in Chicago. it became apparent that
no decision could be expected for sew
eral months.
Wants Definite Action,
This situation is said to have con
v1nced Mr.. Ballingcr that hls position
in spite of the continued support of the
president, has been untenable, Unable
as be secs it. to resign as either vindi
Gated or condemned by the committee
he has decided, il is said to demand
of his superior and his cabinet asso
ciatcs either vindication or condemna
ton.
Secretary Ballinger left his home in
Seattle yesterday and will reach Wash
| ington several days in advance OF the
cabinet session. His purpose in thus
expediting bis return is believed TO be tt
consult with his immediate subordinate;
and to get their assistance In prcpar
ing for his demand upon the cabinet
for .' show down