The Detroit times., 1910-01-11
P|McH0T's 0FFENsE
WAS SHOUTING, |,
stop TH|EF!'
Man To Whom Roosevelt Gave All
Credit for Conservation Refused
10 Sit Still and Let Corpora
tions Grab Resources.
What Taft Has Come To in IA
Months as Chief Executive
s.s, Of the Land.

BY gibson GARDINER.
WASHINGTON. ID. c.. Jan. BE
cause OF the dismissal OF Clifford Pin
chot. President Taft has come into the
open In the fight on the Roosevelt poll
cies and following. This is frankly
recognized now In Washington.
The fight of the reactionaries has
gone on quietly ever since Nov. .,
1908. Beginning with the dismissal
OF the Roosevelt cabinet and ending
with the use OF patronage as blud-
geon to smash the insurgents. the past
IA months have been one steady ef-
fort to undo what remained OF the
progressive movement started by the
last administration.
Clifford Pinchot saw his end from
the beginning. He was part OF the
conservation movement. President
Roosevelt stated In his Norfolk speech
that Pinchot was the originator OF the
movement and that all the knowledge
he tRooscvelD had on conservation
he had gained from Pinchot.
After Roosevelt left. Pinchot re-
NAMED. infusing vitality into the con-
servation movement. This was his
real offense. He refused to sit still
and let the corporate Influences re-
sumo their former practice OF flch
and grab. He refused to permit Bal.
linger, though superior officer. to re-
store public lands, power sites. coal
claims and forests to the depredations
of the Guggenheims and Standard OIL.
He appealed to the public, which,
President Taft says. was an offense
against "the dignity OF the pres,den-
tial Office
ntx Anxs ot hn q
White House conference OF governors.
President Roosevelt said Especial
credit Is due TO the initiative, the en-
ergy. the devotion to duty and the
farsightedncss OF Clifford PInchot
(grat applause), TO whom we owe so
much of tie progress we have already
made In handling this matter OF the
coordination and conservation OF ma
tural resources. II II had not been
for him this conservation peither
would nor could have been called.
As against this Endorsement by
Roosevelt stands the excuse offered
nv President Taft in his recent letter.
President Taft expresses his belief that
the people have charged him primarily
with the dnty OF maintaining that dig
nifty and proper respect for the Office
on the part Of my subordinates." Moth
ing aboirt the services rendered by
Clifford Pinchot In saving the power
! siles or the coal lands.
And yet IL was only last April that
Clifford Pinchot went to the White
House and secured from President
Taft an admission that Secretary
Ballingcr had done wrong In restoring
the power sites TO entry. an admission
which compelled the issuance OF an
executive order for the rewithdrawal
of the sites.
pinchot was no less insuborinate
then. But President Taft was not
then openly committed to Ballinger
Cannon, Aldrich, Hitchcock, Guggen-
helm and Standard Oil. The fight was
still under cover. II was the admins
tratlon's idea that Clifford Pinchot
could be overloaded by superior au-
thority Pallinger was known to be
opposed to conservation policies. Gar
field found this out when Ballinger
was I'm the land Office. Taft knew Bal
lingers connections and leanings on
this subject. But he agreed with Sec
rotary Knox and Postmaster-G General
Hitchcock. that In his subordinate po-
stion OF forester, Pinchot could be
gagged and rendered ineffective.
What the president and Knox fail.
ed to take into their plans was the
habit Pinchot has OF taking the public
into his confidence and giving them
the facts. This was Pinchots crime
against the dignity" of the presiden-
tial ONCE. He would not be gagged
Seeing thieves making of with sec
tions of the public domain he cried
"stop thief"
This was breach of Taft admin
istration etiquet. and he was fired
From every corner of the land he has
| been congratulated on having forced
the presidential hand and brought
about this sharp alignment between
! the enemies and friends OF the Roose-
velt conservation policies. Already
the wiser heads In the administration
camp are beginning to see that a
great blunder has been made, and that
Pinchot will take with him much Of
the public confidence which still
clung, while he remained, to the Taft
administration. To these II all spells
votes, votes. votes lost to congi ess-
men.
With Pinchot fired there Is less In
terest In the Ballinger investigation.
The main purpose OF this affair was
10 get rid OF Pinchot But Pinchot
will stay and be ready with the evi-
dence for exposing Ballinger. He has
plenty.