The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1910-03-04
FLAYS BALL|NCER
DECLARES INTERIOR DEPT CHIEF
SHOULD BE OUSTEO FROM
U. S. SERVICE.
.PINCHOT GIVES HOT SHOT
Says He Didn't Protect the Water
power Sites From Monopo'stic
Control and Was Oisloyal
to Taft.

Washington, ID. C.-Gifford Pin
chOt, taking the witness stand at the
Ballinger-Pinc inquiry, read a state
ment to the committee before being
sworn, in which he charged Secretary
Ballinger with falsehood and dislOyal-
ty to President Taft and declared that
Ballinger should be dismissed from
the service. The statement follows:
What | desire to lay before the
committee is a consecutive story or
my experience with Secretary OF the
Interior Ballinger in relation to the
conservation of natural resources.
Among several other matters there
are three of principal importance to
be called to your attention.
Enemy Of Roosevelt Policy.
THE first OF these concerns the
policy devised and inaugurated by the
last administration Of protecting
against monOpolistic control the water
power sites owned by the people. |
shall show you that Secretary Bal
linger entered his Office with the clear
that policy; that he reversed il SO far
as he was allowed TO do so; that he
restored the power sites to entry with
out the remOtest idea Of re-withdraw
ing them, and that, finally, when |
charged him last autumn to the pres-
dent with being an enemy of the
policy Of conservation, he capped the
climax BY giving to the president him
self an explanation Of his conduct that
was essentially false.
THE second has to do with my con-
nectOn as a government officer with
the Cunningham coal cases and with
the CLAWS charges ! shall show you
how the forest service became in
vOlved in these cases and how CLAWS
submitted his facts to me. believed,
as am convinced now as | was when
he came to me, that CLAWS was a
faithful public servant and that the
facts which he presented prove that
Secretary Ballinger has been unfaith-
full TO his trust as servant of the peo-
pie and as the guardian Of public prop
erty of enormous value
Il shall show YOU that since
learned the facts You have heard from
CLAWS and others, which am about to
lay before YOU, have acted steadily
in the light of them. as it was my
duty, both as a public officer and as
a citizen. to do. shall show YOU that
in pursuance of that duty laid before
the president, both by word and
mouth and in a letter of Nov. 4,
statement OF my conviction that Sec
retary Ballinger has been ii dangerous
enemy TO conservation.
Il shall show you that this letter
was submitted by the president to
Secretary Ballnger and that as part
Of his reply he laid before the presi-
dent a statement concerning the Gun
ningham coal cases, which statement
is shown by indisputed documentary
evidence to be absolutely false in three
essential particulars. 1t will then ap-
pear that Secretary Ballinger wilfully
deceived the president and was dis
loyal to him.
The third principal matter is con-
Cerned with the attitude of this gov
crnment in law and administrative
practice toward the conservation OF
the natural resources belonging to the
people. | desire to show you that the
story of CLAWS courageous and sue
cessfu fight to protect the property
of the people, which ended in his die
missa without hearing. is but d
single chapter in the history of the
public lands. shall show you that
under our present law and practice
the more difficult task falls on those
who would protect the public property
and not on those who would despOil it,
and that under the present system the
betrayal into mOnopOlistic control Of
what belongs TO all Of us is made
easy. and often in practice, inevitable.