Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-03-02
IE IS TLATIY CONTRAD1CTED
Head of Department Says He Never
Saw the Note.
LETTER BROUGHT IN
Communication from Ballinger's Part.
ner Basis of Falsehood Charge.
SENT IT TO PRESIDENT TAFT
Admits Secretary HAD Previously
written President True Statement
of Csse-Conversation with
President Barred.

WASHINGTON, March Clifford Pin
chot and Secretary OF Agriculture Wilson
clashed dramatically before the Balllnger-
Pinchot investigation committee this aft
ernoon. Mr.. Pinohot asserted that he Sc
cured Secretary Wilson's permission to
write to Senator Dolliver.
Secretary Watson, taking the stand de-
clared with great emphasis he never did
and never would have consented to the
writing Of such a letter. lie never saw
the letter or heard of 1t until read in the
senate.
There was a surprising development In
the Investigation when clifford Pinchot
announced to the committee that he
based his charge that Secretary Ballnger
had been guilty OF making statements to
the president that were absolutely false In
three essential particulars, not upon a let
ter from Mr.. Balllnger himself, but upon
a letter written by J. T. Ronald. a former
law partner Of Mr. Ballinger, to DIR. Lyman
Abbott
Mr.. Pinchot said a copy Of this letter,
with annotatlons was forwarded by Mr.
Ballinger to the president.
Pinchot admitted when questioned by the
committee that the three statements in the
Ronald letter which he claimed to be false
written by Mr.. Ballinger himself to the
president, in which Mr.. Ballinger had
stated what the witness admitted was a
true statement OF the facts.
Mr., Pinchot said he did not attempt to
reconcile these two facts.
Before this development the interest of
the morning session had centered in the
announcement by Mr.. Pinchot that he
would not press for a decision as to
whether or not he should be allowed to
give his version of the conversations with
President Taft and the introduction in evil
dence by Pinchot of a long letter written
to him by President Taft In September
last.
In this letter the president denounces
CLAWS as dlsingenious. warned Mr. Pinchot
against making Claws cause his own, de-
clared he was sorry Mr.. Plnchot did not
have the same confidence and trust in Mr.
as he did and lastly declared that
controversies between the departments in
must cease
He referred in this particular to an al
legged interview with Ormsby McHarg,
former assistant secretary of commerce
and labor in which Mr.. McIIarg was re-
ported to have said that Theodore Roose-
vet, must have thought himself the
lord"
Approved Claws Course.
When the public hearing opened Attorney
Pepper began to question Mr.. Pinchot as
10 the sequence of events following July 1,
1909, when the former forester said he first
heard Of the Cunningham claims through
forest officials in the west. When he
heard what his subordinates in Washing
ton had done at Claws request looking to
4 postponenent of the hearings of the Cum
bingham claims he approved thoroughly.
Asked IL there was anything unusual in
he interference of the forest service Mr..
PinchOt read letter signed by President
ON May II, 1906 directing the
secretary of the interior to cooperate with
The forestry service as to lands in forest
reserves and to adopt the services findings
as far as possible.
The witness next told of his interviews
with CLAWS at Spokane on August 9, 1909.
The meeting was not by appointment and
Mr.. Pinchot said he possibly had met
Claws once before he was not sure.
Claws laid all his evidence before him.
Mr.. Pinchot said and spoke Of publishing
he whole story.
Sent CLAWS to President.
Il was deeply impressed by what Claws
noih anu VI bSA AiAAl ~ bu " lilb PINbluGnLs
l did this because / thought a scandal
would arise as it since has arisen, and 1
thought the president ought to have an
opportunity to protect himself and his ad-
After being in Spokane, Mr.. Finohot said
he went for a vacation off the southern
coast of California with Senator Flint.
The witness here read into the evidences
the full text Of letter written to him Dy
President Taft from Beverly, September 1S,
1909 at the same time he wrote to Secre-
tarS Ballinger, exonerating him from the
CLAWS charges
Mr.. PinchOt also read his reply to the
president dated November 4, 1909 IN which
he renewed his criticism Of Secretary Bal
linger.
Text of Presidents Letter.
The presidents letter TO Mr. Pinchot IN
fun was as follows:
BEVERLY, Mass, Sept 70, 1SOe.-My
Dear clifford: / enclose herewith a letter
which l am about TO send to Secretary
Ballinger for such use as he sees tit, in
reference to the charges made by CLAWS
against Secretary Ballinger, Pierce, Dem
nett and Schwartz. / have reached this
conclusion only after a full consideration
of Claws statement and their answers to
Il; but I never reached a conclusion based
on stronger conviction than this one is.
CLAWS seems to be man who has ae-
quired but one idea and who has allowed
his suspicion to grow to such point as to
be altogether dslngenious in the statement
Of evidence which he adduces TO sustain
his attack upon his superiors.
II have made no reference to you In this
letter, which will probably be made public,
because ! do not wish to bring you into
the controversy at all. / have advised Mr..
and his subordlnates that / wish
your name left out OF the matter IN their
answers and references. should Il become
necessary. as is not unlikely, TO send the
Whole record 10 congress.
Il am aware from the tone Of your letter
md from your conversation with me that
'ou did not give 10 Mr.. Ballinger the con
idence and trust which I do, and which
In fhla re-pecf 1 fbfulr wo,, "a A..