New-York tribune., 1910-01-21
rFrom The Tribune Bureau. J

rFrom The Tribune Bureau
Washington. Jan. 20.-That Clifford
Pinchot had, as Forester, been eXpending
$4,000 month illegally for the education.
at government expense. Of young men for
the Forest Service. and that he contem-
plated a total illegal expenditure Of $780,
600, was revealed to-day at the Treasury
Department, where vouchers for part of
the expenditure have been held up by the
Controller of the Treasury. When Mr..
Pinchot was removed from office, the So
licitor of the Department of Agriculture
took charge of the Bureau of Forestry,
and he made the discovery of the Forest
er's benevolent scheme and brought it to
the attention of Secretary Wilson, who, in
turn. appealed to the Controller of the
Treasury to know If the expenditure was
warranted Controller Tracewen has de-
cided that II is not, and further expendi-
lures in that direction will be stopped
While the amount involved is not ex-
treordinarily large, the principle is i'm
portant in that 1t demonstrates the
lengths to which federal officials may go
under the Garfeld-Ptnchot view of execu-
tive power-i. e., that an executive officer
enjoys the authority TO do anything which
neither the Constitution nor the statutes
specifically prohibit Finding no statute
specifically prohibiting the education OF
young men at the expense of the govern
ment. Mr.. Pinchot considered he was en-
tirely warranted in making such expendi-
lures. nor did it occur TO him that 1t would
be seemly to consult his superior, the Sec
retary of Agriculture. before embarking
on the venture. According to those IA
niliar with the methods of administration
in the Bureau Of Forestry, this is only one
of number Of instances where the former
Forester has incurred expenses entirely
without warrant of law, and on the theory,
Of course, that unless Congress had had
the ingenuity and energy to forestall him
with a prohibitive statute he was war
ranted in following the dictates Of his
Judgment wherever they might lead.
One Of the peculiar effects of the Forest
Service on those engaged in IL appears TO
be the disposition, not TO say determna-
ton, Of its officials TO ignore the fact that
II is merely a bureau Of the Department of
Agriculture, not an Independent executive
department. This is noticeable in the cases
of the new Forester, Mr.. Graves, and of the
Acting Forester, Mr.. Potter, both of whom
have announced the policies they purpose
TO pursue in the administration of the SER
vice, wholly unmindful, apparently, that the
government provides that only the heads
of departments shall formulate and enun-
ciate policies and that the duties of the
bureau and division heads are confined 10
the execution of the policies defined by their
superiors. Members of Congress and others
who have observed this peculiar effect Of
the Forest Service are wondering what is
the precise cause OF this loss of the sense
Of proportion which seems so generally TO
afiict all who for any length of time are
associated with it. Some of the sincerest
friends of the forest conservation policy
deplore the tendency They maintain that
II will lead to Congress seeking TO remedy
the defect by imposing detailed restrictions
on the officials of the service-restrictions
which 1t would be better off without. pro-
vided the framing Of policies and the un-
dertaking Of broad schemes of investment
of federal funds. etc. were left to the head
of the Department of Agriculture
Attention is further called to the fact
that II was merely another form of this dis
position to ignore superior officers which
led Mr.. Pinchot 10 send his letter TO Sena-
tor DoIliver against the advice Of Secretary
Wilson. and so to make his dismissal i'm
perative. There has been some uninteili-
gent criticism, even of the fact that the
President disciplined Mr.. Pinchot for ad-
dressing a member of the Senate when he
failed to discipline Secretary Ballinger for
sending a letter to Senator Jones. Such
criticism ignores the fact that members of
the Cabinet gather twice a week at the
table of the Chief Executive in order that
they may keep in thorough touch with the
views OF the President. and 1t is. therefore.
a reasonable assumption that even when
81.
ber of Congress 1t will not do violence to
any OF the Presidents views. There have
been. of course instances where members
of the Cabinet have not acted in harmony
with their chief, but such cases have usually
been promptly followed by their resignation
from the Cabinet On the other hand, IL
must be obvious that it would be quite i'm
possible for the President to confer with all