The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-07
Chief Forester Declares
Himself Despite Or
ders of Taft.
HE FULL Y UPHOLDs
COURSE OF CLAWS
Sustains Criticisms Of Secretary
Ballinger and Suggests That
President Has Made Mis-
take - Heat of Contro-
versy Is Made Intense
by His Outburst.

versy Is Made Intense
by His Outburst.
Washington. D. c.. January g.
In an unexpected manner the
Ballinger-Pinchot controversy was to-
day made doubly intense by the read
ing In the Senate of letter addressed
by Mr.. Pinchot to Senator Dolliver. n,
which the course adopted by L. r..
Claws, with the assistance of Messrs.
Price and Shaw. OF the Bureau of
Forestry. was warmly approved. In
this communication, the chief for
ester not only upheld the criticisms
OF Secretary Ballinger. but suggested
that the President himself had been
mistaken in the facts when he re-
moved Mr.. Glavis from the public
service.
8lr. Pinchot's letter called Senator
Hale to his feet with a severe re-
buke to the chief forester for having
ignored a recent order by the Pres
ident. directing that no subordinate
officer should give information con-!
cerning affairs of the government ex-.
ccpt to his superior officer.
Preceding this incident. Senator
Joncs's joint resolution for an inves-i
tigation of the Interior Department
and of the Forestry Bureau was re-
|,ferred to the Committee on Public
! Lands.
The House of Representatives de-
clined for the time to enter upon a
discussion of the Joint resolution in
troduced by Mr.. Humphrey. The reso-
luton was reported by Chairman Dali
zcll. of the Committee on Rules. who
asked for immediate consideration.
Representative Livingston. of Georgia,
declared that the discussion of the
measure would require several days,
in view OF which Representative I'm
derwood, The acting minority leader,
objected. and tfe resolution went over
until tomorrow.
: Causes Sensation.
The reading In the Senate OF Mr
Pinciot.s letter caused sensation.
He xafds that Messrs. Price and Shaw
had prepared an official report upon
their actions. which he was trans
mitting to the Secretary OF Agricul-
ture.
This repor. shows that Messrs.
Price and Shaw made public. certain
Cunningham, claims for coal lands in
Alaska said Mr.. Pinchot "The ef-
feet of the publication was to direct
critical public attention to the action
of the Interior Department
1T shows also that they countenanced
the publication by L. r. Claws of
certain facts concerning these claims
after he had been dismissed from of
flee. and that in other ways they en-
deavored to direct public attention to
the imminent danger that the Alaska
coal fields, still In government owner.
ship. might pass forever into private
hands with little or no compensation
to the public"
This information. Mr.. Pinchot adds.
was OF nature proper to be made
public.
After saying that these officials had
acted on information they had cons
cerning the danger OF the loss Of the
Alaska coal lands, Mr.. Pinchot con-
tinues:
Action through the usual official
channels. and finally even an appeal
to the President, had resulted (be-
cause OF what I believe to have been
a mistaken impression of the facts) in
eliminating from the government SER
vice In the person of Claws. the most
vigorous defender Of the peoples In
terest. Furthermore. the refusal OF
the Secretary of the Interior to as.
left their conduct wholly in the hands
OF f2subordinates. each Of whom was ap-.
parently committed in favor of patent
ing these claims"
Chose to Take Risk.
Price and Shaw, he said, deliberately
chose to risk their official positions
rather than permit what they believed
to be the wrongful loss of public
property. Having violated rule OF
Mr.. Pinchot said they deserved a repri-
ma nd and had received one
Price and Shaw Mr.. Pinchot said,
successfully directed public attention
to national danger
Price and Shaw concede that they
did transgress propriety," continues
Mr.. Pinchot. "But measured by the
emergency which faced them. by the
purity of their motives and the results
which they accomplished, their breach
of propriety sings wellnigh to insight
ticance."
Mr. Pinchot said he disclaimed any
Intention or desire to shirk any part
of his own legitimate responsibility
for what was done by these two sub
ordinates.
While Mr.. Pinchot's letter was being
read and discussed, the Presidents
message transmitting Attorney-G Cen.
eral Wickersham's report upon the
slSallinger case was lying on the desk
of the Vice President. Upon the con-
|clusion of the discussion, 1t was laid
before the Senate. but Mr.. Wicker-
shams long report was not read. 1T
was referred to the committee on pub
lie lands,
Senator Nelson chairman of the COM
mittee on public lands, has called a
meeting Of his committee for 1890 on
!; Saturday morn.ssg to$consider tho sew
eral resolutions relating toflre investi-
cation of the Ballinger-P -Pinchot con-
ltroversy. &
Hurry Call for CABINET.
a.I Washington. D. C,.fJanuary 6,-Iate
this afternoon. after reading the news
l!paper reports OF the sensation caused
in the Senate by the reading of tha
letter addressed to Senator Deliver, an an
chairman OF the Committee On Aari-
culture, by CLIFFORD Flnchot, In Which
/ The chief forest teri Vigorously ,uphi.slu
| the s,lhordinates In 3hls off,cs FOR
lhe arg 4 "a gave Louis q laYis lin
I3reOCftS hn a., Z,