The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1910-03-18
SCORE BALL|NCER
RECLAMATION OFFICIAL TESTl.
FlES BEST ENGINEERS OF DE-
PARTMENT MAY QUIT.
DAVIS DISPUTES SEC'Y.
Asserts Oisintegration Began When
interior Chief Entered Office
Prosecutions Important Wit
ness Continues.

Washington, ID. G. Chief En-
sineer Arthur =. Davis. of the recla-
nation service, who fatty denied the
truth OF many statements made by
Secretary Ballinger to President Taft
ara others. continued as the witness
before the Ballinger-Pinchot investi-
eating committee.
Davis. in telling of interviews he
had with Secretary Ballinger concern
Ing the work of the reclamation, de-
clared the service has been in danger
OF di~sintegratiOn ever since Ballinger
came into office and that many of the
best engineers contemplate resigning.
In many ways Davis has proved one
OF the most important Witnesses so far
produced by the prosecutions" and
has given more original testimony,
perhaps. han n witness since CLAWS
left the stand.
Davis principal statement against
Ballinger has been to the effect that
the secretary specifically ordered the
reclamation service to recommend
various lands for restoration to tho
public domain and had reported 10
the president that the action was only
because of recommendations made by
the service. Davis has denied. how
ever. any intention TO make charges
Of any sort against his superior Of
ficer.
Chief Engineer Davis. questioned
further as to interviews with Secre-
tary Ballinger. declared the head OF
the interior department had constant
ly continued to criticise the reclama-
ton service and within the last week
had told the witness the salaries paid
in the service were too high and had
proposed a new salary scale. Davis
declared the rumor had persisted that
Director Newell was slated to go.
Witness referred further to the en-
nifty against the service in some com
munities in the West. Senator Suth.
erland sought TO show thai much Of
the dissatisfaction was due to the fact
that on some projects the original es-
innate of the cost of water had been
increased from $40 10 a final charge OF
$50 an acre.
Davis admitted that this might"
be the cause Of some of the discomfort.
Davis declared the engineers of the
reclamation service, in order to sue
coed in their work and in their rela.
lions with land owners, ought 10 have
the earnest support of the secretary of
the interior Witness did not feel that
Secretary Ballinger had given this
support.
Attorney Pepper read intO the rec
ord a letter, recently addressed to the
house committee on ways and means
by Secretary Ballinger in suppo Of
the $50, 200, 900 bond issue for re-
clamatiOn work. In this letter Secre.
tary Ballinger spoke of the hardships
which had resulted to settlers on some
of the projects where cooperation
agreements had been entered into by
former Secretary Garfield.
The communication also asserted
that inducements had been held out
TO settlers TO come on the land and
that at Toluca. Mont, there had beer
erected a large signboard. inviting
~ W 1ohi1 tli'lts NO
board included the statement:
These settlers can work out their
payments"
MIR. Davis c~ontradictcd practically
every statement in the Ballinger let
ter. He said he was with Ballinger
when the latter saw the sign: that nc
orders had been given to paint out the
urnr1r nr1 fhnt M 70 a fnu- q, ~, nn-
the sentence had not been painted out.
Davis said that there had been no co
operative agreement or certificates at
Toluca; that NJ such signs had been
erected anywhere else and that undue
inducement had never Deen made TO
settlers TO go into the cooperative
work. At Toluca the reclamation had
beer completed and there was more
water.
Witness related the sO-called black
tent" affair. He declared that under
orders OF Secretary Ballinger, E.. r.
Perkins. of the Chicago office of the
reclamation service, went through the
West lecturing in a black tent TO adj
vertise reclamation work. 1t came to
the attention of service officials that
Perkins. in addition to getting a sal
airy of $500 a year. was receiving an
allowance of $500 a month from the
Hartman railway lines. The Hill
lines protested hat Perkins was com
ing into their territory and lecturing
about projects of the Hartman lines.
$685. 1000 FIRE IN st. Louis.
ST. Louis, Missouri. - Fire of un-