The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-03-03

which j do; and in this respect i
think you do Mr.. Ballinger injus-
tice. | think you have allowed your
enthusiastic interest in the cause of
conservation, and your impotence at
legal obstacles and difficulties to
mislead you in this regard, and that
CLAWS himself has led you to regard
as suspicious a number of things
which, when weighed in the light of
all the circumstances now shown, are
lacking in evidential force to sustain
such previous charge as that of bad
faith against officials who have here
tofore shown themselves to be en-
tirely trustworthy.
81 write this to urge upon you
that you do not make Glavis's cause
yours. You had no access to the
records which CLAWS had access to,
and you did not know the explana-
ton for some of the things that he
pointed out as suspicious which he
ought to have made known to you and
to me. | cannot for minute permit
him to remain as subordinate in
the Interior Department, or in the
public service. 1t would be fatal to
proper discipline. On the other hand,
| wish you to know that | have the
utmost confidence in your consc:en-
tious desire to serve the Government
and the public in the intensity of your
purpose to achieve success in the
matter of conservation of national
resources, and in. the immense value
of what you have done and propose
to do with reference to Forestry and
kindred methods of conservation, and
that / am thoroughly in sympathy
with all of these policies, and pro-
n 60
maintain them, insisting only that the
action for which | become response
BILE, or for which my administration
becomes responsible shall be within
the law. | write this letter in order
to prevent hasty action on your part
in taking up CLAWS cause, or in OBJ
Jecting to my sustaining Ballinger
and his subordinates within the In
terror Department as reason for
your Withdrawing from the public
service.
Il should consider it one of the
greatest losses that my administration
could sustain if you were to leave it,
and | sincerely hope that you will
not think that my action in writing
the enclosed letter to Secretary Bal
linger is reason for your taking a step
of this character. When a man has
been unjustly treated, as Secretary
Ballinger has been in the manner
pointed out in the letter, a copy of
which | send you, it is my duty as his
chief, with the knowledge that | have
of his official integrity and his lack
of culpability, to declare it to the pub
lie, and do him justice, however great
inconvenience may arise in other re-
spects."
This letter is the expression of an
honest man, determined to be fair,
and brave enough to stand by sub
ordinate in whom he has confidence
against considerable popular clamor.
The Presidents reluctance to part
with valuable public servant like
Mr.. Pinchot is clearly set forth. Few
men in public life would have shown
patience equal to that exhibited by
the President. When he wrote Pin
chot:
Il have had much better oppor-
tunity than you. from an eXamina-
ton of the entire record in regard to
the Cunningham coal claims, to de-
! termine whether Mr.. Ballingers action
! indicated any desire to permit the
claims to ripen into patents without
sufficient examination" he told the
truth. President Taft is neither a
knave nor a fool. He has silted these
charges to the bottom, and as one of
the best and fairest judges who ever
sat on the American bench his de-
| liberate determination to uphold Sec
rotary Ballinger ought to carry great
weight. Pinchot and his friends by
maintaining literary bureau, giving
out press notices partial to their side
of the case, and with the aid of GER
tain sensational newspapers and mag
azines, are attempting to drive Bal
linger out of public life. Not a few
Republican newspapers seem dispos-
ed to take as Gospel truth all these
hostile criticisms.
read what a correspondent of the
New York Tribune says
do you realize that despite all the
publicity given to the fact that Sec.
rotary Ballinger cancelled an order
whereby Secretary Garfield had with.
drawn from entry 100000 acres tc
protect waterpower sites, Mr.. Balm
ger never disturbed other orders Of
his predecessor, Withdrawing 100000
900 acres for conservation purposes
Do you understand that Mr. Balm
gers cancellation order affected les:
than per cent of the area with
drawn? Do you know that ever since
January, 1908, the Government hai
been seeking to defeat the Cunning
ham claims to Alaska coal lands be
cause it feared the Guggenheims were
in conspiracy to get hold of thes'
facts in connection with the curren
J claims; that is trying to do so still
, that the removal of CLAWS has neve
{ affected in any way the purpose o
the administration TO cancel thes'
claims? Do you know that not on
. acre of Alaska coal lands has beei
patented-that is, has passed into pri
g vate hands? Do you realize that Sec
rotary Ballinger has withdrawn TO
|, conservation purposes more than Z,
100000 acres since he has becom
\ Secretary? These are Fundamental
facts in connection with the curren
controversy which must be borne Il
$ mind If one would not be misled b.
e the vast amount of misinformatiol
.s..A