The Washington herald., 1910-02-27

The Baliinger-Pinchot controversy reach
ed stage yesterday where the two prin-
cipals accused each other OF having at
tempted to deceive the President OF the
United States.
1t was the first time in the protracted
row that Clifford Pinchot and Secretary
Ballinger have come into the open and
said just what they thought of each other.
Their statements sum up the intense per-
sonal bitterness that has been smoldering
between them for six months or more, Mr..
Pinchots statement was made before the
Joint committee Of the Senate and the
House. which is investigating the Bal
linger-Pinchot scandal
MIR. Pinchot did not mince words. He
charged Secretary Ballinger. not only
with having deceived the President, but
with being unfaithful to his trust, a
dangerous enemy to conservation, and a
falsifer
UnfaithfuI. He Says.
When this story has been told said
MFR Pinchot. and the witnesses whom 1
shall ask you TO call have been heard, you
will realize that the interests of the peo-
pie are not safe in Mr.. BaIlinger's hands,
and that the country will demand Of this
committee a verdict in harmony with the
general conviction that the Secretary of
the Interior has been unfalthful both ia the
public, whose property ne has endangered.
and to the President. whom he has de-
ceived
In reply TO the Pinchot accusation, Sec-
rotary Balnnger issued this statement
last night:
In view OF the fact that l will pres
entity have an opportunity to appear be-
fore the committee and acquaint them
with the truth, I shall not reply through
the press to the mendaciOus aspersions
which Mr.. Pinchot seeks to cast upon me.
He attempted. without success, to deceive
the President He will find that it will
be equally difBcslt for him 10 deceive the
committee. Obviously the only deception
in which he hopes TO succeed is tempo
rary deception of the public through the
press This he has endeavored to do by
giving out in advance the introductory
statement which has appeared. and which
he has been malignant enough 10 present.
but not quite reckless enough TO state
upon oath.
No Statement tn Make.
Fortunately. as already stated. I VIII
soon have an opportunity TO give 10 the
committee. and through the committee TO
the public. the facts and the truth. and
for that reason l have no statement at
present TO make
Mr. PinchOt will have ample opportunity
10 prove the serious charges which he has
so boldly made against the Secretary of
the Interior. He told part of his story
on the witness stand yesterday afternoon
but was prevented from completing it be
cause of lack of time. for one reason, and
for another because the committee want
ed to consider the propriety of admitting
into the evidence statements IN regard to
a private conversation with the President.
The former Forester sought to bring in a
conversation which he had had with Pres
ident Taft a few weeks after the latter
had taken office.
Mr.. Vertrees, counsel for Secretary Bal
linger objected on the ground that Mr..
Pinchot' version Of the talk must either
go unchalienged or the President must be
brought before the committee to contro-
vert it. To ask the President to appear
as witness he thought most undesirable.
George W Pepper, of Philadelphia.
counsel for Mr. Pinchot. insisted that the
conversation was essential to the proper
presentation of his case. and the commit
tee decided that the matter was too Sc
rious to settle without careful considera-
ton When the committee adjourned. Mr..
Pincnot was approaching the most inter
estlng part OF his testimony. The former
Forester's testimony conveyed the inn
preston that it had been carefully re-
hearse,l.
Pfnchot's Mother There.
The committee room was crowded when
Mr.. Pinchot took the stand. fully two
thirds Of the spectators being women. In
the front row close TO the witness stand
sat the aged mother of NJ. Pinchot. She
gave the closest attention to his every
utteranee, and nodded her head 'approv-
ingly at every emphatic statement that
he made.
Before taking the witness chair Mr..
Pinchot read a statement, in part, as fol-
lows:
What 1 desire to lay before the COM
mittee is a consecutive story of my ex-
perience with hr. Ballinger. The first
matter concerns the policy, devised and
inaugurated by the last administration.
of protecting against mOnopolistic control
the water-power sites owned by the peo-
pie. l shall show you that Secretary
Bsllinger entered his Office with the clear
ton to make short work Of that
policy: that he reversed 1t so far as he
was allowed to do so; that he restored
the power sites to entry without the re-
hottest idea of rewithdrawing them; and
that finally. when I charged him last
autumn to the President with being an
enemy of the policy Of conservation. he
capped the climax by giving the Presi-
dent himself an explanation of his con-
duct that was essentially false.