Catoctin clarion., 1910-03-17

lelIn uedl dllu IclVCIuVco h'o oP''
that the express authority OF the law
was not always necessary to enable
the executive to act in the interest OF
the people.
There was long controversy con-
cerning Mr.. Garfeld's withdrawal OF
water power sites while he was Seere-
tary of the Interior, and the Senate
committee pressed more closely for a
justification of his right to place a
charge on their use by measuring the
water resources which were impound-
ed. 1t was plainly the sense OF the
Senate committee that such waters
were controlled not by the federal
government, but by the states. Mr..
Garfield replied that the states owned
the waters and the government the
lands surrounding them, and that
each party could impose such restric-
tions as were deemed necessary. The
witness strongly justified his large
Withdrawals oflands and said that
his statement to President Taft that
Mr.. Ballinger had sought to return
them to entry without attracting too
much public attention was based on
an assertion of Reclamation Engineer
Davis. Mr.. Davis, chief engineer OF
the Reclamation Service, succeeded
Mr.. Garfield on the witness stand,
and said he preferred not to testify
unless directed to do SO by the COM
mittee. Senator Nelson, the chair
man of the committee, did not hesi-
tate to advise him to testify.
In this connection it is significant
that although Mr.. Ballinger, Secre-
tary of the Interior, is to attend the
Minnesota Conservation Congress to
be held at st. Paul next week, he
will not be invited to attend the ban
quet to be given by the st. Ranl
Roosevelt Club on March 10, in hon
or of Clifford PinchOt, former Chief
Forester. This is significant straw
indicating the trend of public opinion
and public feeling, Secretary Ball
niger is undoing much that has been
done by his predecessors, both ex-
Secretary Garfield and ex-Secretary
Hitchcock A large part OF the lands
along the Grando River in Colorado
and Utah withdrawn by Garfield,
will be restored to entry by Ballinger,
Also, coal lands in New Mexico with
drawn by Hitchcock and Garfield will
be restored to entry.
There seems to be a determination
on the part of Congress to provide a
large sum Of money for the cOnstruc-
ton of federal buildings in Washing
ton. Representative Martin OF South
Dakota, a member of the Public
Buildings Committee of the House,
has called upon the Secretary of the
Treasury for a statement OF the
amount of rent paid by the govern
ment in Washington, The program
is to erect a number of public build
ings within the next few years. 1t is
expected that bill providing for
bond issue to cover the cost of the
construction of the buildings, about
fifty millions of dollars, will be pre-
sented. 1t will no doubt be eco
nomical for the government to build
its own offices, inasmuch as the rent
ed property used is quite inadequate
for government purposes and the
amount paid in rents is three or four
times as much in relation to the value
of the property as the amount that
the government can secure by the
issue of 2% bonds.
Mr.. S. j.. Murphy of New York.
representing John D.. Rockefeller, ap-
peared before the Senate committee
on the District of Columbia yesterday
morning to explain the plans for the
incorporation of the Rockefeller Foun-
dation in the bill recently introduced
in the Senate. His explanation threw
much additional light on the plan,
which he said had advanced no furth-
er than has already been made pub
lie. He, however, cleared up some
legal and technical details of the in
corporation, and he confirmed the
facts already published.
Personal.