Arizona republican., 1910-01-07
MODERN AJAX DEF|Ess sjOVE
 4k Clifford Piachot Invites Pfesi-
 deIhia| NJ Will | LETTER TO THE SENATE
In Which He Upholds Glavis, Saying MT. Taft Erred in Removing, a Man Who Stood Between the People and Plunderers.

Washington, Jan. 6.-The Ballinger- Plnchot controversy was made doubly intense today by the reading in the senate of letter addressed by Mir. Pinchot to Senator Deliver. in which the course of l.. R. Glavis, with tie bureau of forestry. is warmly ap- proved. In the communication the chief forester not only upheld the
 criticisms of MT. Ballnger. but sug- gested that the president himself had been mistaken in the facts when he
 removed Glavls from the public serv- ice
 Pinchots letter called Senator Hale to his feet with q severe rcbuke of the chief forester for having ignored the recent order of the president. directing that no subordinate officer give information concerning the af- fairs of the government except to his superior officers. lie also suggested that the adoption of this course tend
 ed to forestall the prejudice of public
 opinion in relation to the Balling.r- Pinchot controversy.
 Preceding this incident. Senator Jones' joint resolution for the inVesti- gation of the interior department and the forestry bureau was referred to the committee on public lands, but the reference was not made until after much discussion of a resolution by Senator Newlands instructing the
 committee on public lands to report within two weeks a bill putting into effect Mir Ballingers recommends
 tions for an annual report on the conservation of natural resources. In the senate Pinchot'S letter caused a sensation. In addressing the letter to Mir Deliver. Pinchot indicated that it had been written at the request or the Iowa senator. but was addressed to him as chairman of the committee
 on agriculture. thus making it an official document IL said that Price and Shaw had prepared the official report which he was transmitting to the secretary of agriculture.
 This report shows that Price and Shaw made public certain informa- ton regarding the so-called Cunning
 ham claims for coal lands in Alaska" said Pinchot The effect of the pub lication was to direct critical public attention tO the action of the inte-
 rior department.
 Tt shows that they countenanced the publication by L. R. Glavis of certain -facts concerning the claims after he had been dismissed from of flee. and that in other ways they had endeavored to direct public at tention to the imminent danger of the Alaska coal fields, until govern ment ownership might pass forever into private hands. with little or no
 compensation to the public"
 This information, Pinchot adds. was of a nature that it was proper to be
 made public. unless there are secrets which the people of the United States are not entitled to know concerning the source, nature and progress of claims
 made Tor portions of the public lands"
 "Rumors." said Pinchot. that Glavis' report to the president was prepared in or by the forest service were in correct. At Glavis' request I sent Shaw. as was proper I should. to Chi cago to assist him in arranging the material for submission to the presi- dent"
 After saying that these officials act ed on information concerning the
 danger of the loss of Alaskan coal
 lands, Pinchot continued: "The action.
 through the usual official channels. finally even to an appeal to the presi-
 dent had resulted (because of what I
 believe to have been a mistaken im-
 pression of the facts) in eliminating
 rom the government service in the
 person of Glavis. most vigorous de-
 fender of the peoples interest. Further
 more. the refusal of the secretary of
 the Interior to assume responsibility in
 the cases, had left the conduct wholly
 in the hands of his subordinates. each
 of whom apparently was committed in
 favor of Datenting the claims"
 Price and Shaw he said. deliberate
 iy chose to risk their official positions
 rather than to. permit what they be-
 li-ved to be n wrongful loss of public
 property. Having violated the rule of
 propriety as between the departments.
 NIT. Pinchott said. they deserved n rem
 rimand and had received one. "R,,t I
 shall recommend he added. without
 hesitation. that no further action in
 their case Is required"
 Pinchot said that the action of
 these subordinates was most unusual.
 but he suggested the situation that
 called it forth was quite as unusual.
 Price and Shaw" he said. "success-
 fully directed public attention to the
 national danger They increased the
 peoples interest in the property and