Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-07
PINCH0T WRITES
TO D0LLIVER
Letter from Chief Forester Causes
Sensation on Floor of
Senate.
WARMLY DEFENDS CLAWS
Says He Thinks President Taft Has
Been Misled.
ACTS OF OWN sUB0RDINATEs
They Violated Rules Of Official COur-
tesy and Were Reprimanded.
PRAISE FOR THEIR MOTIVES
He Says They Directed Public Atten
H. a.. a.
Says He Thinks President Taft Has
Been Misled.
ACTS OF OWN SUBoRDNATEs
They Violated Rules of Official COur-
tesy and Were Reprimanded.
PRAISE FOR THEIR MOTIVES
He Says They Directed Public Atten.
tiOn 60 Attempt to wrOngfuIIy
Obtain Coal Lands-PurpOse
of Rules of DecOrum.

WASHINGTON Jan. 6-The Ballnger-
Plnchot controversy was today made |
doubly intense by the reading in the SEN
ate Of a letter addressed by Mr.. Pinchot |
to Senator Dolllver, in which the course
adopted by L. X. CLAWS with the assist |
ance OF Messrs, Price and Shaw of the |
bureau OF forestry was warmly approved.
In this communication the chief forester
not only upheld the criticisms of Secretary
Ballinger, but suggested that the president
himself had been mistaken in the facts
when he removed Mr. CLAWS from the pub |
lie service.
Mr.. Pinchots letter called Senator Hale
to his feet with a severe rebuke to the chief
forester for having ignored a recent order
by the president directing that no subordi-
nate officer should give information con-
cernlng affairs of the government except
to his superior officers. He also suggested
that the adoption OF this course tended to
forestall ana prejudice public opinion in re-
lation to the Ballinger-Pinchot controversy
Preceding this incident Senator Jones
joint resolution for an investigation of the
Interior department and Of the forestry
bureau was referred to the committee on
public lands, but the reference was not
made until after considerable discussion of
resolution by Senator Newlands instruc-
ing the committee on public lands to re-
port within two weeks recommendations
for legislation putting into effect Secre-
tary Ballinger's recommendations made in
his last annual report for the conservation
OF national resources The Newlands reso-
luton was also referred to the committee
on public lands.
While the senate was taking this action
the house declined to enter upon discus
sion OF the joint resolution introduced by
Mr.. Humphrey. The resolution went over
until tomorrow.
Sensation I'm senate.
In the senate Mr.. Pinchots letter caused
genuine sensation. In addressing mis- let
ter TO Senator Dolllver, Mr.. Pinchot indi-
:ated that It had been written at the re-
quest of the Iowa senator but It was ad-
dressed to him as chairman of the commit
tee on agriculture, thus making II an Of
,lcial document He said that Messrs Price
and Shaw had prepared an official report
upon their actions, which he was trans
mitting to the secretary OF agriculture.
This report shows that Messrs. Price
and Shaw made public certain information
regarding the so-called Cunningham claims
for coal lands in Alaska" said Mr. Pin
choS
''The effect Of the publication was to
direct critical public attention to the In
countenanced the publication by 4. r.
CLAWS of certain facts concerning these
claims after he had been dismissed from
office and that in other ways they en-
deavored to direct public attention to the
imminent danger that the Alaska coal
fields. still in government ownership might
DAss forever into private hands with little
or no compensation to the public"
This information, Mr. Pinchot adds, was
OF nature proper to be made public, ''un-
less the people % the United States are
not entitled to know concerning the source
nature and progress OF claims made for
portions Of the public lands
THE rumor," he said, that the CLAWS
report to the president was prepared in OF
by the forest service is incorrect. Al
CLAWS request l sent Shaw. as 1t was
proper l should, to Chicago to assist hin
in arranging his material for submission
to the president"
n -,it'r saying that these officials ha6
acted on Information they had concernin,
the danger of the loss of the Alaska Goa
lands, Mr.. Pinchot continued
Says President is MisIed.
"Action through the usual official chan
nels and finally even an appeal to tn
president had resulted because OF what
believe to have been a mistaken impression
OF the facts) in eliminating from the gov
ernment service In the person of CLAWS
most vigorous defender Of the peoples in
terest Furthermore the refusal of tn
secretary Of the Interior TO assume respon
sibility In the cases had left their conduC
wholly in the hands OF suboRdinates. eac
of whom was apparently committed 1
favor OF patentng these claims"
Price and Shaw, he said, deliberatel
chose to risk their official positions rathe
than countenance what they believed
be the wrongful loss OF public property
Having violated a rule OF propriety as be
tween the departments, Mr. Pinchot sal
they deserved a reprimand and had re
ceived one. But l shall recommend" h
added. without hesitation that no furthe
action in their cases is required"
Mr. Pinchot said the action Of these sui
ordinates was most unusual, but suggeste
that the situation which called It fort
was quite unusual
''Ptice and Shaw" he said, ''successfull
directed public attention to a national dar
ger They increased the peoples intere.
IN the peoples property and powerful
fostered the desire to conserve H. Thel
is now far less chance that the Alask
coal fields will pass into the hands ,
fraudulent claimants than there was b.
fore they acted.
They acted on wha they believed TO
trustworthy information. Many eonsldert
tions which had not been brought home
the presidents mind. appears from h
letter OF September had weight VII
them.
Purpose of Rules of DeeOrum.
THE rules OF official decorum exist
the interest OF official administration al
OF that alone. II they are used to preve
an honest and vigilant official from savil
the property OF the public. their purpo
is violated and they become worse thi
useless. Price and Shaw concede that VIII