The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1910-01-08

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5.-This is the
story of the Ballinger Pinchot row:
1t began with the refusal of Richard
Achilles Ballinger within a few weeks
after he became secretary of the in
terror, on March 6 hast to withdraw
from entry certain small portions of the
public lands for so.called ranger sites,
at the request of Clifford Pinehot, chief
of the forest service of the depart
ment of agriculture. The dispute has
grown, until today it is admittedly the
foremost feature of President Taft y
administration. Originally a petty de-
partmental affair, it has expanded until
of late it has resulted in whisperings
of a Back from Elba' movement,
with Theodore Roosevelt in the role of
Napoleon and the activities of the for
est service and its officials as part of a
widespread plot for the d~iscrediting of
the Taft regime. 1t has engrossed the
attention of the cabinet, while import
ant international affairs waited; pre-
ceded long lists OF distinguished per
sonages with important business on the
engagement list of President Taft, and,
finally, has halted congress in it's bust
ness of making laws.
In the last days of the preceding ad-
then secretary of the interior, by di.
~rection of President Roosevelt, and
with the idea of preserving the public
domain from ~monopolistic exploitation,
had withdrawn from entry vast tracts
Of land located along western rivers,
peculiarly adapted for furnishing
hydraulic electric power. During the
Lest two weeks of February, 1909, Gar
field kept the midnight carbons aglow
in his office porting over maps of west
ern states, and stabbiug with little pins
as marks for withdrawal, rivers which
seemed to have power site possibilities.
These Withdrawals were under the ''su,
pervisofy authority of the secretary
of the interior. This authority, Garfield
held, gave him the right to withdraw
apparently valuable lands until congress
should have time to legislate regarding
their future disposition.
Then the Taft regime began, and
Ballinger replaced Garfield in the IN.
terror department. Chief Forester Pin
chot, through his superior, Secretary
Wilson, of the department of agricul,
ture, had been recommending to the in,
terror department for withdrawal, as
ranger sites, small tracts in the public
domain, outside of the forest reserves.
There had been no difficulty under the
Roosevelt administration, but when The
first batch of these proposed withdraw.
ais, located in the states of Washington
and Oregon, reached Secretary Bal
linger, he refused to approve them, say
ing that such action would be adding
~ iuAtsb lcoCiNcs-d power neiC
exclusively by congress-in those states
This was the opening gun. Secretary
Wilson took the matter to President
Taft, who referred il to Attorney Gen
eral Wiekersham where il lay foi
months. II was finally decided in favor
OF Secretary B~aliiager.
Before the smoke of the ranger sit,
skirmish cleared away, somebody dis
covered that Secretary Baiinger wal
hard at work and had been since
week after his taking Office restorin.
to entry millions of those precious acre
that Roosevelt and Garfield had with
drawn only a short time before. Bal
linger founded his RESERVATIONS on tn,
theory that the secretary of the in
terror has none of the supervisory au
thority' which Secretary Garfield ha,
quoted to justify the Withdrawals. Gu
Of the west came a chorus Of disap
proval. Ballinger continued his restor
a%tions, until the matter was called :
the attention of President Taft. VII