The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-10
P|NCHOT BITTERLY
ATTACKS M'CABE
Assails Solicitor Who. as Acting
Forester. Cut Of Some Gov
crnment Expense.
WANTS F0RESTERS TRAINED:
NATION TO PAY BILLS
Holds That Action Was Taken
Secretly and in Defiance
of Justice.

NEW YORK. Feb l0.--Giford
Pincbot, dcposed chief forester of the
United States, bat still loyal TO his
policies us president Of the national
conservation committee, defends
rangers of the forest service in speech
before the National Arts club IN New
York tonight Mr.. Pinchot bitterly as
sailed the action OF George P. McCabe,
solicitor of the department, who. rs
temporary chief after Pnchot s dis
missal took action TO abolish the cole
giatc training of forestcrs at govern
mcnt expense
This action Mr. Pinchot described
as ''a secret attack on the service,
proslltutlng of the law, q method 40 ef-
fectivcly used by special Interests
against the people. and cru@ and
needless loss.
lie said in part;
'' am as proud of the forest serv-
ice and lis men as | ever was, and /
venture TO think that it has proved tho
value of lis ideal by its achievements
and the enemies il has made
Concrete Illustration.
- Now let me give You the best Illus.
| tration | have seen iu recent years of
how i public officer, under pTcteXt Of
| OuTulcGrG 10 tDe law may ITdulC With IL
and abuse it TO the public injury.
"Gpon my dismissal. the solicitor of
lhc department of agriculture, George
| p, McCabc), pending the arrival of an.
other officer from the field was made
acting forester for three OF four DAYS.
| 1t appears that he learned then of tho
ranger schools at the four state univer.
Stiles and sent tclcgrams 10 The disburs.
ing. officers in the field TO pay no eX.
pcnse connected with them. These teic.
| grams we've kept secret from every
member of the service in Washington
except the stcnographer who wrote
! them.
"Wnh equal copceslment from all
the men in the forest service, a letter
WAS prepared and sent TO the comp
I troller asking for a speedy advance de-
cson as to the legality of the ranger
schools. This letter was clearly intend
ed and Was 50 framed as to secure
decision against the schools and Ut was
successful in doing So.
Charges Misrepresentation.
This letter is a misrepresentation,
! because II omits to state the central,
Essential and inconirovertible facts.
| First that the forest service must have
! trained rangers Second. that 1t can
get them only by training them after
they enter the service.
''It follows that the trimming Of the
1 y
clearly and undeniably for the admiuis-
tration, protection and Improvement OF
| the national forests. Being necessary
| for that purpose. IL falls well within the
terms of the agricultural bill and IS
! therefore lawful
"Consider now the situation under
which this decision of the comptroller
was obtained: The solicitor of the de-
| partment Of agriculture is the otncer
! charged with promoting thc welfare OF
the department and all its bureaus on
the legal side. Both as solicitor and
acting forester. he was IN honor ana IN
| duty bound 10 forward the work of the
forest service by every lawful means at
his command BY his official position,
he was its counsel and advocate. Yet
| he made no attempt TO assist the scTv-
| ice IN this matter.
Alleges Secret Attack.
con the contrary. lie led the secret
attack upon it and used an anxious and
successful care that no attempt TO de
| fenQ its course should be made by
any other mnu. The men OF the forest
service were first informed that the
| legality of their work was in question
only after adverse judgment had been
rendered without giving them any hear
ing whatsoever.
behind this indefensible sacrifice Of the
public welfare. 1t is typical illustra
tion OF a certain way 10 obey the law.
OF course. ii is not obedience to the law (.
at all but the prostitution or The law.
1t is the method so effectively used by
the special interests against the people
and there is nothing to be said in its
favor.
S'Thc whole proceeding is not seen ,
in It's true light until we realize It's eff
feet on nearly 200 of the best young ,
men in the forest service, who were Of |
| A. Z L .l- f,Nr
struction, These rangers arc poor men,
working for from 5000 60 $1,000 a year;
and they need their pay. Yet they will
lose not only their pay for the time
they attended these schools, but the
money already advanced out of thcir
own pockets for travelling expenses
''Cruel, Needless Loss
',Gt is cruel and needless loss. II the
spirit Of The forest service aud especial
~ OF the rangers, were less admirable,
tho harm done to the national forests
by the decision so obtained would be
lncalcuable. At best il will be nearly
Hs far-reachlug as 1t Is needless, and
that is saying great deal But the fine
loyalty OF these rangers TO their work
is shown by the fact that about hnlt Of
them have stayed on at the ranger
schools a their own expense. the better
to learn their nubllc duties. Their de.
Votion III doing so is worthy of aH
praise, but | do not belleNc the people
Of the United States can afford to let
that devotion stand unrepaid by any
thing more than the promotion these
men nave already earned by the quality
of their work
Widespread Effects.
.'It would be bad enough If this
gratuitous check to the Improvement
Of the public service were nothing more
than Tcbukc To the higher Offices of
,na .b., ROC ha
ranger schools. They were doing their
duty as they saw IL, But when the
weight of it falls, as it does. upon the
men who can least afford TO carry it.
who simply obeycd orders, it's ruthless
. q