The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1910-02-18
PINCHOT TO THE RESCUE
Says Sending FOresterS to School
Sanctioned by Law

ford Pinchot, president of the National
Conservation commission, defended
his action in allowing the forest rangers
TO attend three months term OF the
school OF forestry at government ex-
pense to make them efficient.
Mr.. Pinchot bitterly assailed the ac-
ton of George P. McCabe, solicitor Of
the department, who, as the temporary
chief after Pinchot's dismissal, took ac-
ton to abolish the collegiate training Of
foresters at government expense.
This action Mr.. Pinchot described
as "a secret attack on the service, a
prostituting Of the law, method so
effectively used by special interests
against the people, and a cruel and
needless loss"
He said in part:
Upon my dismissal, the solicitor Of
the department Of agriculture George
P. McCabe) pending the arrival of
another officer from the field, was act
ing forester for three or four days. Il
appears that he learned then Of the
ranger schools at the four state uniyel-
sites, and sent kilograms 10 the dis
bursting officers in the field 10 pay no
expense connected with them. These
kilograms were kept secret fom every
member of the service in Washington
except the stenographer who wrote
them.
With equal concealment from all
the men in the forest service, letter
was prepared and sent to the comp
troller asking for a speedy advance de-
cision as to the legality of the rangers
school. This latter was so clearly in
tended and was so framed as to secure
a decision against the schools, and it
was successful in doing so.
This letter is a Misrepresentation
because it omits to state these central,
essential and incontrovertible facts:
"First-That the forest service must
have trained rangers.
"Second-That it can get them only
by training them after they enter the
service.
1T follows that the training of the
rangers by the service is necessary,
clearly and undeniably, for the admin
istration, protection and improvement
of the national forests Being neces-
say for that purpose, it falls we'll with
in 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 officer
charged with promoting the welfare Of
the department and all its bureaus on
the legal side. Both as solicitor and
acting forester, he was in honor and in
duty bound to 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 SER
vice in this matter.
ION the contrary, he led the secret
attack upon it and used anxious and
successful care that no attempt to de-
fend its cause should be made by any
other man. 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
hearing whatsoever.
ST am not concerned with the mo-
tive behind this indefensible sacrifice
of the public welfare. 1t is a typical
illustration of certain way to obey the
law. OF course, it is not obedience to
the law at all, but the prostitution OF
the law. 1t is the method so effect
lively used by the special interests
against the people and there is nothing
to be said in its favor.
THE whole proceeding is not seen
in its true light until we realize its
effect on nearly two hundred OF the
best young men in the forest service,
who were officially ordered to those
schools for instruction. These rangers
are poor men, working for from 5000
to $500 year; and they need their
nav. Yet they will lose not only their
nav for the time they attended these
alNaadu ad-