The independent-reporter., 1910-04-28
GEO. OTIS SMITH
GIVES TESTIMONY
Defends and Believes
in Ballinger
J. q. Smith Told Son George that
Newspaper Work Required Con-
siderable Brains

btOl Et OtiS Snll1t SkOWAeRdn
man who has made good" in the ser
vice of the Geological Survey and is
now at the head of that department
OF the government service, under Sec
retary Ballinger, gave some highly
sensational testimony before the Pin
-Ballinger committee, Saturday.
Mr.. Smith believes in Secretary BAL
linger and has been defending him
stoutly ever since the trouble between
Ballinger and Pinchot became mark
ed. The Washington Post gives the
following account of Saturdays testi-
mony. 1t is expected that more testi-
mony will be given by Mr.. Smith.
CFrom the Washington PosD
The Ballinger-Pinc investigating
committee was regaled yesterday with
few of the things which We're not
published last summer, when the i'm
broglio involving the forest service
and the Interior Department began
to ruffie the surface of government
affairs. An alleged reference by
Mr. Pinchot to Mr.. Ballinger as a
yellow dog" in speaking of him to
George Otis Smith. director of the
geological survey, was called TO the
attention of the committee by Direct
or Smith, on the stand.
Mr.. Smith also made the declara-
tion that Overton w. Price, former as
sistant to Chief Forester Clifford Pin
chot, had made the threat that the
forest service would get Mr. Balln-
ger lin one way or another"
Il saw Mr.. Price on September Is
last, just after my return from Spok-
ane,' said Mr. Smith. In the course
of our conversation he made the state
ment, We like you all right but We
don't like your chief (Ballinger) and
we don't like the coat you wear
told him that if | didn't like my coat
d change it. Then he said;
OF course, you're in an embarras-
sing position now, but it won't last
long. If we don't get him one way
we'll get him another
Meaning Secretary Ballinger?" in
terrupted Representative Madison.
"Of course. he meant Secretary Bal
linger," replied MIR. Smith.
Earlier in his testimony, Mr.. Smith
told of controversies he had had with
Pinchot over conservation matters.
and said that Pinchot had threatened
him with the club of publicity
Mr.. Smith then entered into a gen
eral denunciation of newspapers and
magazines for what he alleged to be
their persistent garblng of facts in
connection with the conservation con-
troyersy. He prefaced that, however.
with the explanation that he came
from family of newspaper men. and
might have been one himself. but. as
his father had explained it required
considerable brains to get on in that
profession
I At the afternoon session Mr.. Smith
told of an interview he had with Mr.
Pinchot on July %. 1909, in the course
of which, he said, Mr.. Pinchot char
acterized Secretary Ballinger as "a
yellow dog" and the greatest enemy
of the conservation cause"
Mr.. Pinchot charged me with down
/ right disloyalty to my former chief
Secretary Garfield" said Mr.. Smith
and said that | had changed front
in waterpower and public land mat
ters. | told him that the conservation
work was proceeding under Secretary
Ballinger in the same direction as
under Secretary Garfield, the only diff
ference being that the speedShad been
slightly accelerated. He accused me
of toadying to Secretary Ballinger
and | said the only trouble with me
was that | seemed to enjoy the conf
dence of my chief"
Mr.. Smith also said that Mr. Pin.
chot had served notice that he would
lead a fight on Secretary Ballingel
If there was any criticism of Garfield
at the Spokane irrigation congress
The witness then told of the events al
Spokane, where former Gov. Pardet
of California attacked Secretary Bal
! linger.
Immediately after this interview
Mr.. Smith testified he wrote letter
to former Secretary Garfield. - relating
what Pinchot had said. and defendinf
himself to his former chief. Mr.. Smith
read to the committee "A copy of his
letter to Garfield. to which, he said
he never received a reply. He met MIR
and mentioned that fact. and Mr. Gar.
field said he had delayed replying il
order to get at the facts.
MI OIIllu Ailtu r fht littlt Is
among members of the committee by
reading a letter he wrote August le
( 1909. TO subordinates in his Office here
while he was on his way back from
the Spokane convention. describing
the fight.
The whole conservation movement
is now linked up with Mr.. Pinchot S
views on the subject wrote Mr.
Smith, so that orthodoxy in the cause
means agreement with Mr. Pinchot
AS | look at ii. any issue is TO be
raised that can be against Secretary
Ballinger; not because of that issue
but because Secretary Ballinger is tc
be oyerthrown because he opposes
Pinchot's way of conserving"
Now. there was no criticism oi
Garfield at Spokane. and yet the fight
came off, as planned. The congress
was organized, the issues were shap.
ed, the orators chosen. the newspa-
pers primed; in short, al guns were
loaded The result was that the
power-site grab charge was defective
and the Alaskan coal charge went of
earlier than planned"
After commenting on the fact that
all the SDppches made nv those from