Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-02-27
Head of Interior Department
Declared a Dangerous Foe to
Conservation and DiSIoyaI
Public Servant
EX-F0RESTER'S TESTIMONY
REPLETE WITH SENSATION
Attack on Cabinet
Officer Followed by EuIogy of
CLAWS, Who Is Characterized
as Faithful Officer,

ny Morning Journal sDecIa' LEASED Wirel
Washington Feb. 26-With Gif-
ford Pinchot on the witness stand, the
BaIlinger-Pincho inquiry entered its
second phase today
The dismissed chief of the forestry
before being sworn dramatically de-
clared that when his story had been
told. the country would demand
verdict "in harmony with the gen raA
conviction that the secretary Of The
interior has been unfaithful to the
public, whose property he has cndan-
gcrcd, ana to the president whom he
has deceived"
l.. r. CLAWS. the Cunningham coal
claims and Attorney Brandes all
stood aside to make room for Mr.
Pinchot. for Attorney Georgo Whar-
ton Pepper, his personal counsel, and
for his story of Secretary Ballinger's
dealings with the water power sites Of
the public domain,
Mr. Pinchot made to the committee
This statement Of his charges against
Secretary Ballin@er
"Whnt | desire to lay before the
committee is a consecutive story of my
experience with Mr. pallingsr in re-
lation to the conservation Of natural
respnrcQa snlana sever Ntat-
ters there are three Of principal im-
portancc 70 be called to your atten-
tion
"The first Of these concerns. the
policy devised and inaugurated by the
last administration of protecting
against monopolistic control, the
water power sites owned by the peo-
pla.
II shall show YOU that Secretary
Fallinger entered his office with the
clear determination 70 make short
work cf that poicy; chat he reversed
il so far as he was allowed to do so;
that he restored the power sites to
entry without the remotest idea of re-
Withdrawing them, and that finally,
when | charged him last autumn to The
president with being an enemy'of the
policy of conservation. he capped the
climax by giving 10 the president him
self an explanation Of his conduct
that was essentially false.
THE second has to do with my CON
nection, as a government officer with
the Cunningham coal cases. and with
the CLAWS charges. ! shall show you
how the forest service became in
volvcd in these eases and how CLAWS
submitted his facts to me. ! believed
then. as | believe now, that he told
the truth | am convinced now, as
was when he came to me, that CLAWS
was faithful public servant ana that
the facts which he presented prove
that Mr.. Ballnger had been unfaith- /
Iul to his trust as servant of the /
people and MS the guardian Of public /
property of enormous value.
y shall show that since [ learned 1
the facts you have heard from CLAWS I
and others which / am about to Law
before yOu. ! have acted steadily in /
the light Of thcm- as it was my duty .
both as public officer and as cit (
izen shall show you that in (
pursuance OF that duty | laid before
the president, both by word of mouth
and in a letter of November A. a state
ment of my conviction that Secretary I
Balinger has been a dangerous enemy
to conservation.
II shall show you that this letter
was submitted by the president to Mr..
Ballingcr and that as part Of his reply /
he laid before the president a state
ment concerning the Cunningham coal
cases which statement is shown hS
undisputed documentary evidence TO
be absolutely false in three essential
particulars 1t will then appear that
Mr.. Ballinger wilfully deceived the
president and was disloyal to him The
third principal matter is concerned
with the attitude of this government
in law and administrative practice
toward the conservation Of the nat
ural resources belonging to the people
II desire to show YOU that the storv
of CLAWS courageous and successful
tight to protect the property of the
people, which ended in his dismissal
without hearing, is but single
-. ,p iN