The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-01-26
Claws, Deposed Special
Agent, Is First Witness
Heard.
ROOM IS CROWDED
AS HEARING OPENS
List of Witnesses Indicates Charges
VIII. Be Gone Into
Fully.

| The Administrations probe m.J
tine BallingeT-Pinch0t controversy IS
ion.
With the meeting this afternoon
Of the joint Senate and House com
mittee to investigate the conserva-
ton Squabble and its outgpowth OF
charges and Counter-chargas, begins
what IS conceded here TO be the big
geSt OveThauIHg and airing of af-
fairs Of two Government branches
since the famous pOStofiice probe
OF years ago.
CLAWS FIRST WITNESS
+ l. r CLAWS. the deposed special
/ agent who made the charges against
/ BaIlinger, is the first witness before
/ the committee.
Two policies are on triaI-tbe
letter Of the law" and the spirit
I Of the statutes with Richard
I Achilles BaIlingeT- Secretary. OF The
Interior, aligned up with the former
| and backed up by the Admiuistra-
JiOH's strength, and Clifford Pfnchot
former chief forester, and his as
/ sociates, the champions OF the lat
ter. with the wrath Of the Roose-
veit policies Is their invisible aid
Beginning O. C0ntr-.-Isy-
Tae Fsisin-e--P -Piaehot .-77trove-sy
+ started with a mere difference Of opin-
F Ton between Government officers. Z
/ saw its inception I'm the refusal by Sec
retary BallInEer 20 acqIiesca n a re-
quest bv Secretary of AE-i culture WI
son, made on behalf OF Forester Pin
Cllot. TO withdraw certain lands border
& ing forest reserves for ranger sites
T}aIIiHEer insisted that the action was
/ illegal. since IL was only an excuse nc
/ add more lands 10 the acreage OF the
deserves. ana where such acton was
only legal bE Executive proclamation
While that small incident was stlu
ranking IN the minds Of Doth beIEze.-
ents there came charges. rumurs and
reports Of wholesale resto-atious 5y
. Secretary BaIIinEer CT lands formerly
. withdrawn fer their power site uoss.-
hjliJieS by Secretary Carried It vas
: charged that this was abroEatiug -re
+ Roosevelt conservation policy and civ
ing the water power trust a chance
T TO grab important strategic points
Explosion P1eciPitated
& Then came the CLAWS letter 10 the
President. p-eciDitatiug On explosion
from an already sUrchargCd atmosphere
Both BaIIinEer and PiucEot had
throughout the summer Deeu the central
figures in various con u-eutiCns ia the
west and about them r Eed q storm Or
. o1lscry-the word conservation itself tna
fuse Their followers s.srJed q train
that has rumbled and re-srberated ever
since
CLAWS was discharged by the Presi-
dent, called "a .'meSlCms Mae hy me
Attorney General, TO whom the ENecu-
tive had referred the charges and Bal
IiuEer was exouerated. the accusations
against him being summed up by the
Presidential pen as "shreds OF susp!-
. cicu.
II was hoped TO hush Up the sqUabJIs
in this manner but Claws "aiteG L7r
publicity OF his charges and. finding
She Administration unwilling 20 grant
this, carried the war inEo the press. pl.-
fishing the whole story in a weeElT
magazine
Climax Is Reached
HTnTn FMS FlEue on events nave L--t--
tH.ck and fast After Congress convened
/ came denunciatory speeches by Repre-
{ sentative Hitchcock Of Nebraska at
tacIin- BaIinEer, and vitriolic remarks
I aimed at Pinchot bv e score or more
/ 81 Legislators
Finally came the opcl lester from
/ Secretary EallinSer TO Senator Jones II
/ Washington. demanding an inveStigs-
ton in the matter Upon the heels at
/ this Clifford Pinchot jumped into rHe
arena with a daring epistle 10 Senator
! DoIliver Of Iowa t. was ms ol-la.'-
ouIbUrSL that arScreu tie tTe~l'-i.-
/ and resulted iu Finclrors dismissal
/ Tho Chief Forester VaS a-c1IIEra allle.-
I in his quick return to private t-ie ID
tNertOn W Price associate -rle~t---
aud A " Shaw. assistant law olisfc.-
bOth of whom were admittedly active
IN the belllEerencyr ana 90 F+i--ts
whose conduct Finchot wrote the Bat---
yer letter
! Principal Witnesses First
/ Twelve men SIX Senators Nielsen 55
Minnesota FLINT Of California, SUthsr-
land Of Utah. Root Of New York Pa il-
ter of Kentucky, Fletcher Of FioI.0a-
and six Representative, Mccall II
Massachusetts. OImStcd Of PeuBsylve-
MA. Dsnby Of Michigan. Madison u
Kansas. James Of NcntUcl5v and t5-=-
ham OF Ilnois-c0usutute the tTlo--.-s-
before which VIII be enacted This ins1--
tication-a task which II is conceded
here viii probably occupy the nse--s-
gators until late IN the faIL
i Before these men every belli5eraut a..i
Marty to- the controversy utust sppe-lr
and explain ris every aston The ccnl-
! raittee expects 10 start wits t-c f.I.a-
frfnaI f.ures-Sccresar Of ihe Int. a-
Richard Achilles baiiincer- ipl z
srH
As-oci..l. F-,rl1srcr EfrCrtrE ~. t-e.