The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-02-10
LAW IGNORED,
SAYS PINCHOT
Former Forester ASSails In.
tereStS In Address.
PUBLIC IS SACRIFICED

iSHo NdtfOndt RTtS Clup tIoW TVS
Temporary Successor Invoked Aid
OF Comptroller to Stop Practice Of
Educating Forest Rangers at state
Universities at Expense Of Govern
ment--Not Concerned With Motive
Behind Law Prostitution.
New York, Feb. 10.--Gifford Pin
chot, president of the National Con
servation association, speaking at a
dinner given in his honor by the Ma
tional Arts club, bitterly attacked So
licitor McCabe of the department of
agriculture at Washington. MIR. Nc
Cabe is the man who was temporarily
put in charge of the forestry depart
ment after Mr.. Pinchot was dismissed
by President Taft.
Mr.. Pinchot accused the solicitor of
Misrepresentation and of "prostitut-
ing the law" The Pinchot attack Is
based on the action taken by McCabe
in refusing to continue making pay.
ments for the education of forest
rangers at some Of the state univer-
stiles.
The complaint of President Pinchot
against the solicitor found a ready
sympathy among the diners. They
applauded him again and again. Mr..
Pinchot said in part:
About the middle of January the
papers contained stories of how the
forest service was paying the ex-
penses of students at various colleges
and how this alleged illegal expend-
iture had been discovered and
stopped.
THE facts are these: The forest
service has never spent a cent for the
training Of any young man who was
not already in the service. 1t has
never sent any student to college.
But 1t has ordered picked men al
ready In the service, one or two from
each forest to go for eight, 10 or IL
weeks to four state universities In
order to learn things necessary for
their work for the government. These
men were ordered to take courses
prescribed by the forest service, partly
taught by its officers and organized
and arranged especially to meet its
needs. And what the service thus did
was we'll done.
"No one has denied or can success
fully deny that the training Of the
rangers is necessary for the admls-
sion, protection and improvement of
the national forests. II is so recog-
nized in the rule book and officially
approved. Money is appropriated In
the agricultural bill for all expenses
necessary for the administration,
preparation and preservation OF the
forests
funds for ranger schools, conducted,
attended and taught wholly at gov
ernment expense, Is recognized as
clearly within the law. Money spent
for ranger schools at state universl
ties is In precisely the same legal
position The only difference Is that
such schools cost the government
less for teaching.
"Under this state Of law, suddenly
the law was invoked to stop the
training of the rangers. It happened
thus: Upon my dismissal the solicitor
OF the department OF agriculture,
pending the arrival of another officer
from the field, was made acting for
ester for three or four days. 1t ap.
pears that he learned then OF the
ranger schools at the four state uni
versities, and sent kilograms to the
disbursing officers in the field to pay
no expenses connected with them.
These kilograms were kept secret
from every member of the service in
Washington except the stenographer
who wrote them. With equal conceal
ment from all the men in the forest
service, letter was prepared and
sent to the comptroller asking for "a
speedy advance decision as to the
legality OF. the ranger schools. This
letter was clearly intended and was
so framed as to secure decision
against the schools, and 1t was sue.
cessful in doing so.
This letter Is a INSTRUMENTATION
because It omits to state the central,
essential and incontroyertible facts:
first, that the forest service must
have trained rangers. and second,
that II can get them only by training
them after they enter the service. II
follows that the training OF the
rangers by the service is necessary,
clearly and undeniably. for the ad-
ministration. protection and improve
ment of the national forests. Being
necessary for that purpose, II falls
well within the terms OF the agricul.
tural appropriation bill, and is there
fore lawful.
81 am not concerned with .he mo-
tive behind the indefensible sacrifice
of the public welfare. II is typical
illustration of certain way to obey
the law or course 1t Is not obedi-
ence TO the law at all. but the prosti-
tuition of the law. II is the method
30 effectively used by the special In
terests against the people. and there
Is nothing to be said in its favor"
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