Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-05-06
aALLINcER DENouNcEs PREDE-
cEssoR IN OFFICE IN FOR
EsrRY HEARING.
SAYS LETTER TO TAFT
CONTAINED AN UNTRuTH
Admits He Reversed Policy lnausur-
atsd by Pinehot, But Claims His Ae-
ton. Was Founded on Sensible
.erounds-Admita He Acted Without
Authority.

Washington, May cit was not a
W or truthful statement exclaimed
%stary Ballinger during the Ballin-
Ftnchot Investigation, referring to
fence in former Secretary Gar
letter to the president last No
Venlber which read:
"He (Ballinger) directed the recla-
NATION service to prepare lists for re-
storing the withdrawn lands, but to do
so slowly in order not to attract public
attention."
MI. Ballinger said that while he had
no desire to reflect on the previous adj
m~inistration which had withdrawn the
lands-unlawfully, he believed-he had
issued no such order and that all the
lands had been restored within a period
of three weeks.
Another statement in the same letter
was disputed by Mr.. Ballinger. Near
the end of his letter Mr.. Garfield said
the plan Of the reclamation service for
the issuance of cooperative certificates
had been approved by the enate com
mittee OF irrigation. Mr.. Ballinger read
an affidavit from the secretary Of that
committee to the effect that he had
failed to find any such approval in the
records Of the committee for the past
seven years.
AS the reason for his having rewith-
drawn power sites he had previously
restored, Mr.. Ballinger said he feared
they might be aiken up pending action
by congress giving the president the
power to withdraw them. He admitted
that he a no more legal authority for
his action than had Mr.. Garfield.
Committee Asks Questions.
For more than an hour the committee
questioned Mr.. Ballinger about the
method pursued in entering on new
reclamation projects. 1t was brought
out that many Of the states had not
had their equitable share Of these pro-
jects.
Flint sought to ascertain
who was responsible for this condition.
The witness admitted that probably
former Secretary Hitchcock, under
whose administration most of the ex-
listing projects were initiated, was re-
%sponsible and not Director Newell IF
the reclamation service. Mr.. Davis
was at that time chief engineer of the
service.
A long discussion among members
of the committee ensue as to the
feasibility Of various reclamation pro-
jects. Mr.. Flint wanted to know if it
were not a fact that a great many Of
the projects had been initiated with
out regard to- their feasibility but in,
order to give various states their pro-
portion OF the money they a paid to
the reclamation fund thru the sale of
public lands
Mr.. Ballinger was not able to give a
direct answer but said in answer to a
question by Attorney yertrees that he
Had not been able to get either Of the
officials of the reclamation service to
express any doubt as to the feasibility
of any projects.
Contradicts Garfield.
Mr.. Ballinger contradicted two state
ments made by Secretary Garfield in
his letter of Nov. 6, 1909, to President
Taft. In that letter, which is in evil
dence, Mr.. Garfield said that the CO.
operative certificate plan of the re-
clamation service had been approved
by the senate committee on irrigation
and MI. Ballinger read ar affidavit
from the secretary Of that committee
stating that a careful search Of the
minutes of the committee since 1903
had failed to show any reference to the
cooperative certificates plan.
In the same letter MI. Garfield told
the president that Secretary Ballinger
had instructed Director Newell and
Engineer Davis of the reclamation ser.
vice to make the restoration of lands,
withdrawn under Garfield, slowly, in
order not to reflect OF the previous adj
mlnistration. Mr.. Ballinger said he
gave no such order and recalled hat
no such suggestion had been made.
"If there was any suggestion" con-
finued Mr.. Ballinger, sit was at the in
stance Of Mr.. Newell in a letter to Sem
ator La Toilette suggesting such
course. The fact is that restorations
were not made slowly, but were made
On the course Of two or three weeks, as
fast as they came down from the recla-
nation service. It was not a fair and
truthful statement. I had no desire to
reflect on the previous administration,
however, and did what I could to avoid
It"
Mr.. Ballinger again denied that he
had ordered or directed, as testified by
Mr.. Newell and Mr.. Davis, that the
reclamation service should recommend
the restoration of power sites with
drawn under Garfield.
He said there was no such order, or
suggestion, tantamount to Instructions,
OhIoAAS - AS q q Will |
Newell and Davis on several occasions
as to the authority under which the
Withdrawals had been made.
Admits Lack Of Authority.
Attorney Vertress then asked the
witness to explain why he had subse-
quently withdrawn land he had pre-
yiously restored to entry.
My Withdrawals were made under
no better legal authority than those of
MI. Garfield" said Mr.. Ballinger, but
q ordered them in fear that many of
giving the president power to withdraw
be taken up pending action by congress
giving the president power to dithdraw
lands.
He added that his course was fully
outlined in the presidents letter to Mr..
Garfield. dated Nov. "a, 1909, m which
the president said:
When he (Ballinger) presented to
me the danger that water power sites
might be taken UP pending tho action
congress, which was needed to treat
them IN the basis recommended by Mr..