St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-01-19
The Dismissal of Pinchot.

Speaking before the Clover club of
Barre last week State Forester A. F.
Halves is quoted as saying:
The subject of forestry is before
this country today more than it has ever
been before, on account of the recent
Pinchot-B allinger controversy, which
finally resulted in the national forester
being expelled from office by President
Taft. 1t was also through the good
work done by Mr.. Pinchot that the
papers and magazines have taken up the
subject and spread it before the public
at large. Ten years ago Mr. Pinchot
was practically the only forester in this
country, though there were other men
who were in Europe at the time study
ing forestry. He claimed that it was
solely through Mr.. Pinchot's activities
that the country had been made to
realize the great Importance of forest
conservation and that the forestry de-
partment has been raised to what it is
today.
The country now has six schools for
the study of forestry, and the govern
ment owns two hundred million acres of
land upon which there is one-ffth of the
total standing timber in the country.
The government now makes appropria-
tons of 100000 for forestry work.
Mr.. Pinchot had the advantage of great
wealth and social position in Washing
ton to aid him in the work in getting
the subject before the public and Con-
gress. On account of the fact that he
stood up for the peoples interests, as
against the trusts and monopolies, was
what caused his trouble.
While it is true that Clifford Pinchot
was a jealous worker for the preserva-
ton and proper cutting of American
forests and has always been recognized
as an honest and worthy man we cannot
endorse or believe the last sentence in the
above statement. We further believe
that in making it the state forester has
not helped the cause of forestry in any
way. We believe that President Taft
has and will continue to be as far as the
law allows him a true friend of the con-
servation movement. This is shown by
President Taft's appointment of Henry
S. Graves, director of the Yale forest
school, and for two years assistant chief
of the old division of forestry under
Clifford Pinchot as chief of the forestry
service. When Mr.. Pinchot openly dis
obeyed the orders of his superiors his dis
missal was the only thing the President
could do.
The statement that Mr.. Pinchot is the
victim of his zeal for the interests of the
people may be challenged. 1t is known
that difference of opinion has existed
between Forester Pinchot and Sec. Bal
linger of the department of the interior
in regard to the withdrawal of power
sites in forest reserves, to the reservation
of ranger stations and many other
subjects. Mr.. Pinchot approached these
questions from the standpoint of a
scientific enthusiast, wrapped up in the
one idea which he has made his own, and
about which he is building his life. and
very naturally assumed the position that
public official could properly do any
thing the law did not forbid him from
doing. Secretary Ballinger, trained as a
lawyer and a jurist, approached this SUBJ
ject from that point of view and most
naturally held that an administrative
officer should do nothing whatever
which the law did not explicitly and in
terms permit.
Pretty serious charges are also made
by Colorado congressman against the
whole policy of Mr.. Pinchot in setting
aside immense tracts of land for forest re-
serves whether the lands are adapted to
forestry or not and that his policy OF
planting the treeless tracts now held as
forest reserves is not successful because
he cannot plant them fast enough and SO
small a proportion of the trees planted
actually grow.
In view of these facts it may be we'll to
wait until the matter has been investi-
gated before picturing Pinchot as a
martyr and everybody opposed to his
open characterization to his superiors as
tyrants overriding the best interests OF
the public. He has been the leader in
forestry work and most of the progress
made is the result of his efforts but the
conservation of American forests has be-
come so well established that it will not
be abandoned. 1t may be made more
practical, more subservient to the law
but it is bound to be continued.
The Ballinger Investigation.