Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1910-01-14

tential water power trust whose pro-
meters they declare are engaged i'm
gathering up all the untalten water pow
ers in the country
Mr.. Ballinger has replied VITA the
statement that much Of the land with
drawn with the water powers was not
near any river and therefore should he
open to settlement and that there has
been no grab of water powers as
alleged He further made clear that his
department would give the chief forest
er no more scope in regard to the public
domain than the letter Of the law al
lowed
The situation resolved itself into these
propositions:
BY the Pinchot sidc-that Mr. Ballinger
was determined to turn as much as
possible of the public domain, water
powers, etc. over to the trusts and other
private interests.
BY the Balinger side-that MIR Pinchot
has had altogether too much freedom in
tying up public lands that should be
open to settlement; that he has done
various things without warrant Of law;
that he is responsible for the disscmina-
ton Of reports rejecting upon MIR Bal
lnger, and that he was behind the CLAWS
charges.
The President sent a letter Of exon
GRAFTON to Secretary Ballinger aud later
gave out a statement praislng Mr. PIN
chot for his zeal in carrying out the
Roosevelt policies of conservation of the
forest lands, wild lands, coal lands and
water powers. and stating that he was
thoroughly in sympathy with them
on Dec 81 the Senate asked the Prcsi-
dent for all Of the papers relating To
the CLAWS Balinger affair. This action
was followed by a request 10y Ballinger
for the fullest and widest inquiry into
his department and likewise the forestry
service by "A joint committee of the House
and Senate. on Jan. Is House COM
mittee reported a resolution to investi-
gate the interior department. On the
same day Chief Forester PinChot sent a
letter to Senator Deliver Of Iowa which
was read in the Senate.
In it he said his Office had not origin
ated, but had countenanCed the CLAWS
charges. and that two Of his assistants
had assisted CLAWS in preparing his facts
in the charges; that this was done sole
~ from a sense Of duty, to protect the
people from what they believed would he
wrongful loss of public property Mr..
PinChot said he believed the President
had acted in the CLAWS case from "a
mistaken impression of the facts: that
in CLAWS the government service lost
the most vigorous defender Of the peo-
PIES interests: that in helping him
PinChots men We're guilty of breaking no
law. but only Of a violation of official
propriotY.
Mr.. Pinchot then quoted jefferson. to
show the Louisiana purchase was made
without sanction Of the constitution.
Closing he said his assistants did for
the people of this country what the peo-
pie themselves would have done for
themselves had they been in a situation
to do it,"
on Jan. the house voted to appoint
a joint committee OF six to act with the
senate in the investigation Of the interior
department and forestry bureau. The
vote, 149 10 146, was that the committee
should be chosen by the house. and not
by Speaker Cannon. This action caused
a sensation in Washington.
On the afternoon of the same day the
President, after a special cabinet meet
ing, directed the secretary OF agriculture
to dismiss Chief Forester Pinchot from
the government service on the ground
that by his action in assisting in the
PRONUNCIATION of the CLAWS charges
against Secretary Ballinger. without hav-
ing seen the evidence on file in the
interior department in favor of that Off
cial, Mr. Pinchot had put an unpardon-
able affront on the high Office OF the
President, and had destroyed his. the
chief forester's, usefulness as subor-
dinate OF the government
The order of dismissal also included
Associate Forester Overton w. Price and
Assistant Law Officer Alexander c.
Shaw, MI Pinchots immediate assist
ants. who had assisted CLAWS in framing
his charges against Secretary Ballinger.