The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-01-07

washington. Jan. Sine Ballinger-
Pinchot controversy today was made
doubly intense by the reading in the
senate of a letter addressed by Mr..
Pinchot to Senator Dolliver. in which
the course adopted by l.. r. CLAWS,
with the assistance of Messrs. Price
and Shaw of the bureau of forestry
was warmly approved. In this COM
municatiop the chief forester not only
upheld the criticisms of Secretary
Rallinger. but suggested that the
president himself had been mistaken
in the facts when he removed Mr..
CLAWS from the public service.
Mr.. Pinchot's letter called Senator
Hale to his feet with q severe rabuke
to the chief forester for having ignored
a recent order by the president direct
ing that no subordinate officer should
give information concerning affairs of
the government except to his superior
officers. He also suggested that the
adoption of this course tended to fore
stall and prejudice public opinion in
relation to the Ballinger- Pinchot
controversy.
Preceding this incident Senator
Jones joint resolution for an inves-
tigation of the interior department and
the forestry bureau was referred to
the committee on public lands. but the
reference was not made until after
much discussion OF IA resolution by
Senator Newlands instructing the
committee on public lands to report,
within two weeks bills putting into
effect Secretary Ballingor's recon-
mendations in his annual report on
the conservation of natural resources.
The Newlands resolution was also re-
ferred To the committee ON public
lands.
Genuine Shock.
While the senate was taking t','i
action. the house declined 10 enter
upon a discussion of the joint resoiu-
ton introduced by Mr.. Humphrey. The
resolution went over until tomorrow.
In the senate Mr.. pinchot's letter
caused a genuine sensation. In ad-
dressing his letter To Senator Dolliver.
Mr. Pinchot indicated that il had been
written nj the request Of the IOWA
senator. but 1t was addressed To him
as chairman of the committee on asri-
culture, thus. making it an official
document. He said that Messrs. Price
and Shaw had prepared an official re-
port upon their actions which he WAS
transmitting to the secretary of agri-
culture.
This report shows that Messrs.
Price and Shaw made public certain
information regarding the so-cailed
Cunningham claims for coal lands in
Alaska said Mr. Pinchot. The ef-
feet of the publication was to direct
critical public attention to the action
of the interior department.
Il shows that they eauntenanced the
publication by l.. r. CLAWS of certain
facts concerning these claims after he
had been dismissed from office and
that in other ways they endeavored to-
direct public attention to the imminent
danger that the Alaska coal fields still
in government ownership, might pass
forever into private hands with little
OF no compensation To the public"
This information. Mr.. Pinchot said,
was of a nature proper to be made
public unless there are secrets
which the people of the United States
are not entitled to know concerning
the source. nature and progress of
claims made for portions of the public
lands
Report Untrue.
The rumor." he said. that the
CLAWS report to the president MAS
prepared in or by the forest service
In incorrect At CLAWS request I
sent Shaw. as it was proper l should.
to Chicago 10 assist him in arranging
his material for submission to the
president"
After saying that these officials had
aatod IN inflammation concaruiup fha