Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-08

4 should be said that the gravamen of
the CLAWS charges wng that Secy. Bal
linger and the others were all affected
by corrupt wish to patent 81 30
called Cunningham claims upon coal
lands In Alaska. that the question OF
whether these claims were fraudulent
or not remained to be decided upon
the evidence after both the United
States and the claimants had been
heard. that every patent, as an ex
ecutivc act, is completely within tho
jurisdiction of the president To direct
the Withholding OF II in order that he
himself may examine the evidence as
TO the validity OF the claim.
These facts understood. the plain In
tlmations In your letter nre. flrst. that
] had reached a wrong conclusion as
to the good faith Of Secy Ballinger and
the officers OF the land office. although
YOU and your subordlnates had only
seen the evidence OF CLAWS, the ac-
cuser, and had never seen or read the
evidence OF those accused or the rec
ords that they disclosed, which were
submitted to me; and. second. that
you. under these circumstances, with
out the exploitation OF Mcssrs. Shaw
md Price in the daily. weekly and
monthly press OF the charges OF CLAWS,
the administration. including the pres
ldent and the officers of the Interior
department and land office. would have
patented on coal lands In Alaska, Ill
though the matter had been specifical-
ly brought TO the attention of the prcsi-
dent by tho Claws charges.
You solicited the opportunity to
make such declaration in Congress
for the purpose OF onsetting, II pos
sble, In the public mind, the presi-
dents decision In the CLAWS case. sup
ported by the opinion OF the attorney
general, after n full examination by
both. of the evidence adduced by tho
accuscr and the evidence on behalf
of the accused, while the latter evil
dence you and your subordinates had
never seen.
you did this against the advice of
the secretary OF agriculture, without
notifying him that you intended to do
so. and without comforting with mo
at all
Your letter was. In effect. an i'm
proper appeal to Congress and the pub
lie to excuse In advance the guilt OF
your subordinatcs before 1 could act
and against my decision In the Claws
case, before the whole evidence on
which that was based. could be con-
sidered
MORE THAN PERSONAL.
Il should be glad to regard what has
happened only as n personal reflection.
so that / could pass It over and take
no official cognizance of II. But other
and higher considerations must govern
me. When the people of the United
States elected me president they plac
cd me In an Office of the highest dig
nifty and charged me with the duty OF
maintaining that dignity and proper
respect for the office on the part or
my subordlnates. Moreover, II | were
to pass over this matter in silence. 1t
would be most demoralizing to the dis
cipline of the executive branch Of the
government.
by your own conduct you have de-
stroyed your usefulness as a helpful
subordinate of the government. and II
therefore. now becomes my duty to di-
rect the secretary OF agriculture to re-
move you from your Office as forester
Very sincerely yours
WILLIAM II. TAFT.
Hon. clifford Pinchot, Forester"
WILSON TO PINCHOT.
Secy. Wilson was swift in carrying
out the decision of the president, He
addressed to Clifford Pinchot forester,
Overton w. Price. associate forester and
Albert C. Shaw. assistant law officer