Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-02
DENIES HE GAVE
PiNCHOT POWER
TO INSULT TAFT
Wilson Repudiates Letter
to DOlliver Causing the
Forester'S Removal
SECRETARY is MIXED
Statements of Superior ana
Conservation Expert
Are Conflicting
ASSOCIATED Pressl

w expected clash between Giffor3
Pinchot and Secretary Of AZ
riculture Wilson over the dispute5
question as to whether the secretar-
had given the former forester perm is
sion to write to Senator Dolliver tn
letter which resulted in Mr.. Pincho
dismissal, came today before the Bal
| linger- -Pinchot investigating commit
tee.
Mr. Pinchot declared he had dis-
cussed the matter at length with Sc
retary Wilson and that he understood
his superior officer had given him per
mission to write to Senator Dollivea
Secretary Wilson at once took the
stand and asserted that while he had
given Mr.. Finchot permission to wrIa
| to Senator Dolliver concerning "de-
partmental affairs" he never did and
never would have given him permission
to write letter criticising the presi-
dent of the United States.
Under cross s-examination. almost
wholly by Democratic members of the
! committee, Secretary Wilson was un-
certain to just what passed between
himself and the former forester and
became somewhat mixed as to JUST
what letters the committeeman referred
/ " III llItlT IdDiu lAG AluGNNlbiio.
The secretary repeatedly said he
never saw or heard of the letter Nj.
| Pinchot wrote until it was read in
the senate.
! Mr.. Pinchot declared that he and
| Secretary Wilson went so far as -
discuss the executive order issued 10y
! President Taft forbidding subordinate
of the various departments to give in
formation to congress, and added thaz
| the secretary said:
"You and I will have no trouble
about that order"
Admitting his memory failed him q
to certain points, Secretary Wilson al
wavs came back to the statement he
never, under any circumstances would
have given Mr.. Pinchot permission 10
write the letter that caused his retire
ment from the service.
The secretary said he urged Mr.. Pin
chot not to carry out his purpose %
blanket" a message to President Taft
generating Ballinger by sending IN a
letter to Senator Dolliver.
But" persisted counsel for Mr.. Pin
| chot "if Mr.. PinchOt was only TO ta
permitted to write about department.
matters. how could you have Thought
this letter would blanket the presi-
dents message?"
"I don't know; that was Pinchct
idea" replied Mr.. Wilson.
| Mr.. Pinchot denied he had been en-
bittered by his dismissal which he
considered unjustified. He denied also
that there was a specific movement TO
discredit Mr. Ballinger. He addea.
however, that he and former SecretarF
Garfield, CLAWS and others are con
cerned in a movement for the conser-
walton of natural resources, and thar
they regard Mr.. Ballinger as one of tho
greatest enemies of that movement.
Charges Misrepresentation
Mr. Pinchot declared in his pre-
liminary statement that Ballinger, in
his letter, had been guilty of three mis-
representations to the president. Ba
wished to point out the first of these
he said by the declaration the letters
and the exhibits don't match"
Mr.. Pinchot said the letter referred
| to reclamation Withdrawals, whereas
the exhibits cited by Mr. Ballinger re-
ferred wholly to Withdrawals ma de
under a supervisory power Mr.. Pinchot
next read from the letter this state
ment by Mr.. Ballinger:
"The only error 1 made in the whole
matter was in not making restora
tions and rewithdrawals (of power site
| lands), concurrently which 1 would
have done had L been as conversallt
with the facts then as now"
| Mr.. Pinchot declared former SecIe-
! tary Garfield often had told him he had
/ told Secretary Ballinger he believed the
Cunningham claims to be fraudulent
whereas Mr.. Ballinger, according &c
the witness, sought to give the i'm
preston that Mr.. Garfield had roJ
made any such statements.
| A decided surprise came at this poir
in the development that Mr. Pinehot's
charge that Mr.. Ballinger had in his
reply to the president, made state
ments absolutely false in three essen
| tial particulars" was not based On
| Mr.. Ballinger's letter. but on a letter
written by Mr.. Ballingers former law
| partner, j. T. Ronald, TO DR.. Lyman
| Abbott. Mr. Ballinger had sent this
letter to the president 'as part of his
defense" according to Mr.. Pinchot.
Denies Pinchot's Charges
Mr.. Ronald in his letter said that
without knowledge of the records he
| felt no hesitation in contending in be-
half of Mr.. Ballinger that %, Special
Agent Jones never made report deal
| ing with the Cunningham claims; that
| (2), the order revoking the clear-list-
| ing of the Cunningham claims was nOc
based on a protest by CLAWS, and thap
(3), Mr.. BalliDger never appeared be-
fore a congressional committee in the
interest of any Alaska claimants.
Mr.. F1nchot said it appeared from a
| copy of Mr.. Ronald's letter, Which ne
, read, that MIR. Ronald pased MS stare
ments on a magazine article contain
ing charges against which were noted
the marginal notes mo- in Bailingers
| handwriting.
Mr.. Pinchot said Jones, in his testi-
mony showed he had reported on the
Cunningham claims; that Ballinger ad-
mitted in letter to the president that
the cIear-listing order was revoked on
the protest of CLAWS and that Ballinger
in his testimony before a congressional
committee referred to a group of
thirty-three claims which could haya
meant only the Cunningham interest
Former Secretary Garfield was pres
ent at the afternoon session. Resuu~
ing his testimony, Mr.. Pinchot read tho
letter from President Taft dated No
Vember "a.
"There iS expressed In TINS letter 2
disagreement between you and tho
president as to what transpired at an
Continued on Page Threel