Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1910-01-27

Several OF the land cases which have
had or are yet to have thei day In
court. probably will figure prominent.
ly in the proceedings before they are
ended. There are several cases which
were tried in different parts OF the
country when Mr.. Ballinger was com
missioner Of the land office under the
Roosevelt administration, and 1t Is
said that some OF the opinions that he
expressed as to the results OF one or
two of the cases will be used by his
opponents to show that he is not In
sympathy with the cause of saving the
natural resources OF the country
from private ownership.
On the other hand 1t Is said that
since the secretary OF b interior
came into office in the Taft cabinet
he has stood like a rock against propo-
sitions made to him to compromise
some Of the land cases which have
been tried in the lower courts and
which are now on the way to the su.
preme court.
Secretary %ealiinger's Position.
w NJ HAS ihtlilldttu th"N
B%allinger did anything excepting to
express an opinion that the W
court which decided adversely to the
government In one case had based It's
decision on good law. This would do
nothing more than to show that Mr..
Ballinger believed that under the laws
as they stood, the men who got pos.
session Of some coal lands In a certain
way, acted within their legal rights.
The point Is. however, that the su.
preme court overturned the decision
OF the lower court so that II Mr.. Bal
linger agreed with the lower court the
supreme court also overturned him.
Now that Chief Forester Pinchot is
out of the service, 1t is understood that
he will be the chief figure In what
may be called the prosecution OF Sec.
rotary Ballinger. OF course the In
vestigation Is not a trial. although 1t
may have the form Of one, and the
lines are drawn with the pinchot In.
terests on one side and the Ballinger
interests on the other, and there Is to
be an exceedingly hard.fought contest
before the thing finally IS decided. 1t
Is known that to his friends the form.
er forester of the government has eX.
pressed his determination to see that
the Off Gals who were discharged with
him. and one who was discharged
some time previously, have their cases
presented to congress In the most
forcible way in which 1t is possible
to set them forth.
Pinchot is a fighter. He Is a tall.
slender man who looks more or less
like the popular conception of a poet.
He is a bundle OF nervous energy.
however, and his courage is OF the
highest order. Secretary Ballinger Is
a short man with a well-knit figure,
and with a force of determination that
has shown itself on many occasions.
Between him and the chief forester
there Is little I o choose in the mat
ter OF ~pertinacity Of purpose.
Hearings to Be Public.
The public will be allowed to attend
the hearings before the committee of
investigation. The proceedings will
take the widest kind Of range and will
go way back of any matters pertain.
ing to the immediate controversy In
hand. II is understood that the Pin.
chot forces. If they may be so called,
will attempt to show that the whole
trend OF the secretary of the interiors
life was toward the corporation inter
ests, that is. that he believed that 1,
was far better that In some cases
there should be private ownership OF
mines and water sites and that the
people should get their benefit. not
from leasing the sites and the mines
to the corporations. but from the serv
ice which the corporation by intro
ducing economy measures could give
to them.
The secretary Of the interior has
plenty Of ammunition. it Is said, to use
In retaliation. There are all kind
of charges which 1t is understood viii
be hurled at the former chiefs Of tho
forestry bureau.
Conservation to Go On.
With the president. the former chic
forester, Clifford Pinchot, and the Dem
ocrat and Republican parties all com
mitted to 1t the cause of conservatio
ought to go marching on. The pres
ident has said that he wants to saw
the trees, the streams, the soil ant
the wealth of the mines. Mr.. Pincho
who Is now In private life but still a
enthusiastic as ever, says the sam
thing. The Republican party in 1t
platform declared for conservation
and the Democratic party says that
10 tho fotbar Of cOngeryatiOn-an,