Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-27
PINCHOT BRANDS
BALLINGER FALSE
TO His COUNTRY
Says Secretary Deceived
Taft and Is Enemy
to Conservation
SENSATION is SPRUNG
Interior Department Head
Accused of Menacing
Public Property
ASSOCIATED Pressl

wv ford Pinchot on the witness
stand the Ballinger-P Pinchot in
quiry entered it's second phase today.
The dismissed chief forester, before
being sworn, dramatically declared that
when his story had been told the coun-
try would demand a verdict lin har-
mony with the general conviction that
the secretary of the interior has been
unfaithful to the public, whose prop
erty he has endangered, and to the
i president, whom he has deceived"
2 L. r. CLAWS, the Cunningham coal
claims and Attorney Brandels all stood
aside to make room for Pinchot, for
Attorney George Wharton Pepper, his
personal counsel and for his story of
Secretary Ballingers dealings with the
water power sites of the public do
main.
Pinchot accused Secretary Ballinger
of having made an explanation OIL ms
conduct to the president that was "es-
sentially false" He charged him with
being q dangerous enemy to con-
servation." He charged him with hav-
ing made a statement shown by undls-
puted documentary evidence TO be ap-
solutely false in three essential partlc-
ulars." He charged him with haNlhS
"wilfully deceived the president ana
of being disloyal to the president.
Full of Sensations
Mr.. Pinchot's first hours on the wit
ness stand were as replete with SEN
sation as had been promised, and the
suffocating crowd in the hearing room
hung intently upon every word that
fell from his lips. A trifie nervous at
first Mr. Pinchot soon became accuS-
toned to his surroundings and main
tanned a confident poise thereafter.
His recital had not progressed far,
however, when there came an obJec-
tion from Mr., Ballinger's attorney as
to The witness repeating conversations
with President Taft 1t was contended
that the relation of these conversations
would put the president in an attltuoe
where he would either have to remain
silent or else appear before tne com
n,ittee as q witness, which it was de-
clared wosld be undesirable. The
ouestion was argued for some time
and in his statement of the matter the
attorney for Mr. Pinchot admitted tnat
President Taft, in a letter written SUD
seouently to the conversation, hao oe-
clared his recollection of what trans
nired at the interview differed in some
particulars from that of Mr.. Pinchot.
Tho matter was put over for CONSIDER
alton by the committee ana IL is eN-
nected a decision will be announced
when the next session is held fuesaay
CLAWS Is Eulogized
MIR PlncnOT IOllOWGQ up tiIC NitoSN
attack made on Secretary Ballinger IN
his opening statement by declaring ne
fully believed in Special Agent GldNiS
and was convinced that CLAWS had sald
what was true He characterized CLAWS
as "a. faithful public servant" ana de-
clared the facts which he presenteo
''proyed that Mr.. Ballinger had beeh
unfaithful to his trust as the guaruisln , !,
Of nublic property of enormous Value'
1he conservation movement Degun
,nder the administration of President
Roosevelt was progressing splenululy
~ r. the time President Taft and Sec
retary Ballinger took office, declared
Mr. Pinchot -,
He declared that in less than a
month thereafter Secretary Balllnger
nractically had broken the backbone OF
The central idea of the conservation
noovement by restoring previously WIFI
drawn water power sites TO the puplic
domain and laying them open to pli-
yate appropriation and monopolstic
control.
rasions were made Mr.. Ballinger gave
no noint that he withdrew the power
sites and that as matter of fact ne
did not re-withdraw any OF them uIlii
aftar Mr. Pinchot had gone to the pres
;dent and had made a vigorous protest
No Investigations Made
THE restorations by Mr.. Ballinger
were made without any investigation OF
the subject whatever, said Mr. Plncho 4
and he charged the secretary with may
ing deliberately ordered officers OF the
reclamation service, against thelr WILL
to recommend that some OF the res'oi d.
tions should be made. ,,
Mr.. Pinchot declared Director Newell
Of the reclamation service would be
called as one of his witnesses TO prove
his charges against Secretary Balllnser.
Esornoer Secretary of the interior
lanes r. Garfield, 1t was announced
would be one of Mr.. Pinchots packers;
One of the most dramatic incidents OF
+hefdav was left for the last half hour
30 the session, when Mr.. Pinchot de-
ia rad there was no such decision py
AZ nonnntroller of the treasury as had
heen cited by President Taft In his let
fer of September 13, 1909, TO secretary
Eeallinger dismissing the CLAWS charges
and authorizing the removal of CLAWS.
The president had contended that Mr..
1aallineer had acted under a decision OF
+6a conptroller which permitted OF no
anneal when he had abrogated a CO.
aperative agreement with the agricul-
trral department, whereby the forest
service was given control Oh the forest
reserves on Indian lands
Mr. Pinchot admitted there was an
oninion by the comptroller which for
bpde the detail of clerk from the
forest service to the Indian office, put
contended it had nothing whatever to
do with the work of the forest serv-
ice in the field. -,
Mr. Pinchot's implication that Presi-
dent Taft, either had been misled or
utterly n Nstaken brought out rapid
FIRE Of questions from Senators Root,
Sutherland and other members OF the
conmittee They read into the records
s,o,,io,Is decisions of the comptroller,
which they contended had a bearing on
the matter, but Mr.. Pinchot would not
Withdraw from his position there was
absolutely nothing In the decision
which President Taft must have re-
ferred to which in any way warranted
the abrogation of the cooperative
agreement by Secretary Ballinger.
He declared, in fact, that previous