Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-01-20
PINCHOT, IDEALIST
PUBLIC SERVANT WHO GAVE TIME
ALL TO SERVICE,
Chief Fore Ster Nav Have Violated
Exaggerated Official Etiquette In
His Appeal to the Country Over
Presidents Head, but Intentions
Were Good.

The President has dismissed the
Chief Forester Clifford Pnchot, from
the public service. The reason
| Pinchot appealed to the country over
the Presidents head in the Alaska
coal land cases, his appeal taking
the form of letter to Seantor Dol
iyer which was read in the Senate.
1t was a case of insubordination. If
subordination be stringently con-
strued; for there is Taft-made rule
that things must not be said public
ly or given out to the press by gov
ernment department employees, with
reference to the affairs of the depart
ments, until they have been censored
by the head of the department. Pin
chct had talked with Secretary Will
son about the letter, and the Secre-
/ tary had not told him not to send
it. On the ether hand, he had not
given permission for it's sending;
End he had advised" against it.
Nevertheless, Pinchot sent the letter
which was a justification of the
whole anti-Ballinger record of the
Forest Service. and of CLAWS the
Land Office Inspector who had been
discharged for too great zeal against
the Cunningham coal claims. by the
President himself. CLAWS appealed
/ to Taft over Ballinger's head, and
was fred by wire by Taft. Pin
! chot appealed to the people over
the Presidents head, and was fired
with almost telcgraphic suddenness
| by the same august Chief Magistrate.
! Who are these men who risked the
penalty Of dismissal in these Cunning
ham cases? What are their motives?
Are they selfish? Are the men them
/ selves strivers for publicity? Are
they small men run mad? Are they
great and unselfish souls soreiy mis-
taken? Or are they are unselfish
partriCts striving against odds to
prevent the looting Of the public do
main? Passing by Mr.. CLAWS. whose
acts cannot be explained on any bas-
is of selfishness, let us consider this
man Pinchot. He is rich and cul-
| tured. He is able-that is admit
ted. No one-not even the New York
Sun-doubts his integrity He Gre
ated the profession of forestry in
I this country. He is man of sense
in practical ways; for his depart
ment - the model of all the govern
ment services in business methods.
! Loving trees, he has sought to serve
the race through forestry. He has
adopted the faith that the earth be-
longs to the race, and that we of
the present hold it only in usufruct
| for the race. He has never been a
ime-lighter nor grand-stander, so
it must have taken the strongest
considerations to induce him to take
the center of the stage now. He
was for years about all there was of
the American Forestry Association,
and is said to have paid it's bills. He
is known to have paid the expenses
or the White House Conference of
Governors out of his own pocket.
He wanted a good secretary two
years ago, and the man he wanted
was able to command twice what
the government was authorized to
pay; PinchOt paid the difference out
OF his own pocket that the Forest
Service and the nation might be we'll
served. All the time he was keep
ing the background. He whisper
ed Conservation" into Rposevelt's
| ears, and Roosevelt shouted it to the
world Pinchot wanted nothing ex-
cept to save the public domain and
to see the forests in the way of re-
storatlon. 1t is a religion with him
Fitted for cabinet position he is
said to have declined it because he
could do more good in the Forest
Service. OF all men in the public
service, Clifford Pinchot has seemed
to follow the highest ideals, and
been guided by the purest motives.
SJ1cn ic tho h., h.,
ly violated the letter of official pro-
priety, and sent out to the people
the message that the Administrator
is allowing the nation to be robbed
of billions of dollars worth of coal
NO one can doubt that in Pinchot's
mind the alternative before him was
violation of his official Instructions
or treason to the interests of the peo-
pie. Is he, the trained public man.
versed in all the tortuosities of
Washington bureaucracy, likely to
nave been mistaken about this? Is
ne likely to have been so thorough
~ convinced of the sinister nature
OF the Ballinger administration. un-
less something was really wrongo
Would Pinchot have thus carried
this fight on from month to month
against the President himself if he
mad not been sure of his ground?
Everyone must hope to see Ballinger
and Taft-for the one cannot be
smlrched now without the ether be-
ing tainted-exculpated. Just now
however, they stand accused as much
by the weight of the integrity and
ability of Pinchot as by the known
facts, OF acts which will stand a lot
or eXculpation. However the mat-
ter may turn out, Pinchot will he
credited with the sacrifice of a posi-