Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-01-07
Pre- ESIDENT TO
GUST P|NCHOT
At Least the Defense Of
CLAWS by Chief Forester
Has Offended Taft,
CABINET CONFERENCE

Washington, Jan. THE Ballinger-
Pinchot controversy took a sudden and
turn when after interest
Ing developments in connaetion with
the troubles in the administration that
have arisen from the efforts to impugn
Tie official conduct of Secretary of the
Interior Ballinger a conference was
held at the White House between the
president and his cabinet for the pur-
pose of determining whether Chief
Forester Clifford Pinchot, Mr.. Ballin-
gers opponent, should be permitted to
remain in the government service.
Letter Written to Senator Doliiver.
The conference was the direct out
come of letter written by Mr.. Pin
chot TO Senator Dolliver of Iowa and
read in the senate during a discussion
of the resolution offered by Senator
Jones of Washington at the request of
Mr. Ballinger providing for a COM
plete investigation of the allegations
against Mr.. Ballinger by joint COM
mittee of the senate and the house
In his letter Mr.. Pinchot said Asso-
ciate Forester Price and Law Officer
Shaw Of the forestry bureau, both sub
Ordinates of his, had assisted Special
Agent Louis Il. CLAWS of the land of
flee in preparing his indictment against
Secretary Ballinger from a high and
nnselfsh sense of public duty" Gla-
Wis Is the man who was dismissed
from the government service by au-
thority of President Taft on the
ground that he wrongfully attacked
the official conduct Of the secretary of
the interior.
Calls CLAWS Vigorous Defender.
Another thing said by Mr. Pinchot
u..s that the dismissal of CLAWS had
be from what he believed was a
haken impression of the facts, and
se of GlQyis as "the most Wig
fender Of the peoples inter
In the course of the debate which
followed the reading of Mr.. Pinchots
letter by Senator Dolliyer, Senator
Hale took the ground that Mr. Pin
ehot had violated an order issued by
President Taft that no subordinate in
Executive departments should commu-
plcate on official subjects directly to
congress or to senators.
1t was rsf only the phase of the
ln1ltrnrf involved in MI Pinchot's ap-
parent violation of this order which
was discussed at the White House
conference, but the question arose also
rs to whether Mr.. pinchot in his COM
ments on the issues between himself
and Secretary Ballinger and his de-
Tense Of CLAWS had not sought to
prejudice congress in the conduct of
the investigation.
Cabinet Is Against Him.
There was a general agreement be-
tween the president and his four cab
inel officers that Mr.. Pinchot's action
had been most unfortunate. Attorney
General Wickersham was Of the Opin-
ton that Mr. PinchOt had trespassed
so far against official propriety that
the only proper course to take was to
dismiss him peremptorily from Office.
President Taft was inclined to think
that Mr.. Pinchot had assumed the at
Utude Of a privileged character and
seemed to regard himself as immune
from superior authority.
The subject of Mr.. Pinchots alleged
tndiscretion will be taken up Mt anoth-
er meeting of the cabinet, and it is ex-
pected that Pinch0t will be asked to
resign. Secretary Ballinger especially
is very indignant at the latest action
Of the chief forester.