The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-02-28
Defense May Ask the Presi-
dent to Be a Witness if Pin
chot Offers to Submit Let
terS as Evidence.
A SPLIT IN CABINET
is QUITE PROBABLE
Bringing of Secretary Wilson's
Name Into Land Fraud
Case Gives New Trouble to
Entire Affair.

Washington, d. c., Feb. 2S.-Presi-
dent Taft confronts the most embar-
RAISING situation that has developed
during his administration. The Pin
chot- -Ballinger inquiry, despite the eff
forts of the congressional committee
to prevent the presidents name or
personality being dragged into the af-
fair, has taken such turn that the ad
ministration apparently cannot remain
silent
Secretary Ballinger'S precipitate
and bitter reply Saturday night to
PinchOt'S statements on the witness
stand has brought matters to a crisis.
1t is understood that Ballinger acted
without advising with the other cab
met officers, in issuing his short de-
mandatory statement, and the result
has been to give much uneasiness to
the presidents advisers.
Ballinger charged that Pinchot at
tempted, without success, to deceive
the president" No such charge has
been laid against Mr.. Pinchot up to
this time, nor had it been understood
charge. The inference from his state
ment is that the president became
aware of the fact that Pinchot was
trying to deceive him before he wrote
the letter generating BallinIr. Pin
chot's subsequent discharge was not
for attempted deceit, but for insubor-
dination. .a~--~--.
May Seek Taft Testimony.
Mr.. Pinchot's attorneys made an ef
fort on Saturday to have his conversa-
ton with the president admitted as
testimony before the committee. In
view of the charge now put forward
by Ballinger it is believed that the
attorneys for Mr.. Pinchot will insist
that this conversation and other mat
ters relating to interviews with the
president be permitted to come as
! statements from the witness.
! The committee has no desire to let
Mr.. Pinchot repeat the conversations
with the president if it can avoid Civ
ing the permission. Such action will
draw the president directly into the
case, and John J. Vertrees, attorney
for Secretary Ballinger, has intimated
that he would feel called upon to sum-
mon the president as a witness in
case Pinchot is allowed to repeat his
version of conversations at the white
house
The administration cannot we'll
avoid completely in the hearing. Mr..
Pinchot promised on Saturday to have
Director Frederick H. Newell and
Chief Engineer Arthur p. Davis of the
reclamation service called to the
stand to support his claim that they
had not voluntarily advised that the
lands withdrawn for reclamation pur-
poses be restored to entry.
| The testimony of these two men
who are still in the public service in
responsible positions. II it bears out
Mr.. Pinchot's charges, will be of a
most embarrassing sort to the presi-
dent.
Taft Upheld Land Opening.
In his letter of Sept. Is, generating
Secretary Ballinger and ordering the
discharge of L. r. CLAWS from the
public service, the president said:
Soon after you became secretary
of the interior you brought this order
| tRoosevelt's withdrawal order of Jan
uary. 1900 to my attention and said
that it included a great deal of land
that had no water power sites upon
it." and added. You said you had
applied to the reclamation bureau to
know whether it was desired for re-
clamation purposes, and that they
recommended that it be returned to
the public domain
The congressional committee will
act tomorrow upon the demand of Mr..
Pinchot and his attorneys that the
witness be allowed to state his version
of his conversation with the presi-
dent last April, when he protested
against the restoration of the 1900, 600
acres withdrawn from entry by Presf-
dent Roosevelt. Members of the com
mittee declared today that they had
not determined what course will be
pursued.
The political aspects of the situation
are giving alarm to all friends of the
administration here. 1t is generally
conceded that Secretary Ballinger will
have 10 leave the cabinet but the man.
ner OF his going is a matter of grave.
concern to the administration friends
Cabinet is Badly Divided.
| The cabinet itself is understood ia
be badly torn up over the way things
have developed since the Pinchot-BaI-
linser controversy began. The presi.
dent has stood by his secretary of the
interior. He went over the charges
against Rallinger as did the attorney
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