New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-06

F! Tel MI. lalt expressed MS HlSh FeSaiu W.
Mr.. Pinchot and asked Mr.. Ballinger not
TO involve the former Chief Forester in the
! GlaYis matter.
I Before reading this letter Mr. Ballinger
was asked why he had not replied TO the
many attacks on him. He said that If he
had acted according to his natural impulses
! he would let the public know al the facts
Of the conspiracy against him. in remain
/ ing silent he was obeying tie directions of
/ his superior o1t1Cer. the President OF the
United States. He supposed that others
/ having the same high obligation 10 the ad-
ministration would remain silent also. On
receipt of the Presidents letter he had di-
rected all his sUbordinates to give no in
tervieus criticising the Forest Service and
| not 10 make public information that might
be construed as an attack on Mr. Pinchot
4 Two months later there appeared the
''scurrilous screed-' of CLAWS in a maya
! zine. Mr.. Ballinger said he did not reply
/ even 10 this attack. I've not only had my
/ hands UP. but I've had them tied" he said.
with vehemence. He added that he in
! tended no reflection on the President, ito
whom am devoted and for whom l would
make any Sacrince-'
Tells of Alleged Conspiracy.
In support Of his allegation that there
was q conspiracy to force him from the
nuhiic service and that Mr. Pinchot did
rot follow the wishes of the President to
stop the trouble, Mr.. Balinger offered in
evidence a large number of letters and tele-
grams exchanged by Mr.. Pinchot with ex-
Secretary arfieid and officials of the For
est Service. He mentioned a conference
held III MI Garf1elds hoIhe, in ohio. in
ifurthernnCe Of the alleged conspiracy. and
brought out the fact that some of the com
tfapnications exchanged by the alleged con
Gpirators related 70 what appeared t. he
2 publicity campaign against the Interior
Department One of these communications
contained the statement that the Truckee
matter is a cinch.'' Asked to explain what
this meant. Mr.. Ballnger said he had no
doubt il referred to the Lake Tahoe con-
troversy which he said. had been stirred
up by the Forest Service. He had no doubt,
he explained, that this controversy was
stimulated by Mr.. Pinchot and was meant
to reflect on the Interior Department An
other letter. written by Assistant Forester
Price on September g. 1909, to magazine
editor in New York said that one of the
questions in the Ballinger- Pinchot row was
whether the Interior Department was
BtinE CtlIuptll dtlniIiAStCIFu W NC-lNtAiS
Ballinger. Mr. Price offered to give fun
information to a representative of the mag
szine if he would call at the Forest Service
offices in Washington.
rs this Price the same member Of the
outfit who on September IL 1909 told
| Director Smith of the Geological Survey
that If they didn't set you in one way they
would in another?'' asked Judge Tertrees-
He is the same member of the OUTFIT
WAS the reply
Another feature of Mr. Ballinger'u teGti-
nony was his charge that in the admins
| tratfon OF timber operations OF the Menom-
| inee Indian Reservation in Wisconsin. the
| Forest Service had ''recklessly and wan
/ t6nIy wasted S7e0G09" of money and prop
! erty belonging to the Indians, This was
/ shown. MT Ballfnger said, by the reports
J Of Samuel Coulter, special agent of the
/ Interior Department. and j. r. FAR. super
! intendent of logging on Indian reservations
! Mr. Ballinger said there had been de-
cided change in the administration Of the
national forests since the dismissal of Mr.
! Pinchot. He said the forest law is admiTa-
| BILE but its administration resulted In great
| oppression to the people of the United States
/ and retarded the development of the West
/ esn States. The policy now being pursued
! by the Department of Agriculture a
vindication of his views regarding the
/ proper administration Of the Forest Service
Mr., Ballinger continued. He said he be
lieved that lands in national forests. strict
/ " agricultural in character. should be
| opened to. settlers with as few restrictions
as possible, Mr., Ballinser said he agreed
with Secretary wilson that the new policy
of administering the forest reserves would
prevent a great many Americans from go
I Ing 70 Canada to seek homes.
Referring 20 a statment Of Mr.. Garfield
that the Committee on Irrigation IF the
Senate had approved The Garfield cur
rency." Mr. BalIinger offered in evidence
p certificate from the clerk of that com
mittee. who said he had carefully exam
/ ined the committee records since 1908 and
found no reference t. action on this sub
jeet.
MI Ballinger denied that he had ever
| suggested To Director Newell or anybody
1 else thet lands withdrawn by Afr. Garfield
be restored slowly. in order not to attract
/ attention. As a matter Of fact. the res
/ torations were not made slowly.
J Nj Bailinger ssid he did everything he
| could 90. consistent with his duty as a
public officer. to avoid any reflection on the
former administration. Asked as 70 the
| lawful right of the Secretary Of the IN
terror TO withdraw public lands from entry
and settlement Mr.. Ballinger said that
the present Withdrawals are under bet
fer legal authority than the Garfield with
drawals The only difference is that the
| lands nov withdrawn comprise an area
| reasonably necessary to protect water
power sites, and the question 10 whether
they shall remain Withdrawn has been put
I'd 10 Congress in a direct and positive
way and without suhterfuge.
BaTlineer Defies His Critics.
After some further questions Mr. Bal
| Hnger made the following statement to the
| committee:
Every act that has been performed by
me as public official either as Commits
/ sioner of the Land Office or Secretary of
the Interior. has been performed with the
sole idea OF fulfilling my trust under my
oath and according 10 what I believed my
4 duty to be to this government. In every
respect ] believe have lived up to it. and
IL statement has been made here 10 the
contrary l want 10 deny it. I defy anv one
10 put his finger on anything that ] have
done while in the public service which was
not in line with my duty and in accordance
With my trust
/ when YOU returned to Washington last
! summer from the west. believe YOU gave
out a newspaper interview in which you
said Incidentally ! propose 10 xiii few