Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-02


defense of the peoples rights in his
own hands?"
IF the president had signified his
purpose to take matters into his own
hands I would have been happy. TO
leave 1t there. But the presidents let
ters showed he would continue to leave
1t in Ballinger's hands and that he had
great confidence in Mr.. Ballinger.
what as to your peing insuoordl-
mater"
"I was not. but did not desire TO
lay stress on that point. for I should
have been insubordinate without a
second thought, IL I had considered II
necessary to bring the facts before the
public"
"Were you in fact insubordinate?"
Gas a matter Of fact l was not; but
I have no desire for a personal vindi-
cation and would rather not go into
that question"
''Why not?" asked the witness at
torney.
DisIikes Controversy
because It is not important, and l
would regret the necessity OF bringing
about a difference of opinion between
Secretary Wilson and myself 1t would
be a painful thing to get into a con-
l have kept STILL"
Senator Nelson pressed his question
as to whether Mr.. Pinchot had con-
suited the secretary before sending
the letter.
Mr.. Pinchot said he would decline TO
answer that question unless 1t was
put by the whole committee.
A motion to press the question was
put and unanimously carried.
ttrfth
before sending that letter." repeated
Chairman Nelson.
"I did"
The witness proceeded to explain his
answer by saying that he went to Sec
retary Wilson January and told him
Senator DolliVer had requested in
Formation from the forest service and
the secretary made no objection.
I'VE discussed at some length the
right of Senator Dolliver to get the
information from me. As to the presi-
dents order forbdding subordinates
TO give information to congress, Secre-
tary Wilson said:
"'You and 1 will have no trouble
about that order or words to that ef-
feet. 1 believed l had his consent /
believed l described to him the situa-
and the forest service.
Decided to Show Hand
"I told him of the intention of our
opponents to magnify what had been
done by Messrs. Price and Show and
that / thought the only wise thing for
us to do was to lay our hand down on
the table, admit what we had done
and force the congressional inquiry on
the points in question.
II was convinced that Secretary Will
son favored my effort to defend Price
and Shaw, although he did not favor
my plan of getting publicity at the
same time the other side did. / felt
l had however, secured his permission
to write to Senator Dolliver."
Mr.. Pinchot said he had endeavored
to see Secretary Wilson the morning
that his letter to Senator Dolliver was
read in the senate. to submit to him
his letter transmitting to the secretary
the reports of Price and Shaw telling
of their transactions with CLAWS. He
did not find the secretary until after
noon, however. In the letter of trans
initial, Mr. Pinehot said he had in
cluded a clause referring to the trans
initial of copy of his own letter to
Senator Dolliver.
Secretary Wilson asked him what the
clause meant, Mr.. Pinchot said, and
he told him that it referred to the let
ter they had previously discussed. The
secretary told him to strike out all ref
erence to the Dolliver letter and re~
write the letter of transmittal. This
he did, Mr.. Pinchot said, in the secre-
tary's Office, on department office
paper.
Direct Testimony Ended
The former forester ended his direct
testimony by saying: IF had had
ten minutes with President Taft--if l
had been accorded hearing-it would
vinced him / had been neither disre-
spectful nor insubordinate and thus l
could have avoided the necessity which
he felt of relieving me of the public
service"
The cross-examination of Pinchot
was delayed until Secretary Wilson,
who desired to take the stand at once,
could be heard
The grizzled old official, who holds
the record for cabinet service, was
plainly agitated when he took the oath
as a witness and when he began to
testify his voice was high pitched and
strained.
The secretary proved impatient of
questions put to him on crcss-examin-
alton and became somewhat mixed as
to Just what letters were being re-
ferred to by his questioners and resent
full of any inference other than his
own that they wished to draw from his
testimony.
Mr.. Vertrees, counsel for Secretary
Ballinger, conducted the direct exam
ination.
"You have heard what Mr.. Pinchot
has said. Have you any statement to
maker" he asked.