The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-01-08
CABINET MEMBERS
IN FULL ACCORD
Dismissal of Pinchot De-
cided Upon in Short
Order.

Mr. Piuchot's fate was decided on
yesterday in the morning meeting Of
the Cabinet. and. when the President
advisers left AT $50 o'clock III the
afternoon. M Taft had from them
unanimous expression OF the opinion
that the Forester should be dismissed.
He told them that he would immedi-
ately draft his letter OF dismissal 10
Pirchot and would expect them 10
reassmble al , in the afternoon
This they did. and from ; until :
o'clock last evening they debated and
altered the pfIraseoIoEy Of the letter
which in its final form. was one OF
the most drastic letter Of dismissal
ever issued from the White House
II was then given 10 the press for
publication
While all the members Of the Cab
met present were in favor Of the &C
ton taken report has il today that
the two especially eager for the most
emphatic action possible were Attor-
ney General Wickersham and Score
ts-y Of Agriculture Wilson. Mr. Pin
ChOt's superior officer
The anal action OF the President CO.
inCided with what had been his de-
sire on the afternoon Of the day be
fore Immediately after he had learn
ed Of the reading of the Pinchot letter
IN the Senate.
The text OF the Presidents letter
follows
January :. 1910.
Sir The Sec etary OF Agriculture in
forms NE JhdI on the -Srh Of Deem Der
your associate forester, M Price. went
70 him and proposed 70 resign, on the
ground that he had been engaged with
Mr. shaw, assistant law officer, in iusti-
eating the publication Of articles in Va
TlOuS newspapers and magazines at
lacking the good name OF Secretary
Balltnger and charging the Interior De
rupuOn- The Secretary thereupOn wrote
q note 10 YOU. under date Of Decembe
- asking for your recommendation in
the premises
You did not answer. hut on January
: YOU rad q conversation with him in
which YOU said YOU wished 10 make
statement which should be read in the
Senate AT the same time that my mes
sage transmitting the record in the
Claws cas- reached there. and that YOU
thought You could induce Senator Dol
LIVER 10 introduce the statement for YOU.
Against Such Course.
The Secretary advised against such
course. but asked YOU for a recommen-
datiou as TO accepting Prices resicna-
ton, in order that he might bring the
matter to me, 70 whom, lie told you, IL
must ultimately come, because / had
considered the CLAWS charges and had
passed upon them
Without further conference with the
Secretary, and before making a-report
to him, you succeeded in making pub
lie. by having it read in the Senate, 4
letter from you stating that YOU had
sufficiently disciplined Messrs- Price
and Shaw by reprimanding them and
that your recommendation would be
that no further punishment was reqdir-
ed, and this before that recOmmenda-
ton vas submitted to the Secretary
and me, whose power and duty il was
80 determine, upon Prices admission as
10 his completely, what action should
DE taken with respect to his reSiEna-
ton
In order to understand the fun pur-
port OF your letter. in which YOU
admit the completely of Price and Shaw
in the publications of the press It
should be said that the gravamen of
the CLAWS charges was that Secretary
BallingeT and the others were all al
feCted by a corrupt wish to patent
JiliTty-thTee sO-calIed Cunningham
claims upon coal lands in Alaska: THAI
the question whether these claims were
fraudulent or not remained 10 be de-
cided upon the evidence after both
the United States and the claimants
had been heard, that every patent as