The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-02-27
g o N N u f D
R o M-----
P A G f o N F.
REPLIES TO PINCHOT'S
CHARGES

perversion Of facts, infideiity to the
public interest and even deliberate
deception of President Taft, were
among the accusations he hurled at
Secretary of the Interior BaIlinger.
Nor did he even spare the president
for accepting without question
statements of fact which, he al
Ieges, were false and which were
presented to the executive by tho
secretary In extenuation Of his &C
tions.
MANY WOMEN PRESENT
A crowd that took up every bit
of space in the big committee room
and overlooked the corridors heard
the dramatic recital. Many spec
tators brought their lunches. Most
of them were women, who whis-
pered excitedly when the witness
made telling point. ~
Summarized, here is Pinchet's
testimony this afternoon: Z" e
That the policy of conservation
of natural resources, initiated un-
der Roosevelt, was undermined, Its
foundations completely destroyed
and the structure put in danger of
collapse by the first new official
acts of Ballinger as secretary of the
interior.
That Ballinger, Immediately upon
assuming office, by throwing open
to entry waterpower sites previous
ly withdrawn to safeguard the peo-
pies interest by Secretary Garfield
and President Roosevelt, sought to
undo this work and was stopped
only by presidential order. , =. 81.
That. by terminating an agree
ment which the interior department
had with, the forest SERVICE, where
by the latter administration re-
stored the forest lands on Indian
reservations. these wards of THE
government lost money, the people
the best utilization of the forests
and the interior department serv-
ices OF vast Importance. as
That this cooperative agreement
was terminated upon the produc-
ton of false evidence
The stirring incident of the aft
ernoon was the objection by Attor-
ney Vertrees, counsel for Ballinger,
to Pinchot's relating while ON the
stand. the substance of an interview
which the former chief forester. had
with President Taft, on the ground
that such might result in embar-
rassment to the president and was
not good policy. IN,
The testimony was finally with
held, pending a settlement in execu-
tive session.
Pinchot prefaced his testimony
by reading statement which he
said embraced the points he ex-
pected to prove against Secretary
Ballinger. His. attorney, GeorgeW.
Pepper, then plunged into direct
examination, here and there offer
ing documentary exhibits and di-
crossing frequently to read from
mysterious bundle of papers,
He brought out first, that Presi-
dent Roosevelt and Secretary Gar
field foresaw the possibility of
strategic power sites being snapped
up by mOnOpolies and that, as a
measure of precaution, the latter,
under orders from the executive,
cast about for a means to withdraw
these public lands from settleDent.
The first method decided upon, was
to segregate and reserve these
lands as ranger sites; that is,
sites for forest rangers cabins,
pastures, etc. Pinchot did not deny
that these sites were without the
boundaries of the existing forest
reserves. The Withdrawals made
under this scheme were strategic
water power sites.
Then. subsequently, Garfield also
made use of the so called super
visory authority which Garfield
claimed was invested in hing as
steward of public lands, to NTH
draw large portions of the pfhiic
lands. 1t swas when BallingVffA A.
sumed office as secretary at1he
began, according to PinchOt TO
vitiate this work first by ref3 ting
to accede to further requests fF0h
Secretary of Agriculture WNsoh
for ranger sites withdrawalE de-
claring such to be illegal; andLGef-
ondly, by declaring the superv1Ahry
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