The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1910-01-21
THE PASSING
OF PINCHO7.
Great Conservation Controversy
Attracts Much Attention.
HOW THE ROW HAS GROWN.
From an Executive Department Affair
1t Has Extended Rapidly-HaIe and
Doliver Take 1t Up In Senate-Po-
Iitical Crisis May Follow the Re-
nnoval of Pnchot.


Dolliver Take 1t Up In Senate-Po-
IiticaI Crisis May Follow the Re-
movaI of Pinchot.
Washington, Jan. 1.-THE Ballinger
inquiry is now certain to fill the pa
pers until the investigating committee
makes its report and that report is
adopted by congress. 1t is not alone
the Importance of the question, but
there is something in humanity that
loves a fight. The dove of peace COOS
alone. while cockfght ever draws a
crowd. So long as conservation kept
free from hostilities everybody said it
was a good thing, suppressed yawn
and-talked about something else. But
the moment it was injected into a con-
troversy it became a fascinating sub
ject.
Hale and DoIliver.
This fight spirit is in the air. The
subject of conservation can no longer
be mentioned than the battle lines be-
gin to form. The row that formerly
involved only two executive depart
ments has now extended to congress.
The passage at arms between Dolliyer
and Hale the other day was an illus
tration. DoIliver rather innocently
wondered why the bureau of forestry
had been included in the Investigation
when there were no charges against it.
Then upon inquiry he had found that
there was a charge. the same being
that the bureau had helped to foment
the charges against the interior depart
ment Just here he blandly dropped a
lighted bomb into the senate in the
shape of the Pinchot letter This was
the now famous epistle in which the
chief forester frankly told of the part
subordinates in his bureau had taken
In the controversy, admitted that this
was a breach Of official decorum for
which he had reprimanded those tech
nically at fault, and then assumed full
responsibility by stating that while
the course of the men had been tech
nicalIy wrong IT was morally right
Senator Hale called this ''remarka-
BILE" letter and asserted that it was In
contravention of the presidents rule
that subordinates should only talk
through their chiefs; that is. If Mr..
Pinchot saw the natural resources of
the nation in danger he should utter no
note Of warning except through the
lips of Secretary Wilson. Hale also
charged that the publication of the let
ter at that time was in effect an at
tempt to forestall the result of the in
VestigatiOn. To this Dolliver rather
neatly retorted that the first letter pre-
scented TO congress had come from Sec
rotary Ballinger and asked II this was
also an attempt to forestall the YER
dict. The impression left by the whole
passage at arms was that Hale's at
titude was something Of a bubble: also
that If few more letters and other
evidence were reported to the full con-
gress there would be nothing left for
the committee to investigate.
Pinehot Doomed.
The letter to Senator Dolliver had a
more important result. however. than
merely stirring up the ire Of Senator
Hale. 1t also caused dOings in. the
White House -Four cabinet officers
were speedily called In consultation
by the president, and. while none of
these would talk. the rumor went hum
ming over Washington that "piuchot
is to GO In scarcely more than TWEEN
ty-four hours the chief forester was de-
capitated.
The Shadow Of Roosevelt.
PinChot was the last of the RooSe-
welt men left in high position under
the Taft administration-tha is. If we
except Secretaries Wilson aud Never.
who were not so peculiarly Identified
with the Roosevelt policies. Moreover,
the chief forester and former president
are bosom friends. That they have
been in correspondence | have been
assured by men who ought to know.
1t is quite natural that they should
have been. If Theodore Roosevelt
stood for anything II was the con-
scrvation of the nations resources.
and Pinchot was the head and indeed
the creator Of the conservation move
mrnt. Taking into consideration all
these facts. the dismissal of pinchot
may rpaCi- n1l 90 q political crisis.
IN cunurctiu~ with the rpputrd break
Of the president with the Insurgents
it is too significant 10 eScI0c the
attention C. the country. That the
two arr. iutiW.'r'v related is shown by
tie di'-usi.ir1 the in-urgants showed
TO take up pi.cH.ts fight iig things
gre iu-t ROW ir.ui".."- i1 this capital