Sioux County pioneer., 1922-03-23

Administrations statement Of econo.
mics Fess talked exactly -as IL he be-
lieved everything he said 7. and the
Democrats talked back exactly as If
they believed everything they snid.
And the taxpayer In the gallery knew
that everybody couldn't be telling the
truth, the whole truth ana nothing but
the truth. The upshot was that Rep
resentative Byrns Of Tennessee, rank
ing Democratic member Of the appro-
printions committee, secured the pass.
nge Of a resolution calling upon the
President to inform the house In whnt
way the savings had been made, from
what particular appropriations and In
what specific amounts. Thereup0n the
President instructed General Dawes
Of the budget bureau to prepare a
complete statement covering the en-
tire situation. One thing at least
stands out clearly: NOBODY doubts
that I'll and Maria" Dawes will give
the facts and figures us they are.
President and Mrs. Harding left
Washington Wednesday evening by
train for st. Augustine, Fla. The pres.
idential party included Attorney. Gen.
eral Daugherty, Speaker Gillatt, On.
dersecretary of State Fletcher, Brig
adler General Sawyer, his personal
physician, and George B. Christian
his secretary. Mr.. Christian said the
President would occupy his time in
"rest and recreation:" In Florida fol
week or SO.
DITCHED battle between the In
terror and Agricultural depart
ments which has long been watched
by official Washington with absorbing
interest has now become public
through statement by Secretary Fal
that he had protested to President
Harding against the circulation Of
"vicious propaganda emannting from
the Department Of Agriculture" The
battle, In brief. is over legislation,
pending and prospective, which would
transfer the forest service from the
Agriculture department to the Interior
department and practically turn over
the development of the natural re-
sources Of Alaska to the Interior de.
partment, with responsibility to the
President. This battle Is not a petty
quarrel between two departments. 1t
Is n real battle between two cabinet
members. Some of the old-timers take
1t SO seriously as to predict the resig-
nation of one or the other Of the
secretaries. Moreover, the battle is
significant as indicating the difficult
ties that lie In the way Of the proposed
reorganization of all the executive
departments.
Until 1905 the Interior department
controlled all the public lands. The
national forests were then created for
the application of scientific lumber
ing and grazing and the forest service
was established to administer them.
The Interior department retained con-
troll Of the remaining public lands and
the ten national parks, established for
recreational purposes. In the national
forests the Interior department is
charged with the execution of all
laws relating to surveying, prospect
ing, locating, appropriating, entering,
reconveying or patenting Of; public
lands and to the granting of rights
Of way amounting to easements" The
national forests now number 16s in. q
states and territories and contain
about 242,2OO square miles. The ma
tional parks now number 10 and con-
tain lO,859 square miles.
The national park service was ere
atei In 1915 to administer the national
parks under the secretary of the IN
terror. The Agricultural department
then began campaign in print, and
from the platform, for the transfer of
the national park service to the Agri-
cultural 'la'aar.::'c2t 1t also set u!