The Colorado statesman., 1923-01-27
HIS SUCCESSOR AS SECRETARY
OF THE INTERIOR MUST BE
A BRAVE MAN.
LAME DUCK" MAY BE CHOSEN
Retiring Cabinet officer Evidently
Has Been Worsted in the Contro-
versy With Secretary Wallace Con-
cerning the Bureau of Forestry.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

Albert B. Fall as secretary Of the in
terror? There have been intimatiOns
that the cabinet place is slikely to go
to some former seLator of the United
States who did not succeed in secur-
ing reelection in November, but
there is perhaps a stronger feeling
that the President will offer the place
to some business man who never has
held public office.
Whoever 1t is that Is to succeed Mr..
Fall will take unto himself Il not alto
getner thankful job. A legacy of CON
troversy left to Uncle sam by Clifford
Pnchot, now governor of Pennsyl-
vania. when he departed from Wash
ington public life, is believed to be
in part and perhaps largely respOn-
sible for the resignation of Secretary
Fall.
The Interior department is n sort
Of graveyard for the hopes and am
billions of men who think they have
in them the overcoming spirit and
therefore can succeed where Others
have failed. There are two schools
of public opinion on the subject OF
what ought to be the endeavor of the
secretary of the interior. Men have
attempted to reconcile these schools
OF thought, and thus far have failed.
1t will be a brave man who will accept
Mr.. Falls discarded cabinet job.
A desire to re-enter private life In
order to give atte-ltion to personal
business concerns is a reason offered
for Mr.. Falls resignation. The sec
retary, however. probably would not
we willing to affirm, solemnly that this
i5 the sole reason. He probably is
going out because his views on meth
ods of conservation are not the views
of school which holds sessions in
the Department of Agriculture. The
roots of the reason for Mr. Falls res
ignation are the roots of trees. Dis
agreement about the forestry policies
of the government in part probably
induced Mr.. Fall to resign from the
service.
Disagreement over Forestry.
It was n year ago that it became
known in an at first rather nebul gus
way that Secretary Fall and Secre-
tary Wallace of the Agricultural de-
to the forestry policies. Mr.. Fall de-
sired that the forestry service should
he transferred from the Department
of Agriculture to the Department of
the Interior. Mr.. Wallace stood OPP
posed. Agriculture seems to have had
its way.
Recently an attempt was made TO
compromise the differences between
| the two departments. = compromise
! where strong feelings exist seldom
seems to be satisfactory, 1t was un-
satisfactory in this case. Mr. Fall
goes out, Mr.. Wallace stays in.
When President Harding was select
ing the timber for his cabinet there
| we're two or three men who thought
that they could conduct the duties
of the Interior department in man
ner which would lie satisfactory to
all the elements in the population. 1t
is said that Mr.. Fall. who received
the appointment, was not at all GER
tain that adjustment of differences
would be possible. but he believed his
views were right and he thought it
better to attempt to do what his feel
ings told him 1t was right to do rather
than to yield conviction for the sake
of compromise. What he thought was
right other men thought was wrong.
Whoever was right, the result has
been the resignation of MIR. Fall and
the seeming triumph of that school of
conservation thought which was tri-
umphant in the days of Secretary Bal
linger, compelling as it did his res
ignation from the office of the In
terror.
Finchots Policy Wins.
1t seems to be TIE fixed belief here
that President Harding holds with
Secretary Fall that the forestry advo-
Gates have gone too far in their de-
mands for conservation. Neverthe-
less the other thought on the matter
seems to be the more popular one
and so to speak the more numerous
one. Clifford Pinchot was in Washing
ton not long ago. He had a long in
terviev with the President of the
United States, and 1t is not believed
that they discussed the weather en-
tirely.
The Pinchot school of conservation
believes and always has believed that
If the Interior department should gain
control of forestry the trees would
not be saved for posterty. For some
reason the foresters have believed the
Interior department officials were the
enemies of the forests. On the other
hand. the Interior departments belief
has been that the foreSters simply
wished to tie up the tree possessions
of the United States so they could not
be used and at the same time saved
1t has been very pretty row that
has lasted through. the years.
Ask Admission of More Aliens.