Evening star., 1925-07-06
Pinchot's Attack on Mellon.

| GERS fall out the bootleggers laugh.
They may be expected to take a long
| chortle over the slashing attack de-
vania against Secretary Mellon of the
Treasury Department, charging fail
ure to enforce prohibition.
The governors diatribe against Sec
retary Mellon might have been more
effective. however, were 1t not for the
suspicion that a State political row
| underlies it. Gov. Pinchot is credited
with senatorial aspirations. Senator
George Wharton Pepper comes up for
denomination and reelection, IL noml.
mated. next year. And rumor has it
that Mr.. Pepper will have the earnest
support Of Secretary Mellon in his
candidacy, and that Senator Reed, a
Mellon man, will also put his shoulder
to the wheel for Mr.. Pepper. The
stage is set for a pretty political
fight, with the governor lined up
against the Republican organization.
The inference, therefore, is that Gov
Pinchot is turning the limelight on
himself by his dry crusade, and at the
same time taking a smash at the
forces that will oppose his nomination
for the Senate. II Mr.. Pinchot goes
into the contest for the senatorial
| nomination, as it has been repeatedly
published he will, his platform will be
dryer than the Sahara Desert.
Gov. Pinchot was correct in his
been really enforced in the United
| States. 1t is no secret, and 1t is a
fact that lends color to the charges
| brought against Secretary Mellon or
any other officer of the Government
in connection with prohibition enforce
ment. But Gov. Pinchot has gone
much further than this in his attack
on Mr.. Mellon. He has impugned the
motives of the Secretary of the Treas
ury. He has insisted that because
of Mr.. Melons former interest In
large distillery. Mr.. Mellon has delib-
erately sought not to enforce prohioi-
ton. And the enforcement of the pro-
hibition law comes under Mr.. Melons
department.
To saw that the law has not been
enforced does not mean necessarily
that Secretary Mellon has not tried
to enforce it-has not done his duty
as Secretary of the Treasury, which
is charged with law enforcement. But
that is the impression which Gov.
Pipchot has sought to leave in the
minds of the public.
In his Portland speech Gov. Pinchot
spoke hopefully of the appointment of
Gen. Andrews, Assistant Secretary Of
the Treasury, In direct charge of pro-
hibition enforcement, and declared
that at last a real effort toward pro-
hibition enforcement might be under
way. In a measure the governor con-
tradicts his own charge against Mr..
Mellon by this statement. For Mr..
Mellon, it is well understood, rules
the Treasury Department, and no man
would be selected for Assistant Secre-
tary without his entire approval.
Gov. Pinchot is the crusading type.
Without any disparagement of his
services or his efforts, he has never
been inclined to tolerance. He has
seen one side of the questions pre-
sented. AS member of the tennis
cabinet" of the old Roosevelt days, he
took his stand with the Progressives.
He broke with President Taft over the
administration of the Interior Depart
ment by Secretary 'Ballinger. Incl
dentally, 1t may be recalled that be-
fore the Senate committee which in
vestigated the charges against Ballin-
ger, Senator Pepper, who was not
then Senator, appeared as attorney
on the Pinchot side of the controversy.
The value to the cause of prohibi-
ton of such assaults as that deliv-
cred by Gov. Pinchot against Mr.. Mel
lon is extremely doubtful. Whether
they will be valuable to the cause of
Gov. Pinchot is also open to doubt.
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