OCR Text |
Show CALLS FORESTRY CHIEF DREAMER Senator Fulton of Oregon MaKes Vigorous Reference Refer-ence to Giflord Pinchot ; Charges of Fraud. WASHINGTON. Feb. Id After more than Ave hour' consideration of the agricultural appropriation bl'l today the Senate increased from $3500 to $5000 the salary of Olfford Pinchot. Chief Forester. The debate . was devoted mostly to the methods of administration and general policy of the forest service, and at times broadened to include the public land question generally Practically no progress pro-gress was made on the agricultural bill. Last week's comment regarding the Increase In-crease in the salary of Mr. Pinchot. led Mr. Fulton to make a general criticism of the administration of this bureau. The salary Increase was agreed to before Mr. Fulton took -the floor.- i "I undertake to say," said he, "that of all the frauds. that ever, have been perpetrated per-petrated on this Government; of all the losses this Government' has ever Incurred through the operation-of any department, it has lost more and greater frauds have been perpetrated under the administration administra-tion of the Forestry Bureau than any other oth-er department of the Government." Mr. Fulton said much had been heard about land frauds In the West, but es a matter-of faet the Government had never lost a dollar under the Timber and Stone art, but had lost millions of dollars under the administration of the Forest Reserve statute. Persons entitled to land in areas of forest reserve had been given scrip for an equal quantity of land, without with-out regard to Its quality, outside such reserves. Thus this vast area of most magnificent timber land In the Northwest North-west had been taken by persons wh.o had relinquished worthless lands in other sections. sec-tions. Mr. Fulton said: "The chief of the Forestry Bureau la a highly cultured dreamer." Mr. Dolliver defended the ' Agricultural and Interior Departments. As to the Secretary of the Interior, he said. ' the country generally believed in his integrity integ-rity and several Institutions .of learning had conferred degrees on him, "not for his learning, but for his Integrity." Senator Warren asked If foreign colleagues col-leagues were In better position to judge of the administration of the Secretary of the Interior In reference to Western States than Senators from those States. Mr. Aldrlch then asked If the Government Govern-ment hadgone into the sheep-farming Industry In-dustry for the preservation of the forests. Mr. Fulton Interjected that It was doing just that thing. |