Show ASSAilS MCABE MCA FOR OFF Oft EXPENSE OF EDUCATING f S NEW YORK YOEK Feb 10 Gifford 10 Gifford i i Pinchot deposed led c chief forester of the United United States but still loyal to his policies a as as' president of th the national conservation committee defends ran rangers ers of the forest service i in a speech before tho National Arts rt club in New NewYork NewYork NewYork York last ast night Mr Pinchot bitterly assailed assailed as as- sailed the action of f George Greorge P. P McC McCabe be solicitor of th the department who as temporary chief after Pinchot's dismissal dis missal took action to abolish the collegiate colle collo- training of foresters at government government govern govern- ment expense This action Mr Pinchot described as a secret attack on the tho service prostituting of the law a method so effectively effectively ef ef- ef used by special interests against the people and a cruel and needless loss He said in part I I am as proud of the forest servIce service S. S ice Ice and its men as I ever was and I venture to think that it has as proved the tho value of its ideal by it its achievements and the enemies i it has made Concrete Illustration Now let me give you the best illustration illus mus fration n I have seen in m recent years of how a public officer under pretext of obedience to the law may traffic with it and abuse abusO it to the public injury it Upon my dismissal the solicitor of the department of agriculture George P. P McCabe pending the arrival of another another an other officer front from the field geld was made acting forester for three or four days It appears that he learned tJ then tjien en of the ranger schools at the four state universities and arid sent tele telegrams ams to the disbursing disbursing disbursing ing officers in the field to pay ay no expense ox ex penso pense connected with them These Those telegrams tele telo- grams were kept secret from every member of the tho service in Washington ton tone e except the tho stenographer who wrote them With equal concealment from all the men in the forest service a letter was prepared and sent to die the comp compo asking for a speedy advance decision decision de as to the le legality of the ranger schools This s letter was clearly intended intend ed cd and was so o framed as to secure a decision against the schools and it was successful in doing so Charges Misrepresentation This letter is a a misrepresentation because it omits to st state te the ct essential and incontrovertible facts First that the forest servi service e must have trained ran rangers ers Second that it can got get them only by training them after they thel enter the be service It It follows that the training of theran the tho ran rangers ers by the service Ce is necessary clearly and ana undeniably for the tho administration administration adminis adminis- protection and improvement of the national forests Being necessary for that purpose it falls well within the terms of the agricultural bill and is therefore lawful Consider now the situation und under r which this decision of the comptroller was obtained The Tho solicitor of the department de do- of a agriculture is the officer charged with promoting the welfare of the tho department and all its bureaus on the legal side Both as solicitor and acting forester he was in honor and in duty bound rind to forward the work of the forest service by every lawful means at athis athis atus his us command By his official position he lie was its couns counsel l and advocate Yet Yettie he tie mad made no attempt to assist the service service servo ice in this matter matterS Alleges Secret Attack On the contrary he lie led the secret attack upon it and used an anxious and successful car cars carb that no attempt to defend defend de do- fend its course should be made by any other man The men mefa of the forest service were first informed that the thele le legality of their work was in question only after adverse judgment had been rendered without giving them any hearing hearing hear hear- in ing whatsoever I I am not concerned with the motive behind this indefensible sacrifice of the public welfare It is a typical illustration illustration tion of a certain way to obey the law Of course it is not obedience to the law at all aU but the prostitution of the law It is the thet method so effectively used by bythe bythe bythe the special interests against the people and there is nothing to be said in its favor The whole is not proceeding seen in its true li light ht until we realize its effect ef feet on nearly of the best young men in the forest foret service who were officially of of- ordered to those schools for in in These rangers are poor men working for from to 1300 a year year- and they need their pay Yet the they will lose not only their pay for the time they attended these schools but the money already advanced out of their own pockets for traveling expenses Cruel Needless Loss It uIt is cruel loss If the spirit of the forest service and especially especial especial- ly ite the of harm the rangers done on er to were the e national less admirable forests f by the tho de decision ision so so would bo incalculable At best it will be nearly as reaching far as it is il needless and that is saying a great reat deal leal But the fine loyalty of o these ran rangers ers to their work is shown by y the fact thai thal about half of them have stayed on at the ranger schools at their own expense the better betterto to learn their nubile duties Their devotion devotion de de- de in doing so is is worthy of all praise but I do not believe the people of the United States can afford to let that devotion stand u repaid by anything anything any any- thing more than the promotion these men have nave already earned by bythe the quality of their work Widespread Effects It uIt would be bad enough if this gratuitous g check to the improvement I of sf the public public- service service were nothing more than a rebuke to the hi higher her offices of the service who were responsible for theran the tho ran ranger er schools They Ther were doin doing their I duty as they saw it But when the weight of it falls as as it does upon the themen themen themen men who can least afford to carry it who simply obeyed orders its ruthless disregard of ordinary humanity becomes its most striking characteristic I It would be hard to find a better I or a more bitter illustration of the use I of the law as for cover not doin doing what a public officer has a a. right to do and I what the public interests demand that he should do I submit the two points I of view to your jud judgment ment and abide by your decision I |