| Show BALLINGER MEANS BUSINESS Prest rest Taft Yields to His Demands For an Investigation of Con Controversy Controversy Controversy With Pinchot L AFFECTS REPUBLICAN PARTY Leading Members In Congress pool It ItIs itIs Is Js Time Theo to o 0 Uso UNO Lancet on Festering Sore Washington Dec D 20 President Taft Talt today yielded d to the demands ot of both boUt Secy Sec and his hs h critics for a public Investigation I ot of tho whole sub sull subject subject matter underlying tho the er controversy can Wr Mr jr Ballinger this afternoon served upon the president virtually an ultima ultimatum ultimatum tum turn to the tI effect that such larch an art catlon c ga lon was WItS Indeed tho price of his re to remaining remaining in n tho cabinet Ho made mado it clear that ho was no longer willing to tobit tilt bit silent and wait walt for Tor tho thing to blow over tr r Taft It Is said Id reluctantly admit admitted admitted ted kd the disappointment of oC his liopo that the tho country countI at large largo would mould accept as final his own vindication indication of oC Mr Gel ger In Ills his dismissal of tho charges brought against the tho secretary of the In Interior Interior interior by Lr X I T former special s agent of or the land office and his con conclusion conclusion con that the tho investigation demanded by fin tb both sides was Inevitable PARTY AFFECTED D Mr Ballingers attitude In this mat matter matter matter ter has tho the support sU of leading Republicans Republicans cans In both branches of or Congress sen senators i atom aton and representatives who feel 1 that entirely I apart from rom tim tho merits or of orthe orthe the controversy Itself a festering sore sorel l of this character must poison polson the whole system s of the tho party parl In power poster and that It is IH high time to resort to 10 the lance j These e leaders determined that a cleansing of this wound Is necessary r have not hesitated to go O to the Whito loue and Impress their views h 6 upon Mr 1 Taft raft Conferences of a n confidential character dl in which members of the cabinet party part leaders In both houses of Congress and tho the president himself have participated have been b n held In Inthe Inthe the last few days 1 I They culminated to today tollay p lay day when Stay SC Ballinger Att Gen Wickersham and I Hitchcock met in Sir Mir II office and proceeded proc ed thence to the White nhit House Hou where the matter was laid lad before b for tho the president Mr Ir Ballinger Balinger told the tho president it is said that the situation had become In Intolerable Intolerable il tolerable to him him and that the 1 senate charges against t him had como come from Irresponsible Irre persons he ho could no noon longer on er sit supinely by b and In justice to himself ho Ira felt compelled to Insist upon li Ij an Investigation I I Tile The president was given ven to 10 under understand II 9 stand that Mr 1 BJ demand demund car carried s l Tied ried with it the tho endorsement of or both bothi j i Mr fr Wickersham and Mr Hitchcock It Itis i I is known own tonight that he has the sym sympathy s sympathy m pathy alto of other olber members of or the i cabinet II I Tomorrow Is cabinet day da There can bo Ix little doubt that this will be one of or r the lire Important subjects of or tho the meeting Presumably this is ono of or the reasons that the th Investigation backed hacked by b the th administration will wilt not be broached In Congress before tho the holiday recess I Several things have served jered to bring the matter mattel to a head The rune speech of I Hitchcock a Democrat t I of or Nebraska ka In the tho house tL a few tew days da s sI I uso no demanding action upon his reso lution providing for an Investigation 1 i of the th land office was a factor Mr MI Ballinger ol It Is said feared that this II resolution might be laid upon the table by II lie tho Republican majority and that i such action would he be construed by his II j enemies as an effort on the part of the administration to whitewash him hint I A few days ago as he received pointed advice from a close personal friend I iI iii s 9 IF rn r SA SAIF t ass JUDSON HARMON Governor of or Ohio and a Democratic presidential possibility for 1912 a man who has recently left the gov government gO service who has himself been an investigator of tho department of oC justice and who Is an expert on land laws urging Just such an ultimatum as 03 Mr 1011 Ballinger carried to the White WhiteHouse House today toda He impressed upon the tho secretary tho conviction that the time had como come when he must either cither demand an acquittal or retire to private life lifo IMPORTANT ASPECTS ASPENS Four important aspects of the situa situation situation situation tion aro taken into consideration by party part leaders First The effect upon the future futuro of oC the Republican party part and of tile the Taft I administration If Ir attacks upon tho In Integrity integrity of a member of or the presidents official family may be made mado with Im Impunity impunity and allowed to pass unanswered even unchallenged Secondly Thc Tho possibility ot of the con between adherents and opponents opponents opponents of oC Mr Ballinger becoming so bitter as to endanger party legislation Third Tho practical standstill stan of oC tho the whole policy of or conservation of or natural I I resources In the present conflict among those tho o In whose hands lies tho the adminis administration administration of that policy Fourth The desire to do justice to toward toward ward the cabinet whose personal and t ld official Integrity has been boon assailed So the decision has been reached to sift HICl the entire matter nutter ra to the bottom It remains only to settle on tho the details of or Mho tho program All parties understand that the Investigation must bo be of such character eha as to leave le ven in the tho t public pu lIc mind not tile the slightest doul t or us Its noss and Impartiality Mr Is impatient of delay dela and Is said to have havo urged that a resolution resolution resolution tion providing for fur a congressional in investigation be bo presented In tho tiro senate sonata tomorrow It is understood that ho hohas hohall hohas has hall been overruled on that point and that tho the exceedingly complex task of oC determining dt the thO form Corm of Inquiry will willbe willbe willbe be threshed out between now and the reconvening of or Congress on Jan 4 This whole subject gives promise of heated discussion lon among members of ot both houses of or Congress and it Is not unlikely that tho the investigation will at length be put In the lie hands of a joint font special committee representing both Ordinarily an investigation of oC this character would fall all to tho the committee on public lands In one house or tho the theother other These committees are arc made up however largely largel of men mon from Crom west western western western ern states slates who have In one ono way wa or an another another other taken sides hides In the tho controversy and whose Interests might be 00 regarded as possibly J o Interfering with an unbiased un unbiased unbiased biased judgment One thing appears certain the in investigation whoever makes maltes it must be relentless and everybody seems agreed that It must be absolutely public it is admitted J that anything In the nature of oC star chamber cham bel proceedings would satisfy no one The Tho entire department of the tho Interior HO so fur four as It concerns public lands and mineral minerai and water we tel rights It Is agreed must be bared bated to the searchlight from the time when Mr Ballinger was com commissioner commissioner commissioner missioner general of ot the land office un under under der del the tho Roosevelt administration down downto to the tho present moment The position of Mr r Ballinger and his friends goes beyond any question of personal controversy and they and those who voice the tho attitude of the administration disavow any desire to I convict somebody elso else as a means of oC vindicating Indicating the secretary of or the In ten tori or For Instance it is positively declared declare d that the tho interests of tho the department of ot ota o f agriculture a and its forest service of o f which Clifford Pinchot Is chief will be b e recognized as having an important stake in this business since much of ot o othis f this unhappy controversy has hM con concerned corned matters In which tho the forest ser set service vice was more moro or less directly in involved Involved Involved |
