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Show duck tent" affair becomes part of ihe ballinger investigation Chief Engineer Davis of the Reclamation Ssr vice Denies the Truth of Many Statements Made by Secretary Bailinger and Pre sident Taftfte Is Cross Examined Washington. Mr-(h 12. Chief lln-gli:eer lln-gli:eer Arthur P. Mavis, of the reclamation recla-mation service, wj'o yesterday Hotly dciicd the Irii'h o many r.latements rnade by Secretii llallincer iind Pres-Iden1 Pres-Iden1 T-ift arid odors, continued today us tiie witness b-ti.re the ILilUnger-J'lnch.jt ILilUnger-J'lnch.jt invesiLiit.:i;: rominitteo. Mr. Iai.s was 'pivst '.oned further as to inter lev.v. with Srfietcry p.alllnger. He declared thai the head ol the Interior b: pai t tivnt bad continued coai-tiintly lo crltfcise the reclamatlosi iirviee, and tha' within the last week hud told ibe witness he thought kala-lie;; kala-lie;; jiJiid in the sen lee were ton hlgii, r.tul I bat he prM:.eil a new salary tc:'!e. Mr. Uavls s.ihl tli rumor hul jiersisted that lil:ector Newell was lated to go. The wlrnors rcfo.Ted f ni t her lo the ,-- -'nlty ncnlnst the service In some COI UJUnitleH in iau WCBt. Senator SutLcrlond bought to s'nuv.' Un' mm h cf th" (H"tlRfacllon was dt:e in the faci that on some je. i-jr the orlulnal cstimM- of the cr.st of water had been increased from $2" to a fir.al chavp" of v..lo an n?re. Mr. P.nls admitted thai I h In mleiit be the cr.'js" of some of the discontent. Mr. Mavis hald the engineers r.f the leclamatloii nor i in order to suc-ceefl suc-ceefl In their work and in their relations rela-tions with land ownerr,, ought to have l he earnest support of the secretary of the Interior Me did not fee thf ! Sei 1 retary I'.alllngi r had given his support to this. Attorney pepper re.nl Into tv record rec-ord a letter, recently addressed i il.'' 1ieuie coiiinilitee mi ways and means, by Secretary Hallmgcr in support of the ?:io,0(o,iinii bond issue for rtebi-mtition rtebi-mtition work. In thlo letter Secretary P-alllagcr tpoke of the bnrdsbips whlcli b.'id resulteil to .settlers on some of the projects where co-operating ac,rce-njCDt.s ac,rce-njCDt.s had been outvied into by former for-mer Secretary Carfleld He als.i claimed that Jnducements had been luld out. to settlers to come on Hie bnil, anil that at Tolnca. Mont., there had been erected a lar.?e sign-hoard la itinp settlers to come there. This sicn included the t-.tntcment: "Setibis can work out their jiay-meni." jiay-meni." Mr. Uallinger -aid he ordered this ,T ""Virt of the t-Kn pointed out. -i.Mr. Mals contri'dieted practically ' ry statiMiient in the Rallijger lei-t-A He raid be wv. with Mr. Ha)lin-:er Ha)lin-:er when ho saw the sign; that no C'.ileis had been given to paint out the words, ;nd that up to u lew-days lew-days a.f;o they bud not becu puintcd jut Mr. Mavis said there had been n;) co-operative aieemenl at Tolucii. and that no such tdgns had been elected ntiywliere else, and that no undio inducement bnd cvr been paid to rcttlerb to go to the eo-operp- He Work. At 'oUca the recl.imatlon wovlc bad been completed an-J there was more water available thau land under un-der cultivation. The landti were public, pub-lic, and It was decided that they thould be taken up. ,j The witness related the s -called 'black tent" affair. He sabi that, under order of Secretary Ma Dinger, K. T I'erkltis of the Chicago ofilco e the reclanidilon service, went tbrouph the west, travellug in a blac! tent to advertise reclamation wml.. Il came to the aMemleii of service cflklhls thnt Perkins, In addition lo r tllr.g a salary of $3.2.00 a year, was ucohlUK allowance of JoiiO a month frota the Harrlman railway lines. The Hill lines protested th.-'t Perl Ins was coming Into their territory terri-tory and loeturlriK about projects on the Har.luian Hoe-;. Mr. Mavin said liv recommended Perkins be dl.tniltaeJ. Dlre.-tor Newell New-ell did not agree to this at llr.st. bar later wrote to Perkins, and in a "polite" way requested his rlyrn-tlon. rlyrn-tlon. Secretary Malllngor reprimanded reprimand-ed Newell for interfering in a ma'-t ma'-t r which r. ns bt'ltiR personally conducted con-ducted by liiniself. When bis direct examination hid In en concluded and he w as being o,i:estioiicd by members "f the com-iriit'c. com-iriit'c. Mr. Mavis suddenly remarked: "I want It unih-rvtond lhat 1 don't wiyli to Insinuate in anything I have sold that Secretary M.r.llief b.n Intenllonnlly or conscln'ilv done a WMinn a-cL I don't believe he bar.". At the beginning of the afternoon peson, Mr. P.ivis told of the llssatls- faction among the nclneer of the reclamation service of the "ucsyni-pathetlo "ucsyni-pathetlo attitude of the pres.nt ec-retary ec-retary of the interior in falling to pro rrote them, although recommended for promotion by the supervising- eng -tirers." He scald It would be impossible to retain the;.- men uiilers they wore tr-ntod tnor laiil). and that one ore iicraslon h... Pad a hard lime In pre. eottpg fll tin' engine. r In the vc-r- j vl.-e from resigning in r body as a p'oV'st duulntt the method pursued J by Secrotnrv MaMlngT. i i |
