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Show CARTER r To Pinchot Interview and hci-gis Aisappli-cation Aisappli-cation of Funds -hire to say that the expenditures of the forestry bureau nndr Mr. Pinchot Pin-chot when critically examined will i-how the most amazing misuse of public fundi that cvt occurred in the history of this ' government. If an off cer charged with providing naval na-val equipment or army stores or tho preparation for war lu any form had been found guilty of only investing obout 10 per cent of the money Intrusted In-trusted to him for the purpo ,n vlew he would, In tlm of war. bo court mart'aled and shot. In the ag gregate approximately $2.ri,000.00ft was Intrusted to Tlnchot's 'bureau, and It row turns out that no adequate pro-vision pro-vision was made to enable the for-' esters or the people to stay the ravages rav-ages of fires Under the Pinchot policy pol-icy the settlers were ruthlessly driven driv-en from their homes In the forest regions; the mlulng prospectors were prosecuted and persecuted until exploration ex-ploration for hidden mines became burdensome. The settlers, proapec-tors-aud miners constituted a, splendid splen-did fire-fighting force within tho forests. for-ests. Tholr expulsion Involved startling start-ling acts of Injustice and tyranny, and their absence from the forests In the days of need left the unguarded timber tim-ber an easy prey fo the flames. The handful or forest rangers did the best they could, but they could do little because the money appropriated to prepare for flre-flfihttng had been misapplied mis-applied under the administration of Glfford Pinchot." HELENA, Mont.. Aug. 29 United States Senator Thomas II. Carter, replying re-plying io a recent Interview oi G.f-ford G.f-ford Pinchot, tonight made thla statement: state-ment: "Mr. Gilford Pinchot. late chief forester, for-ester, liBi rubbed into print to abitt lesponsibillty for the distressing forest for-est ilres ' that have devastated so much pi the western country. He could not but realize that the caurtei leading to the disaster which ha3 overtaken tho forests of the west would bo Investigated, and he well knows that investigation will show that the default rests chiefly with himself. He says that Heyburn, Mou-dell Mou-dell and Carter aro responsible because be-cause they opposed appropriations for forest protection. The. fact Is that the gentlemen named opposed the misapplication of the funds appropriated appropri-ated for forest protection. Reductions Reduc-tions In appropriations were never urged except a to moneys being applied ap-plied by Mr. Pinchot to purposes apart from forest protection. Since 1S96 congress has appropriated $19,98U;S0 for tho forestry service. In addition to that princely amount the forestry vervleo collectej lor tlmher and use of the forests, without direct appropriation appro-priation by congress, a sum which I believe will aggregate about $5,000,-000. $5,000,-000. It was the Intent of congress nndvhe country that the money thus appropriated, collected and used should be employed to safeguard the growing timber on the public domain within the limits of forest rescrva- , tlons . "The records of the office over which Mr. Pinchot presided will show that of the congressional approprl- I atlons. only JlHS.OOO was used for Improvements of the national forests, whereas tho extraordinary sum of $17,213,060 was used for general ex pense.i. In addition aud not Included In general expenses aepears a tvilar-IU. tvilar-IU. of $705.020 It will be'fercelvel that about 90 per cent of all the money mon-ey appropriated was used fpr genera' expenses, lnclud;ng tho payment c.' lectures, the payment of , editorial writers and reporters, tho maintenance mainten-ance of a burenu of publicity nnd th" general exploitation of Mr. Pinchot and his absurd campaign for the presidency pres-idency of the UDlted State6. I ven- |
