EDITORIAL 51 



the Forest Service, on the ground of There is a rising tide of suspicion, 



"pernicious activity." In this it seems confined to no one section of the country 



to us the Secretary goes too fast. Log- and to no one party, of the way these 



ically the latter can and should wait. If things are managed. We do not under- 



the serious charges involving certain take to say whether this suspicion is 



officials of the Interior Department are well grounded or not. This we do say, 



sustained the Forest Service men who however, if we are now to have an in- 



may have been instrumental in assisting vestigation of what is growing into a 



to unearth the facts cannot be accusedof national scandal, let it be, as Mr. Bal- 



pernicious activity. Under what princi- linger and Mr. Pinchot are said to have 



pie of ethics or even of official etiquette requested, public. Let it be also free 



are officers of one branch of the Gov- from suspicion of partisanship ; free 



ernment estopped from exposing from suspicion of being tampered with 



wrongs committed against the people, in the interest of any man or group of 



even by officers of another branch of men. Otherwise the last state of this 



the Government? If Secretary Ballinger unpleasant affair will be worse than the 



shows that he has been wronged there first. We want a clean bill of health 



will be time enough to determine what that we can have no reason to doubt, or 



means were used to discredit him and a competent diagnosis of the disease 



the country will support such an inquiry and means for its cure, 



in the interest of fair play. $t % % 



On the general question there can be 



no doubt that the limit of the public S retary Ballinger on the Powetvsite Question 



patience is about reached and that a OECRETARY BALLINGER'S rec- 



thorough, searching and judicial inves- O ommendations on the power-site 



tigation of the facts is demanded in question were published in Conserva- 



justice to the individuals concerned, to lion for December (page 780). Their 



the administration as a whole, of which liberal character has occasioned much 



they are a part, and to that larger body comment. 



which is most vitally concerned but re- His recommendations may be sum- 

 ceives scant consideration the Amer- marized as follows : 

 ican people. The titles to the water-power sites 

 This investigation must not be po- should be reserved by the the United 

 litical if it is to have public confidence. States Government; grants of sites 

 It is a reerettable fact that the exonera- should be limited to a maximum of 

 tion by President Taft of Secretary Bal- thirty years ; grantees of water priv- 

 linger from the criticism of his course ileges must develop at least twenty-five 

 implied in the statement of Mr. Glavis, per cent of the power capable of de- 

 failed to convince the people, notwith- velopment within four years ; a moder- 

 standing their high regard for the ate charge must be made upon the 

 Presidency and for the judgment and capital invested or upon the gross earn- 

 integrity of its present incumbent. It ings of the project in its first ten years 

 was quite generally felt -that the Presi- of operation, adjusted at each subse- 

 dent felt compelled at that juncture to quent ten-year period, and equitably 

 sustain the Cabinet officer he had so determined by appraisement ; rights to 

 recently appointed. Similarly any con- be forfeitable upon failure to develop 

 gressional investigation that bears any power or upon combination by grantees 

 suspicion of being "framed up" to meet to fix exorbitant rates, 

 party exigency, to "whitewash" any one. Commenting on these proposals, the 

 or to do anything except to find and re- Rocky Mountain News, a leading op- 

 port the real facts that affect the peo- ponent of "Pinchotism," editorially pro- 

 pie's property and the honest adminis- tests (November 30), declaring: 

 tration of the laws, will fail to win the "The News is frankly hostile to at 

 acceptance of the Nation and will make least one portion of the Secretary's 

 far worse what is already a bad matter, water-power device. This is, in brief, the 



