Taft Disappointed Conservationists, Let to Split in Party

The aftermath of the Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy led to significant political developments. Theodore Roosevelt had assured Americans during the election of 1908 that Taft would continue the policies established during T.R.’s administration. The Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy, however, demonstrated Taft’s unwillingness to follow the conservation policies of Roosevelt and his supporters. Many Republicans in Congress were disappointed in Taft for what they perceived as his betrayal of Roosevelt. The furor that Pinchot raised about the conservation policies of Ballinger and Taft encouraged insurgent Republicans to oppose Taft's renomination as the Republican presidential standard-bearer. These events were important for the eventual split in the GOP and the formation of the Progressive Party in 1912.