Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-03-27
CLAWS IN A POOR Light
SOME BELIEVE VERTREES TOOK
A SHOT At Ex-PREsiDENr
ROOSEVELT.
Forestry Department Referred to az
1.-THE Pinchot Service" - Pinchot
Vain and 'Flattered By His Own
Publicity Bureau - 6aEIinser Will
Testify Before Long.
:Ry Associated 'Press.)

washington, mar. Zb.-A1Jef the
Ballinger -Pinchot Investigating COM
mittee had twice declined to grant
the request of Attorney Brandeis,
Louis r. CLAWS and
others to compel the immediate at
tendance of Secretary Ballinger as q
John ]. Vertrees late today
made the opening statement In Mr..
behalf and began the pre-
sentation of testimony. Mr.. Vert
rees declared that the testimony of
CLAWS and others would be shown to
be Grossly false.'
There is no act of Mr.. Ballinger"
asserted the attorney, "To which it
Is possible to ascribe any unworthy
motive or improper purpose other
wise than through the suspicion of q
perverted mind, or the resentment of
a discharged public servant, or the
program of an unscrupulous political
intrigue"
Mr.. Vertrees statement sparkled
with epigrams. In one of these re-
ferring to the acts of officers OF the
last administration, the attorney
said:
There was reign of men. March
4, came the reign of law"
Although Vertrees was particularly
referring to Garfield and Pinchot,
some members of the committee, af-
ter adjournment we're inclined to
construe the statement as a, fling at
Mr.. Roosevelt and so expressed
themselves.
Patriot Glavis'' came in for a
10 cI>n -
"Glavis, suspicious by nature, be-
came perverted by detective ser
vice."
"Glavis, believed to be honest and
known to be capable"
"Glavis' refusal to speak Is to be
ascribed to q vanity that brooks no
suggestion
Mr.. Vertrees also dwelt at length
upon Pinchot:
"The Pinchot service as he chose
to designate the forestry.
"Mr. PinchOt, vain and flattered
by his own publicity bureau
"Pinchot ceased to be the depart
ment of agriculture"
''He was exposed and Ballinger had
committed the objectionable sin of
-
man.
Here was the birthplace of that
spirit Of resentment ani revenge, to
assassinate the good name of Mr..
Ballinger and bring reproach on the
president of the United States who
had not retained Mr.. Garfield AMI
had dismissed Mr.. Pinchot."
OF Mr.. Ballinger, the attorney
said:
"Mr. Ballinger hollis that conser-
walton is not a thing of caprice, but
of law"
"True conservation has no sturdier
supporter than he"
"Those who have already been
born and now breath, have rights as
well as those yet 10 be born and yet
to breathe"
Developments ought not to be ex.
lied by theorists and doctrinaires."
In restoring to entry vast areas
of the public domain which he be-
lieved to have been wrongfully
Mr.. Ballinger still be-
lieves he was right, but if he erred
he denies that it was an error for
which the good faith of his official
action should be questioned by those
who wouli substitute opinion for
law"
Not a site was lost" "He could
have transferred Mr.. CLAWS at any
time and obviously would have done
so Lad he been minded to bring
about improper official action, which
Patriot Claws was preventing and
thwarting where he was"
Mr.. Vertrees statement was long
one, going into details of practically
every phase of the case. He said it
would be shown that as regards the
claims AMI in all other
matters Mr.. Ballinger was "Clean
and that his actions had
been those of an honest and upright
citizen and Official.
The day was replete with interest
The growing bitterness between At
:orneys Vertrees AMI Brandeis mani
tested itself in several sharp ex-
changes.
The demands of Mr.. Brandeis, first
hat Mr.. Ballinger appear as a wit
less to be examined as a part of the
,ase for the prosecution" and later,
hat he be required to appear as the