Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-03-05

| washington, Mdfcn 4.-Ine Bal
llinger PinchOt investigation dragged
Ialong through two sessions today. Mr.
Vertrees, counsel for Secretary Bal
linger, continued his cross examination
of Clifford Pinchot. He elected some
interesting facts from the former for
ester but for the most part the day
was taken up largely with wrangles
between the attorney and the witness
and some time between Mr.. Vertrees
and! counsel for the other side. Mr..
Piuchot complained to the committee
that it was difficult to explain forest
service matters to a man 50 little in
formed on the subject as Mr.. Vertrees
appeared to be. The members of the
committee showed considerable i'm
patience during the session and Sena-
tor Flint repeatedly urged counsel to
stop disputing and try and get down
to facts.
Many of Mr.. Vertrees' questions
We're based on documentary evidence
and he read copiously from the record
of the case. Senator Flint stated that
one letter had been placed in the rec
ord at least 20 different times. Mr..
Pinchot admitted that his first hand
knowledge Of Mr.. Ballingers acts was
very limited, but he reiterated that the
secretary of the interior deceived the
| President concerning the Cunningham
coal cases and made q statement to
the President which was obviously I'M
true"
AT the afternoon session Mr.. Yer
trees questioned Mr.. Pinchot closely
regarding forest rangers being sent to
agricultural colleges and brought out
the fact that Mr.. Pinchot was simply
| under the impression that he informed
the secretary of agriculture of what
he was doing, but he was not willing
to swear TO it. The attorney sought
to show that Mr.. Pinchot and former
Secretary of the Interior Garfield were
in the habit of doing what they thought
best, regardless of the law. and that
their antagonism to Mr.. Ballinger was
brought about by his determination
to proceed wholly within the law
While interest in the investigation
had already been attested by large
crowds at all of the sessions OF the
committee, the crush to get in the
hearing room since Clifford Pnchot
took the stand. has been such that even
the handling of newspaper copy out of
the room has been at times made i'm
possible. The great majority of spec
tators are women. Mrs Pinchot, the
mother of the former forester, has been
at the hearing almost daily.
When the committee adjourned
Tuesday last, the cross examination OF
Mr.. Pinchot had just been begun by
John j. Vertrees counsel for Mr.. Bal
linger and the other accused officials
of the interior department. Upon the
resumption of the hearing today there
was every indication that Mr.. Pinchot
would be on the stand all day. AS
Soon as Mr.. Pinchot took the stand to-
day Mr. Vertrees for Mr.. Ballinger
said:
Mr. Pinchot, please state one single
. fact of your own knowledge that re-
fleets upon Mr. Ballinger's conduct
whether as commissioner of the land
Office or secretary of the interior-not
hearsay, not what somebody else said
or wrote-of your own knowledge
The witness hesitated. Then he adj
) dressed Senator Nelson:
Mr. Chairman, in order to answer
that question. because of the nice dis
elimination it involves, ! must ask
your permission to refer to list
has DONE
The permission was granted and af-
: ter perusal of the list, Mr.. Pinchot
said
, The fact of my own knowledge is
that of Mr. Ballinger's letter to the
President of Nov. Is, with which he
, enclosed the Ronald letter. These let
tiers contain misstatements which
| .1,n ND t1,A
, prepared to show
Mr. Nertrees-"You have testified
here largely by inference and innuendo
Now state what you personally know
Mr.. Ballinger said or did"
Mr.. Pinchot-"The letter of Nov. Is.
Mr.. Vertrees-"What else?"
Mr.. Pinchot-'I never discussed The
= Cunningham cases with Mr.. Ballnger
The only knowledge / have at frs
hand is limited to writings that are
not disputed
Mr.. Pinchot denied that either he OIL
any of his people owned stock in The
Pocahontas Coal Co He said that III
to the time he sent CLAWS to Presden
Taft, Mr.. Ballingers views as to con-
servation were different from his own
l "Then you were unfriendly?"
= Il distrusted his policies and wha
he would do
so, Mr.. Pinchot," said Mr.. Vertrees
/ after all that statement you made t.
the committee when you took tht
stand, all you can cite against Mr.
i Ballinger of your own knowledge i:
the letter of Nov. Is to the President? p
Il said 1 expected to prove some o
tho fhipCc charged nv other Wit
nesses."
Referring to his testimony that Mr.
Rallinger, as commissioner of the lant