The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-29
Ballinger Noble, Says
Vertrees; Scoundrel,
Says Brandeis.
REVERSE ORDER
FOR MR.. PINCHOT
Attorneys Take Parting Shots at
Leading Figures in Conscrva-
ton Irnbroglio - Sued for
Damages, Lawler Retracts
Uncomplimentary Re-
marks About Connolly.

lIldIkS ABOUT SOn1Olly.
Washington, May 2s.--Thc Ballingcr-
Pinchot investigation ended to-day In
blazo of verbal fireworks. The ora ;
torical efforts closed the open hear
ings. and tho attorneys who have been
engaged in tho case now will prepare
briefs for submission TO the committee.
which will meet July IL to receive
them.
When / came into this case, a
stranger to Mr.. Ballingcr." exclaimed
Attorney Vertrees In closing his ad-
dress, these were my Instructions:
so far as am concerned there is
no bottom 10 this affair, said Mr.. Bal
linger; 'as to my subordinatcs. II is
not matter of knowledge. but I be-
lieve those about me are honest, but
whether they are or not. let this In
vestigation proceed in any direction
which II may
Whatever your report may be I
realize fully that you cannot save him
from the injury that has been done.
but at the same time / know the re-
port must be in accordance with the
evidence and the facts in this case
and that his official career is with
out spot or stain"
II am afraid Mr.. Vertrees has becn
corrupted since he came here from the
Southwest was Attorney Peppers
parting shot In defense OF Mr.. Pin
chot .'Unsophisticated as he was, he
came in contact with spirit of sus-
picion, and I think he scented con-
spiracy where there was none. What
there was. was a series of successive
blows dealt by MFR. Ballinger against
interests which werc vital TO group
of men who had dedicated their lives
TO cause"
Brnndeis Has Last Word.
Glaviss attorney, Mr.. Brandeis had
the last word. Here was man dis
rraced. condemned. not only without
hearing without seeing the hundreds
and hundreds of pages OF evidence
which were collected by Assistant At
torney-General Lawler, but without
knowledge that there was charge
against him. Why. why was he sac
rificed? 1t rests deep In the conccp-
ton which actuatcd Mr.. Ballinger and
the men who stood with him. and It
is the conception of class of priv
ilege that men high In exalted station
must be protected at all cost. but a
man merely an humble servant of the
government has no rights IL for the
protection of Ballingcr 1t is necessary
to condemn innocent men
The hearing room was crowded. and
at the conclusion of each speech
demonstration interrupted the pro-
ceedinSs.
Attorney vertrees was most bitter
in his denunciation of former Secrc-
tary Garfield and former Chief For
ester Pinchot. who. he said, conspred
to accomplish the removal of Mt.
Ballinger from public life because his
was an administration of .law and
not of men,"
He said Pinchot had been credited
does not Deserve and insinuated that
he would scruple at nothing to carry
out his purposes and plans
In beginning his reply. Mr.. Pepper
declared that 1t was n wholly base
less charge" that Garfeld's opposition
to Ballinger had been inspired by a.
feeling of disappointment at not hav-
ing been retained in the Taft Cabinet.
He said that if that had been SO Gar
fields antagonism would not have been
directed toward Ballinger.
Saying that he suspected Mr.. Ner-
trees of caricaturing conservation when
he depicted Pinchot and his friends as
standing between private interests and
"the peoples coal. eXclaiming, Don't
Let Gugsic get it, Mr.. Pepper added:
"The Ballinger idea of conservation
seems to be DO let GugGie get the
COAL
lawyers Condemned.
In Mr.. Brandeiss closing speech ref
erence was made to Nertrees's state
ment that Ballingcr's administration
Xt,, Il of
Rather of lawyers and not of men,
suggested ndeis-.lawyers who have
been ever ready to resort to loose con-
struction OF the lava when private in.
forests were threatened and strict
construction Of 1T when the public in
tcrest was involved.
Brandes said that if Ballinger, as
secretary, had left to his subordinatcs,
which he said he did not believe, the
handling of the Cunningham cases. he
was unfaithful to his public trust. Fie
paid high tribute TO the Pinchot fol-
lowing and the independent press"
"But for these publications and these
men," lie declared, there would have
ibeen done, in this country an act of IN
1Justice as great as that done Droyfus
I'm Franco and for very similar reasons.
4 {As suggested by Mr.. Vertrecs, men III
txaltec positions have got to be pro-
iected at all hazards, and If they can
tot be protected by truth, then lying
must be eXcrted for that end"
Rctracts His Charges.
When the Ballinger- -Pinchot commits
te, met to-day, Representative Mccall
OF Massachusetts presiding In the ab-
se,ce of Chairman Nelson. read a letter
from Oscar Lawler, Assistant Attorney.
Gcleral for the Interior Department
nnc,r date of to-day retracting his
recnt statement before the committee
rencting upon G. II, Connolly, a maga-
zine writer, What he had testified
M aboH Mr.. Connolly, hessaid, he had be-
es5 lieva to be correct but in View OF
Mr.. ionnolly's letter, read to the com
mite yesterday, he Judged that he had
heensnislnformed. He said he did not
lnten to do any wrong to Mr.. Con,
Continued on Fifth Iage,)