Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1910-05-05
NEWS FROM THE
NATIONAL CAPITAL
DoINGS OF CONGRESS AND ITEMS
OF INTEREST.
BALLlNGER ON THE STAND
Secretary of Interior Vigorously De-
fends Himself.-Declares CLAWS
Is Liar.

w OAN. uCAJN
ing that he had been guilty of any
wrong-doing, Richard A. Ballinger
made bitter attack upon his critics
when a witness before the Ballinger-
Pinchot investigating committee, and
characterized many of the statements
of his principal accuser, l.. R. CLAWS,
as "willful and deliberate lies"
Led on by his attorney, the Cabinet
officer answered one by one the in
dictments of those who would de-
stroy him. He referred with apparent
pride to Theodore Roosevelt's oft-ex-
pressed high estimate of him, particu-
larly the ex-President's statement
when he was commissioner of the
land office, that he had secured a
$4,000 man for $4,000"
Coal Land Action Defended.
He defended his conduct in connec
tion with the Cunningham coal cases
and said emphatically that he would
take the same action now as he did
when at the head of the land office
{ he had the same record before him
Passing from the subject of Alaskan
Jal lands, Ballinger gave a justifi
alton of his attitude toward the re
;lamation service. His most import
ant denial was of the charge made by
Director Newell and Chief Engineer
Davis, that he misrepresented to the
President that the reclamation ser
vice had recommended the restoration
of the waterpower sites withdrawn by
Secretary Garfield.
BY vote on which Mr.. Madison
the insurgent Republican on the COM
mittee, was the only member to de-
part from others of his party, the
committee again rejected Attorney
Brandeis' request that Attorney-Gen-
eral Wickersham should be required
to produce papers which the prose
cution" contends would show that he
antedated his summary to the Presi-
dent of the CLAWS charges against
Ballinger.
Cummins Amendment Defeated.
BY the decisive vote of to 20,
the Administration Republicans de.
feated the Cummins substitute for the
Crawford-Elkins traffic agreement
provision of the railroad bill. The
vote is generally accepted as a test
of the strength of the contending
sides and it is believed it presages
he passage of the bill by safe ma
iority.
Immediately after the result was
announced Senator Cummins gave no
ice of another amendment intended
O accomplish the same purpose. He
had claimed for his. amendment that
it would specifically require the ap-
proyal by the Interstate Commerce
Commission of all rates under the
traffic agreements, in advance OF
their taking effect, but he says his
substitute covered all phases of the
question.
Taft Land Bill to Pass.
The committee on public lands OF
the House, by a majority vote of two,
has reported out the bill authorizing
the President of the United States to
make Withdrawals of public lands in
certain cases. The bill as agreed up.
on authorizes the President to make
Withdrawals for examination and clas.
sification to determine the character
and value of lands withdrawn.
Treasury at Mercy of Thieves.
The astonishing statement was
made by Charles D. Norton, assistant
secretary of the treasury. before the
house committee on expenditures In
the treasury department recently tina,
there was at present no law on the
statute books by which subordinate
IN any of the various subtreasuries Of
the United States could be punished
Sor making away with public funds.
Mercedes Bill Is Favored.
Representative McCredie had q
hearing before the judiciary commit
tee to present arguments in supper
of his bill authorizing the States O
Oregon and Washington to adjust diff
ferences over the boundary line
where 1t follows the Columbia River
and after his hearing the committs,