Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-28
Begins His Address by Charging Re-
porters with Being Unfair.
THEN APPEALS TO COMMITTEE
Its Members Are Asked to Lay Aside
~ Political Considerations.
SAYS SECRETARY UNSAFE MAN
Mr.. BrandeIs Insists BRlIinger Cam
not BE Depended Upon to
Carry out Conservation
Il. Policy.

argument before the Ballinger-Pinchot IN
vestigatlng committee. Attorney Nertrees'
counsel for Mr.. Balllnger, today made
scathlng denunciation of the press for It's
attitude toward this case and said the only
commandment the newspaper men seemed
to obey was:
Give us this day our daily bread"
Mr.. oimsted interrupted TO inquire what
commandment that was and Mr.. Vertrees
replied amid laughter:
THE eleventh"
Speaking slowly and smiling on the com
mlttee Mr.. Vertrees, counsel for Secretary
Baliinger then began his reply to counsel
on the other side OF the case.
II cannot but admire the sublimity of his
faith" he said, referring to the statements
EJust made by Mr.. Pepper Then, referring
: to the remarks OF both Mr.. Brandeis and
Mr.. Pepper, he continued;
II "One of these men told us what an irres-
Nulute and wishy-washy man Secretary Bal
llnger was. That was the argument of Mr..
Brandeis. Now the other gentleman, Mr..
Pepper, finds him a resoute man absolutely
dominating and controlling every man
around him. SO you see the difficulty 1
am in endeavoring to answer arguments
like this.
What 1 shall say shall be addressed to
this table and not that one," indicating
first the committee table and then the
press table.
ROast for the Press.
What the committee expects Is a knowl-
edge Of this case as 1t will be given them
through their chosen representative here
and not those arguments which reporters
catch for the purpore OF putting into the
Npapers for the people to read continued
Mr.. Nertrees.
Mr.. Vertrees then proceeded to pay his
respects to the press.
..on the whole. 1t seems to me" he said,
''that they (the reporters) seem TO be sub
ieet to the criticism that goes with the
Injustice which they may do to those
they assault and impugn 1 do not say
that this so-cailcd press has risen like a
'luminary in heaven / rather believe that
{ they appeal TO mems prejudices rather
\ than to tho cultivation of their under
standing.
"EIeventh Commandments"
."There is one Part of the Lords COM
mandments to which they seem to care
fullv attend, Give us this day our daily
bread-they write that which gives then
their daily bread"
.'May i interrupt" interposed Represen
tatiye Oimstead, TO inquire which one o.
tkA ten commandments that is?"
tNookIng down on the table abashed anC
- HmilinR In embarrassment. Mr.. Vertrees re
Ynalned silent until the dyink out of tn
peals of laughter called forth from specta
TORS and members of the committee by thu
question he could not answer. Te then re
Piled with a smile
The eleventh"
Then appealing to the committee to pu
ia t., 81, a.
termination of the case against Mr.. Bal
linger, Mr. Vertreds suggested that at
time like the present In such a case a
the committee was called on to decide. the
should ali be republicans and all democrat
Deuouncing the act of Mr.. Ballinger'
cu8ihential stenographer to whom he re
ferred as This creature Kerby,' in max
ing public information bearing on tn
preparation OF the Lawler memorandum
Mr. Vertrees drew the conclusion tina
\ bkerby having testified TO no more than h
~ O., after his long and confidential re
lation with Secretary Ballinger, really pal
a high tribute to the character OF Mr.. Ba
linger
Brandeis for Prosecution.
In summing up the case of the so-calle
''prosecutIon," Attorney Louis ID. Brar
dels, counsel for L. r. CLAWS, declare
that It had been eonelusiYely establishe
that Secretary Balllnger is not a man IS
Eealously devoted to the interests of tn
common people, so vgilant and resolute /
resisting the insidiods aggregation of tn
special interests that he may be safely dc
pended On to carry forward the broad pole
set conservation OF our national resources,
That he is subject to far severer crit
eism We firmly believe" added Mr. Brar
deis.
Mr. Brandeis spoke for about two hour
reserving half an hour for closing aft'
Attorney Vertrees had addressed the con
mittee on behalf of MI. Ballinger. He n
ferred to Mr., CLAWS as '.the ideal publ
servant and to Clifford Pinchot as "a ma
OF character so high as to be even aboN
the suspicion Of self seeking"
Kerby's Act Defended.
He vigorously defended the action
stenographer Frederick NJ Kerby in NAL
ing public confidential information Of Il
Interior department bearing on the prep
ratieCn OF the Lawler amendment and sa
ito cHuclse Kerby for this action involv
q total misconceptlon OF the nature OF o,
government
Gy9e secretary OF the interior. the trust
forYthe people of the public domain shou
have the ability TO stand up against ever
one and should be vigllant." declared NJ
Brandels. "Would anyone think of dubbir
our present secretary "Stonewalr' Bs
iinger? Instead OF being unswerving
Yields to pressure, yields TO not only
acts, but also In statement. be II writt
or spoken.
This Investigation has been referred
rs a struggle for conservation, a strugS
against the special interest. 1t is that. b
4 - Tar more. In Its essence. it is [
klruHle for democracy, the struggle
the fsinalb, pan against the overpoweri
An fln.rltYM thn hir nnlitIcnlly ns ,.nn