The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-05-06
MIR. BALLnlCER'S
TESTIMONY
SECRETARY OF INTERIOR ON .fuE
STAND IN HIS OWN
DEFENSE.
Makes Bitter Attack on Accusers and
Declares Portions Of CLAWS TEST.
mony Untrue-Defends Conduct II
Connection With Cunningham Coal
Land Cases.

Ballinger, secretary OF the interior.
made bitter attack upon his critics
while witness before the Ballinger-
Pinchot investigating committee, and
characterized many Of the sworn
statements of his principal accuser. T..
R. CLAWS, as "wilful and deliberate
| lies"
Questioned by his attorney, Mr.. Yer
trees, the cabinet officer answered.
one by one, indictments made in pub
lie and in print. He referred to Theo-
dore Roosevelt's Oft-expressed esti-
mate of him when he was commission
er of the land office, that he had "se-
cured $4,000 man for $4,000"
Defends Conduct in Coal Cases.
He defended his conduct in connec-
ton with the Cunningham coal cases,
and stated he would take the same &C
ton today as ne did when at the head
of the land Office, if he had the same
record before him.
After leaving the land Office Mr..
Balinger declared his only connection
with the Cunningham cases was in
bringing East from Seattle an affida-
Wit of Clarence Cunningham and pre-
senting it to Secretary Garfield. For
this advice, he said, he had received
5000 or $3.50, which he regarded as
travelling expenses.
He said when he became secretary
of the interior he refused to pass upon
the claims in any way.
Pinchot Controversy Tomorrow.
Attorney Vertrees still has to exam
inc Mr.. Ballinger on the subject of
water power sites, before Mr.. Bran
dels, counsel for Mr. CLAWS, and Mr..
Pepper, attorney for Pinchot, begin
the cross-examination The secretary's
testimony today dealt almost excul-
sively with the CLAWS charges; to-
morrow it will embrace his attitude
toward conservation and the begin
ming of his controversy with Forester
Pinchot.
"The defense" hopes to conclude by
noon tomorrow. If this hope is real
lied Mr.. Brandels will have Mr.. Bal
linger in hand all afternoon.
Tells Of Meeting Cunningham.
Mr.. Ballinger related his connection
with Clarence Cunningham after he
had left the land Office He said he
met Cunningham about September 4,
1908, through c. ]. Smith of Seattle.
Cunningham asked him what steps to
take, calling attention to affidavits he
made.
He declared Cunningham called
three or four times, and in the mean
time prepared an outline of facts in
connection with efforts to acquire coal
lands in Alaska He did not expect to
represent Cunningham, but as he was
coming East both Cunningham and
Smith asked him to take the affidavit
to Garfield. He took it to Garfield at
his home in Ohio.
Quotes Mr.. Garfield.
He again saw Garfield and also
bennett in Washington on September
%, and Garfield said to him: IF these
people would come under the law of
May %, 1908, they would get their
patents" otherwise they would not.
In the Wilson Company's cases,
CLAWS had testified Ballinger had
drawn up an escrow agreement giving
his client, Wilson, right to purchase
four claims after patents had been Sc
cured. AS the claims had not been
proved up, CLAWS contended perjury
would have had to have been commit
ted to secure patents for those lands.
Denies CLAWS Story.
Mr.. Ballinger today emphatically de-
MED he had ever prepared such an
argument and characterized the story
as another case where this man
CLAWS deliberately attempted to build
up a case to besmirch my character"
81 bitterly denounce his testimony in
that connection" added the secretary.
Questioned about Claws statement
that he met Mr.. Ballinger in Seattle
| in the summer of 1908, and that the
latter told him the Cunningham
claims were in bad fix, Mr.. Ballinger
interrupted his lawyer impatiently.
characterizes Statement as Lie.
ssThat is deliberate lie," he ex-
claimed. aand like many other of his
statements to this committee. It is
another contemplate attempt of that
man CLAWS to besmirch my charac-
ter"
Passing on to the time when he be-
came secretary Of the interior, Balm
ger said he burned all his bridges
behind him. dissolved his law firm and
severed all connections with corpora
TONS"
Mr.. vertrees asked Mr.. Ballinger to
explain whether. as charged ~ CLAY
is. he changed his mind overnight
about asking Attorney General Wick
ersham for an opinion on the proper
construction Of the law Of May 8, art
er he had promised to do 50 at CEN
ference with Claws, Commissioner
bennett and Chief Of Field Division