The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-19
.DALL||IG[R kept
HIS PlnT IN DARK
War Attorney for Land Claim
ants But Had None
Omitted.
STARTLING PAPERS
BROUGHT TO SIGHT
Witness Springs Sensation Be-
fore Investigating Commit
tees by Locating Records.
Proceedings Interesting.

WASHINGTON. Feb. 1s.--When
the Baiiinger-Pfnchot hearing was re-
sumed to-day before the special com
sHessienat investigating committee,
Attorney Vertrees on behalf OF Bal
ltnger said that he had no more
questions TO ask L. X. CLAWS, the chief
prosecuting witness. and Henry NJ.
Hoyt. attorney-general for Porto
Rico and formerly assistant district
attorney at Seattle. was called to the
stand
After being sworn Hoyt said he had
been at various periods special attor-
ney or the Department of Justice and
assistant attorney Tor the State of
Washington.
u was in May, 1909" the witness
said. that while In Washington one
day found at hay room card from
CLAWS indicating that he wanted to
see me. ! went down To- the Interior
Department and saw CLAWS. Al once
he informed me he was in very
troublesome situation. We walked
out about the streets while he talked
to me. He said Ii there was any de-
cision on the law of May IS, 1905.
in the Interior Department itself. it
would probably be favorable to the
claimants. therefore he said TO me
that Mr.. Ballinger as a matter of
seff-protectfon, Could not afford to
have those matters passed upon in
the department.. because. he explained
to me. that no matter whether that
-ttertsior wrs narfE IN fha de partInent
or not when IL was learned that Bal
lfnger had advised some OF those coal
claimants. and heard OF a decision
being rendered in Bafiingers depart
ment, the public could not abstain
from blaming him for that decision.
Then we discussed the probable
ity of getting the Attorney General
to decide the matter. | knew the At
torney General and told CLAWS that |
vo,Ttd see him and take up the mat
ter.
II saw Mr., wickfnham that day.
/ teid him that 4 knew CLAWS inti-
naately. and said ] would back him
entirely. i told the Attorney Cen
eral that the Alaskan matter was
something which would cause very
great scandal to this administration.
remember making this specific re-
mark. that unless steps were taken
immediately 1t would be very diff
cult tC retreat without a scandal. and
il this next step were taken. that of
cisaf-iisting these lands, II would. in
my opinion, be entirely impossible to
retreat.
II told the Attorney General that
the most that could be urged against
CLAWS in the irregularity of taking
the matter OF a decision on this law
over the heads of his superiors was
that he had been overzealous."
Continuing. Molt related how sur
prised both he and CLAWS were when
there was nothing done after CLAWS
had seen the Attorney General
Brandies then recalled to the wit
ness the famous Watson Allen state
ment regarding which CLAWS had tes-
Tired The former chief OF the Seat
TIE field division had said that Allen
had told him and Hoyt that Ballinger
had drawn up an assignment of two
PATENTS and some others that were
then pending
Hoyt coroborrated CLAWS testimony
in regard TO this statement by Allen.
+ andeis next turned to the omission
Of Ballinger's name. as counsel for
the Wilson claimants. in the court
record of the cases Bailinger at that
time was commissioner of the land
office. Hoyt said that he talked over
the advisability OF emitting Balm
gers name from this record. because
.'uninformed people might draw con-
ciusions that Bailinger was mixed up
with some fraudulent matters"
Name Omitted.
Hoyt said that the attorney for
the Wilson's agreed TO stipulate that
Ballingers name be omitted.
Hoyt said that in pursuance OF this
agreement. In reading over the record
in pencil. omit Bailinger's name as
per stipulation
Here, the witness said that he had
seen this record. with his pencil no.
tations on 1t. since his arrival in
Washington.
Brandeis was on his feet in an in
slant.
You saw 1t heree" he queried
Yes. sir. Mr.. LAWYER the assistant
encouragement for the Interior De-
partment had II"
We've been trying to get that
record for some time" said Brandeis
1t was decided by the committee
to have this record produced at once
by Assistant Attorney General Law
lef.
When Brandeis turned the witness
over to Attorney Vertrees for cross
examination, the latter plunged at
once into the circumstances of Wat
son Aliens statement and the Wilson
coal cases.
In response TO one question, Hoyt
admitted that he did not know at the
time he took the matter up with the
encouragement that the Cunningham
group of claims were only q small
part Of the Alaskan coal lands. He
said he was greatly surprised later
to learn that they only comprised Ave
thousand odd acres and that there
were only thirty-three claims In this
group.
After q half hours cross examina-
ton Hoyt was excused from the stand.
ana Attorney Brandeis began the In
PRODUCTION of mass Of documents
received from the Interior Department
In response to his request