Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-02

tailed explanation Of what had been done
In the matter Of power Withdrawals during
his administration. There was next read
Secretary Balllnger's reply to President
Taft regarding the Garfield and Pinchot
letters. In this letter Mr.. Ballinger said
Il am convinced much OF the animus
against me is due to the fact that 1 have
had to find so many Of my predecessors
acts were without warrant Of law"
~BaIIinEer's Alleged Error.
Pinchot claimed In his preliminary state
ment that Ballinger in his letter had been
guilty of three misrepresentations TO the
president. He wished TO point out the
first of these, he said, by the declaration
that the letters and the exhibits don't
match"
Mr.. Pinchot said the letter referred 70
reclamation Withdrawals, whereas the ex-
hibits cited by Mr.. Ballinger referred
wholly to Withdrawals made under a SUI
pervisory power. Mr.. Pinchot next read
from the letter this Statement by Mr.. Bal
linger:. THE only error / made in the
whole matter was in not making restora-
tion and re~-withdrawals (of power site
lands) concurrently, which 1 would nave
Zone had 1 been conVersant with the facts
then as now"
DO you consider the course taken by
Secretary Ballinger in restoring all these
lands without Investigation looking TO re-
withdrawal a proper one?' asked Attorney
Pepper.
certainly not" replied Mr.. Pinchot. 81
will give you an illustration: Suppose a
lot Of my neighbours chickens had got
locked up with mine. Louldn't nave
driven the whole flock out on the road
and depended upon getting mine back. 1
would have gone among the chickens
while they were in my yard, picked out
those belonging to my neighbor and
thrown them over the fence"
Mr.. Pinchot declared that former Secre-
tary Garfield often had told him hat he
had told Secretary Ballinger he believed
the Cunningham calims to be fraudulent,
whereas, Mr.. Balllnger. according to the
witness sought to give the impression that
Mr., Garfield had not made any such state
ments.
A decided surprise came at this point in
the development that Mr.. Pinchot's charge
that Mr.. Ballinger had In his reply to the
president made statements absolutely
false in three essential particulars were
not based on Mr.. B%ailinger's letter, button
a letter written by Mr.. Balllnger's former
law partner, J. 7. Ronald. to DR.. Lyman
Abbott.
Mr.. Ballinger a sent this letter to the
president ''as part OF his Defense" accord
ing to Mr.. IPinchOt.
Substance Of Ronald Letter.
Mr.. Ronald. in his letter said that with
out knowledge of the records he felt nj
hesitation in c%ontending in behalf Of Mr..
BallInger that ~ Special Agent tones
never made a report dealing with the Cum
ningham claims; that CD the order revok-
ing the clear listing Of the Cunningham
claims was not based upon a protest by
CLAWS. and that go MT. BalinEer never
appeared before a committee In the interest
Of any Alaska claimants.
Mr.. Pinchot said II appeared from a
copy Of Mr.. Ronald's letter which he read,
that Mr.. Ronald based his statements on
a magazine article containing charges,
against which were noted the marginal
notes No" In Mr.. Ballinger's handwriting.
Mr.. Pinchot claimed that Jones in his
testimony before the committee showed he
had reported on the Cunningham claims;
that Mr.. Ballinger admitted In a letter to
the president that the cellar listing order
was revoked on the protest Of CLAWS and
that Mr.. Ballinger in his testimony before
a congressional committee referred to a
group of thirty-three claims which could
have meant only the Cunningham inter-
ests.
Senator Fletcher: aN
why do you base charges Of falsehood
against Mr.. Ballinger on a letter written
by someone else2"
Mr.. Pinchot
"Because he annoted the letter ana
transmitted, so annoted, to the president
as a part Of his defense to charges made
by me in my letter Of November.
BRlIinRer VOuched for Letter.
Senator Fletcher i1r,
you mean to say that Secretary Ballin-
ger vouched for this letterT''