The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1910-06-09
THE BALLlNGEK CASE.
Summary of the Case and its
Chief DEVELOPMENTS.
Washington Special. Cd to Baltimore Sun.

washington Special. ID to Baltimore Sun.
Will the Ballinger investigat
ing committee withhold it's re-
port for fear the expected
Whitewash" will seriously af.
feet the Congressional elections
IN the fall? This is causing seri.
Gus concern to Republican mem
bers of Congress who have con.
tests on their hands back in the
home districts. No one knows
when the committee will report.
Senator Root is in Europe and
the other Republican members
are non-committal and evasive as
to when the report will be made.
For the benefit of those who
have not waded through the mass
OF testimony in the Ballinger in
vestigation the following sum-
maryof the case and it's chief de-
velopments is here given:
The charges which Louis R.
CLAWS, a special agent of the In
terror Department, made against
Ballinger briefly were these:
That, first as Land Commits
sloner and later as Secre tary of
the Interior, Ballinger used ev-
cry effort to send to patent and
clear list" the Cunningham coal
aand claims in Alaska, which he
knew to be owned by tie Gug-
genheim-Morgan syndicate and
some regarded as fraudulent.
That Ballinger hampered the
Investigation by Special Agent
CLAWS of these claims, ignored
the evidences of fraud presented
to him and deceived the Presi-
dent as to the real situation.
That through an opinion of
Assistant Secretary of the Inter-
Tor Pierce Ballinger proceeded to
restore to public entry hundreds
OF thousands of acres of coal lands
OF almost inestimable value
which had been withdrawn by
PresidentRoosevelt on the recon-
mendation of Garfield and Pin
chot.
CLAWS charged that Ballinger
had violated an United States
law by becoming the attorney of
the Cunningham group a few
Gays after his retirement as Land
commissioner, appearing before
a committee of the House to urge
the valuation of their claims.
The facts leading up to the in
vestlgation were as follows:
CLAWS, without consulting his
superiors, secured a reversal OF |
the Pierce decision from Attor.
ney-Generar Wickersham and al
80 secured intervention with Bal !
fingers plans by the Department
of Agriculture.
Failing to block Ballinger, and
seeing the apparent intention to
throw open to the Guggenheims
the rich coal fields of Alaska, he
appealed to Clifford Pinchot and
Dy him was sent to President
Taft at Beverly.
On August Is CLAWS saw Mr.
TAFT at Beverly and laid all the
facts before him.
On August p Taft sent the
CLAWS statement to Pierce, ask
ing Tor an explanation from Bal
ilnger, who was then in tho
West. ~
Bailinger returned to Washing
ton and on September sent
statement to the President.
On September IL Ballinger
and his subordinate. LAWYER,
prepared letter at the request
ot thePresident, which YVES taken
by Lawler to Beverly. /
This letter was addressed TO
Ballinger and was, with a few !,
changes, adopted by Taft as his
own, being given out on Septem-
Der II. 1t exonerated Ballinger
'ebuked his enemies and directed
he dismissal of CLAWS for insub-
On January 5 Clifford Pinchot
wrote his famous letter to Sena-
tor Dolllver defending the course
ot CLAWS, and two days later
was dismissed from the public
service by the President.
On January l9 the joint resolu-
ton for an investigation was
passed by Congress, and or jan
lary 70 To- committeeman We're
I,ppolnted for both houses and t
ne committee held it's first meet {
n1g. Its members are Senators
nelson, Root, Flint, Sutherland, t
FLETCHER and Purcell and Con {
Mccall, Olmsted, Den !
w: Maolson, James and Graham. !
oome OF the chief deyelop- !