The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-05-06
The Duel Between Principal
and Attorney Brandies Is
Gladiatorial Combat
-.
HAD DETERMINED TO REMOVE
CLAWS BEFORE Fight Camel
Had Loafed on the Job and Did Not
Have the Ability With Which He
Was Credited-Dernett's Name in
the Inquiry.

Washington, May 6.-Secretary Bal
linger and Attorney Brandeis resumed
their duel In the Ballinger-Pinchot in
vestigation today. Their first encoun-
ter yesterday afternoon was 80 brief
tn 1e, duTatUn of s4snxs e s9srss TSs a0rd
resenting opposite sides Aquar-
rel, will occupy the arena "Sshe
entire day. Brandeis has alre, W
ceeded in arousing the anger y Soo
antagonist and some lively passae -
between them when they get into
the thick of the fray are anticipated.
Ballingers Statement.
anything that have done while in the
with my duty and in accordance with
my trust he said.
AS though In acceptance Of the
for l.. r. Gravis, one of Ballinger's
chief accusers, then took up the cross
examination Of the witness. Within
five minutes the expected clash be-
tween them had taken place, and on
his very first question Mr.. Brandeis
hac to appeal to the committee "to
request" Mr.. Ballinger to answer It.
The question involved Postmaster
General Hitchcock, as the "ofilcial pie
distributor of the administration.
Mr.. Brandeis wanted to know why
Mr.. Ballinger had wired Chief Of Field
Division Schwartz to wait until he
had talked with Hitchcock before he
made tho appointment of ten special
agents to be employed in the Alaskan
coal cases Investigation. Mr.. Ballin-
ger said that fact had no political
significance and declined to answer
more explicitly. A wrangle between
Mr.. Brandeis and members Of the
committee snsued and the result was
record vote by which the commit
tee, by q vote of 6 to S, decided that
MIR. Ballinger need not answer more
fully.
Mr.. Ball!nger admitted the now
famous Associated Press interview in
which he declared after his return to
Washington, subsequent to publica-
tion Of the CLAWS charges, "that he
proposed to kill some snakes" He
also admitted he had reference to
CLAWS. who, he had made up his
mind. "ought to be killed as a snake. {"
He said CLAWS had "loafed on the
Job" in conducting the Alaskan cases
and that he never had thought as
much of Claws ability as did some
others in his department.
A New Letter.
A hitherto unknown published let
ter of the president to Mr.. Ballinger,
under date Of Sept. 13, 1909, was read.
In 1t the president expressed a de-
sire to retain Pinchot but said his
weakness lay in "his ability to credit
high and honorable motives to those
who differ with him as to his method
Of doing things" The president in
the letter requested Mr.. Ballinger to
remain silent under criticism and the
secretary said this was the reason
he had not followed his natural. i'm
pulse to answer the charges against
him.
Ballinger said he had remained
silent under all the abuse and had in
structed his subordinates to do like
wise. AS a result he said CLAWS had
gone to Golfers Weekly with what
he called his "scurrilous screed," and
which they had "rehashed in the style
they usually publish their scurvy
matter"
Asked by his attorney what he
meant by saying his hands had been
up for months" Mr.. Ballinger said
they had been mot only up but also
tied" He added:
"Now, I don't want it understood
that am in any way casting reflec-
tion on a president to whom l am de-
voted and for whom would make
any sacrifice"
Mr.. Ballinger then read a number
Of kilograms and letters, which the
defense claimed tended to show tho
existence of conspiracy against him.
Mr.. Ballinger related an instance
Of what he regarded as maladminis-
tration of the forestry bureau under
Pinchot. He said within the last
month 1t had been called to his atten-
tion that $731. .080 had been "wantonly
wasted" on the Menominee Indian re-
serve in Wisconsin by the forestry
bureau. He said the matter had been
turned over to the Indian office.
After some further Questioning Mr..
Ballinger made the following state
ment to the committee:
Every act that has been performed
by me as public official, either as
commissioner of the land Office, or
\ performed with the sole idea of full
iilling my trust under my oath and
saccording to which l believed my duty
Eto be to this government. In every
Srespect l believe l have lived up to
Mt and If statement has been made
9here to the contrary l want to deny
sit. defy any one to put his finger
son anything that have done while
Tin the public service. which was not
An line with my duty and In accord
4nce with my trust"
rOss.ExaminatiOn.
s# Attnrnay Brandeis began crosa-