The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-02-15
STATEMENT CALLS FORTH
DEMONSTRATION OF APPLAUSE
Witness States Reasons Why
Baldnger is Unfit to
Hold Office

le.-Plnchot congressional inquiry be-
san 10 brislle With interest when John
j. Vertrees, counsel for Secretary Bal
lnger undertook the cross examina
ton Of Louis r. CLAWS, principal vii.
ness for the prosecution.
The days climax was reached late
IL the afternoon when Mr.. Verlrces
announced box belonging TO MI
CLAWS, and lett IN The grand ju. /
room at Seattle, had been broken
open. few dass ago and number
o. letters missing Irom the files OF
seattle land office, copies Of whicn
weekly papeg, were found therein.
Glayis angrlly declared IL any let I
ters had been found in his belong.
irBs, "a frame up mad been prepal'
ed against HIM. His denunciatlon OIL
federal officials who could stoop t0l
such a trick TO win the favor of lheltl
supc lors called out demonstrations
oi applause from the spectators, ana
Chairman Nelson threatened to clcari
The room.
Throughout the ncas,ng the sym
rathies OF The spectators, II great M.
majority Of whom were women, have
been with CLAWS and they have laugh
&C with satisfaction rs hc has made
points against his prosecutors.
Mr.. Vertreos announced G.. A. Chris
tianscn, Glayisi successor as chef of
field division, would be called to tcs.
! thy 10 the finding of the letters. lie
offe cd in evidence letter from
Christensen gNing the details of the
lnti.
got into long wranglo as to whetll-
c. Of not IL should be received in cvl.|
ecncc al this time The matter was
rnt over for consideration Ia execus
i've session
! AT the AFTERNOON session Claws
summoned up the specific acts Of
wrong doing which he charges
against Secretary }allinger.
His statement was long one, but
was listened 10 with intense interest,
md eally Tor tho first time gave a
Gefintc statement of the prosecu.
. tons case.
CLAWS proceeding AT some length
TO sum up the facts which he declat-
I'd convinced him Ballinger was "uA
lit for his office and unfailhful TO hls
trust" said;
The first action / would cite II
Tie appearance OF Mr.. Ballinger in
the Wilson coal cases While that
was long time ago and people may
have looked at things differently, par
t.clpatlon IN the drawing up Of an es-
crow agreement to turn oycr claln
b that should not have been proved up,
/, and have not been proved up, as a
natter OF fact, was @ i'm nal But the
statute OF limit2iIons has run aud
the evidence is not quite clear. The
ecord speaks for Itself
Another thing was Mr. Ballngcrs
} expressions IN the summer of 1917
10 Special Agent Iones, when he
|, knew there had been Violations Of the
coal land laws; his statement that he
was coming TO Washington to see
wha congress could do to help ths
7 claimants gel patents.
His nexi action-one Of the most
important going 10 show that he Is
pot loyal 10 his trust and not faith
: lul to the people-@as that. after Civ
!, ing me the full right and Instructions
ID make complete investigation OF
y ell the coal cases. he personally took
Up an old repo,t by Special Agent
Love a few days after and delber.
stely ordered the Cunningham claims
/. TO proceed to patent
THE Love report, 10 my mind, and
(, | have acted on a thousand or more
! reports, did not In itself warrant a
' favorable recommendation. II show
ed there had been an under standing
among the claimants and suggested
> flaud rather than compliance with
the law.
Another evidence that Mr.. Bal
Eager was not trying 10 protect the
peoples rights was his appearance
bofo.c the public lands committee 0f
{. the house In favor Of the Cade bill,
. which carried ont the statement Bal,
(, lnger made 10 Jones. n the cadp
law had passed Il would hive vaIidai-
: ed the claims,
/, THE next step BaiIinger took was
, bis unprofessionaI- action at least
/ members of The bar regard Il SO, and
1iI know OF no attorney Of my ,ste,
tyqgniniaBce who would have done II.
i9ir deliberately going around andSfet-
Tesent1DR the Otnpr Slde AFTER haYlnK
been commissioners OF the land offico
I and having full knowledge Of the
character Of the investigation we had
!, made.
Ellis next action consisted In ask
Ing me, In The fall OF 1908. when he
J aas In politics and arranging for cam.
. pa'gn contributions, 10 mold off any
investigation Of the coal cases.
None Of these pre- things upoa
I which q criminal charge could be pre- |
icated. but to my mind II was faf
more cowardly for him to do thea.
things than II man had actually
stolen something for which he coun
have bccn convicted
These statements are all that I
can recall that s.,ow him unfit for
bis office. unfaithful to his trust and
..ot loyal TO the people"