Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-03-05
P|NCHOT HITS
BACK HARD At
vERTREES
EX-F0RESTER AGGRAVATED
BY CROSS EXAMINATION
Says He Cannot Explain Forest
Service Work to Man Who
Knows Nothing About the
Business,
rBy Morning journal special leased wirel

IBy Morning Journal Special leased wireI
WASHINGTON, March A.-The Ballin-
ger-Pinehot investigation dragged
slowly through two sessions today. MIR.
( Nertrees, counsel for Secretary Bali
niger, continued his ross-examination
. Of clifford Pinchot. He ELECTED some
I interesting facts from the former FOR
ester but for the most part the day
was taken up with wrangles between
the attorney and the witness and some
times between Mr.. Nertrees and coun-
sci FOR the other side. AIR Pinchot
4 complained to the committee that ii
was difficult to explain forest service
matters To a man SO little informed on
the subject as Mr Nertrees appeared
to he.
The members OF the committee
showed considerable Impotence i'm the
delay, and Senator Flint repeatedly
urged counsel to stop wranging and
trY to get down to facts. Many OF
Mr.. Nertrees questions were based up
on documentary evidence and he read
lcopiously from the record OF the ease
Senator Flint declared that one letter
had been placed IN the record At least
twenty different times
Mr. Pinchot admitted tha, his first
hand knowledge Of Mr. Ballnger's acts
was very limited but he reita~lto that
the secretary OF the interior had "A
ceiVed the president concernMg the
Cunningham coal cases and haa made
a statement 10 the president which
was obviously untrue
Mr Nertrees at the afternoon session
questioned MIR. pinchot closely regard
ing the sending Of forest rangers to
agricultural colleges and brought out
that Mr.. pinehot was under thc inn
preston he had Informed the secretary
Of agriculture Of what he was doing
but was not willing to swear 20 IL
The attorney sought to show that
Mr. Pinchot ana Former Secretary OF
tne fhte. w GafielR scrs 20 the habit
of doing what they thought best re-
galdless Of the law and that their an
taeonism TO Mr. liallnger was brought
about by his determination TO proceed
wholly within the law.
Mr. Pinchot said his impression"
was that he had once spoken to Sew
rotary Wilson about the matter but
he was not willing to swear to II.
Mr. Nertrees read a letter address
ed by Secretary Wilson to the control-
Ter of the treasury saying he had
learned OF the plan Of sending the
rangers to the colleges after Mr. PIN
hot had left the service. The con-
troller held the plan to be Illegal
AIR Pinchot said he thought the sub
iect had been crroneOusly presented to
.he controller. Thereupon Mr. Vert /
'ees put the whole correspondence be-
ween the controller and the secre s
Nry into the records.
Democratic members of the commit "A
ee, taking up the examination brought
mt from the witness the fact that be- \
ore the policy of sending the rangers
o the colleges had been adopted, il G.
iad been the practice to have camp
chools from time 10 time These 1
chools were provided for by regu i
ation under the statute and the form j
r forester said he still thought there
vas warrant Of law for sending the IL
men to college He also thought If
he forest service had presented the q
ase from its point Of view the con-
roller would have so held.
Mr. Nertrees read TO the witness n
,ng list Of expenditures from the for
81 service funds during Mr., PIN
hots regime to cover expenses OF Of
cials and employees sent out to lee
ure to schools, clubs etc one item
'as S7T.3l for the expense Of Brstow
dams 70 Chicago and return to adj
ress the womcn's clubs
The attorney and the witness discuss
ed other features of the forest ser
ice until at last Nj. Pinchot eN-
laimed;
II find some difficulty in explain
le the forest service to a man so 1T n
e informed about It, ~
Rcvcrts To Ballinecr "IalschOods.
Mr. Nertrees again questioned the
itness regarding his assertions that
Ir Ballinger in report To the presi-
cnt concerning the Cunningham coal
,ses had been guilty of fasehoods In
lree essential particulars Mr.. PIN
not reiterated that he had based his ..
largc upon a copy of a letter to the th
by Mr.. Ballingers former
~ partner. ~,
In this connection MIR, Pinchot cited w
lc letter written by Mr. Ballinger to ~
he president September I. in which IN
Ie secretary of the interior made the IN
atcment that a report submitted 10 "
m by H. IT, Schwartz. chief of the q"
nld service. does not bear out the pu
that patents were held up 50
the protest of Agent CLAWS, Mr.. sa
nchot said that further along Mr.. lh'
lllingcr clearly showed that clear
itinp Of the claims had been held up 1n
a wire from CLAWS. ~
Adjournment was taken until tonor- Al,
w morning at 10 o'clock. tNI