The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-05-28
BY Associated Dress.

Washington, May 27.-Lawyers for
the prosecution" in the Ballinger-
Pinchot investigation made their
summing up arguments before the con-
gresslonal committee today aud in no
uncertain terms declared that they
| had proved their "case' against sec
retarue Ballinger.
Ions D. Brandeis and George w.
Pepper made the addresses for the
prosecution.
Before the arguments, Mr.. Pepper
submitted an affidavit of e. A. 3raniff
| in charge of the forestry work done OF
| the Menominee, Wis, Indian reserva-
| ton.
Chairman Nelson read letter from
lC. P. Connolly, of Golfers Weekly,
referring to the testimony of Assist
ant Attorney General Lawyer, that on
| the deck of the steamer Republic had
, trampled down women and children in
an attempt to get to life boat. Con-
molly wrote that he was never on the
| Republic or any other transatlantic
steamer.
A letter from James b. Connolly, a
| writer of sea stories, declared that he
evidently was the man referred to,
| but that the charges had been abso.
ard who had started the story had fed
| to Canada.
In summing up the case of the So
called prosecution" before the Bal
| tlinger-Pinchot investigating commit
! tee today, Attorney Louis D. Brandeis,
counsel for L. r. CLAWS, declared that
| it had been conclusively established
that Secretary Ballinger Is not man
so Zaalously devoted to The interests
of the common people, 50 sigilant and
resolute in resisting the insidious ag-
gressions of the special interests, that
he may be safely decided on TO carry
| forward the broad policy of conserva
] tion of our national resources.
THAT he is subject to far saverer
criticism we sincerely believe added
Mr.. Brandeis.
Mr.. Brandeis spoke for about two
hours, reserving half an hour for
| closing after Attorney Vertrees had
addressed the committee on behalf OF
| Mr.. Ballinger. He referred to MIR. Gla-
Wis as "the ideal public servant" and
| to Clifford Pinchot as "a man of char
acter so high as to be even above the
suspicion of self-seeking.". He vigor-
ously defended the action of Stenogra-
pher Frederick NJ. Kerby in making
public confidential information of the
| interior department bearing on the
preparation of the nawler memoran-
| dunn, and said:
TO criticize Kerby for this action
! involves a total misconception of the
nature of our government
! The secretary of the interior, the
| trustee for the people of the public do
main, should have the ability to stand
| up against every one and ShG1ld be
vigilant," declared Mr.. Brandeis
Would any one think of clubbing our
present secretary Stonewal Bal
| linger'? Instead of being unsWerving
he yields to pressure, yields TO it not
only in acts, but also in statement, be
it written or spoken.
| STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY.
This investigation has been re-
ferred to as a struggle for cOnserva-
tion, struggle against the special in
terest. 1t is that, but it is far more.
| In essence, it is a struggle for Democ-
racy. the struggle for the small man
against the overpowering influence OF
the big, politically as we'll as finan-
cially. The struggle to establish that
every American is entitled to equal
justice, in the public service as well
as in the courts, that no official is SO
| highly stationed that he may .rample
ruthlessly and unjustly upon even the
| humblest American citizen. The cause
| of CLAWS is the cause of the common
people and more especially the cause
| of thousands Of government officials.
| Mr.. Brandeis gave a Chronological
resume of the Alaska coal land situa-
tion from the time the Cunningham
claims were first filed upon in 1906
He laid particular stress upon The
contention that Mr. Ballinger as com
missioner of the land office was fully
acquainted with the situation and per.
sonally directed the procedure in the
land office whereby the claims were
scrutinized. He declared that Of t61
Alaska coal claimants whose addresses
were secured by special agents early
in their investigation, $50 appea- oi Il
be residents of the Pacific coast and
164 lived in Seattle, Mr.. Balliuger 5
home city
MEN OF INFLUENCE.
Among these claimants were the
men of greatest influence in the state
financially and politically, and among
these were friends and associates OF
Mr.. BaIlinger,'~ said the attorney
While these Pacific coast claimants
remained undisturbed by further in
quiries into the validity of theil
claims. most of the others. those re
siding in Illinois and Michigan were
on September "a, 1907. directed 10 be
thoroughly investigated. Was it d
coincidence that the investigation OF
Special Agent Jones in the summer OF
1907 into the Cunningham claims