The Washington herald., 1910-03-05

investigating committee spent nearly six
weary hours yesterday listening to the
cross-examination of Clifford Pinchot by
]. ]. Vertrees, counsel for Secretary Bal
iinger. Just enough members remained
in the committee room TO constitute q
quorum, the others going away to attend
to affairs in the House or Senate. Even
the fashionably dressed women who
crowd the hearing room daily showed
signs of losing interest in the case, and
when the committee adjourned for the
day there were fewer of them present
than at any time since Pinchot took the
witness stand.
The deposed Forester had a more diffi-
cult time yesterday making out his case
against Secretary Ballinger than he did
last Tuesday, when his cross-exam!nation
was begun. Pinned down TO a specifca-
ton of what he personally knew in sup
port Of his charges against Secretary
Ballinger in connection with the Cunning
ham coal cases In Alaska, Mr.. Pinehot
was forced TO admit that the foundation
of his charges was TO be found, not in
evidence which he had presented or
hoped TO present, but in Secretary Bal
fingers letter 10 President TAFT and in
the accompanying letter of Judge Ronald,
Ballinger's former law partner. Mr.. Pin
chot had no evidence to offer in addition
10 that which was already in the record
before he took the witness stand
Goes Over Evidence of CLAWS.
In support of his charge that Baliinger
deceived the President, Pinehot went over
much OF the evidence covered By CLAWS.
He discussed the report of Special Agent
Love. on whose report the Cunningham
claims were clear-lsted, called attention
to Loves subsequent protest that his re-
port did not justify clear-lsting. and vol
unteered the information that on the
facts presented In the Love report the
Cunningham claims could not go to pat
ent under the law.
Mr.. Vertrees asked Mr.. Plnchot 10 name
the coal claimants who would be ben
Gifted by the remedial legislation urged by
Mr.. Bsllinger on the day before he re-
tired as Commissioner of the General
Land Office when he appeared before the
House Committee on Public Lands. Mr.
Pinchot said the statements OF Mr.. Bal
linger at that time could only refer 10
the Cunningham claimants. He read from
the hearings before that committee. In
which Mr. Ballinger said:
Yin my estimation. # has not been the
intention OF the people In the field or IN
Alaska 10 put themselves IN hostility tc
the law. but they have been In a position
where they could not. by virtue OF the
circumstances, accommodate themselves
to the law
Mr.. Pinehot again referred 10 Mr.. Bal
fingers letter or defense and the Ronald
letter. He produced kilograms already in
evidence to show that the Secretary OF the
Interior contradicted himself. In one por-
ton of the record the Secretary says the
clear listing of the Cunningham claims
was not the result of a protest from
CLAWS. and In another portion he makes
the statement that the clear-listlng was
held up because of a protest from CLAWS
Mr. Vertrees insisted that the interpreta-
ton put upon some of the official docu-
ments by Pinchot was not in accordance
with what Mr.. Ballinger had in mind
when he wrote TIE letters, but Pinchot
declined to see 1t that way. and insisted
that the Secretary of the Interior con-
| tradicted himself
Sending Rangers 20 College.
Mr.. Vertrees expressed some curiosity
as to the policy instituted by Mr. Pinchot
of sending forest rangers to agriculture
colleges. The witness said this course of
| instruction was made necessary in order
that the service might be improved. He
said It was impossible to set. at the
salaries available. men who had the nee
essary knowledge before entering the
service He insisted that under the ap-
preparations OF the Agricultural Depart
ment. there was authority for sending
the rangers 10 college, and he found 1t
cheaper TO do that than 20 continue the
system of maintaining instruction camps.
Asked as to the decision of the Comp
troller TO the effect that the practice was
unauthorized by law, Mr.. Pinehot said
that Solicitor McCabe, Of the Agricul-
! tural Department, had made a secret
presentation of the case. and had omit
ted the essential facts. He said that II
the Forest Bureau had been given an
opportunity to present its side of the
case the Comptroller would not have
ruled as he did.
Expenses of Lecturers.
Mr.. Vertrees introduced in evidence "a
long list OF expense accounts turned IN
| by employees in the Forest Bureau. who
had gone about the country lecturing at
woman's clubs, literary societies, and
other organizations as well as at col
leges. Frequent lectures were delivered
az the Yale Forestry School. Of which Mr.
Pinchot is the founder, the expenses OF
the forestry experts In each instance be-
ing paid by the government. Mr.. Pinchot
insisted that these expenditures were per-
mitted under the terms of the Agricul-
turaI Department appropriation.