Gilpin observer., 1910-02-17
CLAWS BEFORE
The committee
rs VIGOROUSLY cRoss-ExAMINCD
IN THE BALLiNGER IN
vESTIGATIoN.
SUMS UP HIS CHARGES
TELLS WHY HE THINKS BALLlN.
GER UNFAITHFuL AND NOT
FIT TO HOLD OFFICE.

Washington. - The Ballinger-Pin.
chot congressional inquiry began to
bristle with interest Monday. when
John ]. Vertrees, counsel for Secre.
tary Ballinger, undertook the cross.
examination Of Louis r. CLAWS, prin.
cipal witness for the prosecution"
Climax was reached late in the aft
ernoon when Vertrees announced that
box belonging to CLAWS and left in
the grand jury at Seattle had been
broken open a few days ago and that
a number of letters missing from tho
files of the land office in Seattle,
copies of which have recently been
published in a weekly paper. were
found therein.
CLAWS angrily declared that if any
letters had been found in his belong
ings "frame-up" had been prepared
against him.
His denunciation of federal officials
who would stoop to such trick to
win the favor of their superiors called
out demonstration of applause from
tue spectators, which caused Chair
man Nelson to announce that repe-
tion of the outburst would result in
the room being cleared.
CLAWS proceeded at some length to
sum up the facts which he declared
convinced him that Ballinger was "un-
fit for his office and unfaithful to his
trust"
"The first action would cite is the
appearance of Ballinger in the Wilson
coal case. While that was long time
ago and the people may have locke 4
at things differently, his action or par
ticipation in the drawing up of an
escrow agreement to turn over claims
that should have been proved up,
and have not been proved up, as a
matter of fact was criminal. But the
statute of limitations has run. and the
speaks for itself.
Another thing was Ballinger's ex-
pressions in the summer of 1907 to
support Agent Jones, when he knew
there had been violations of the coal
land laws; his statement that he IVES
coming to Washington to see what
Congress could do to help the claim.
ants get patents.
His next action-one of the most
important, going to show that he is
1t, fn;t
full to the people-was this: After
giving me the full right and instruc.
tions to make a complete investigi-
ton Of all the coal cases, he person
ally took up an old report by Special
Agent Love a few days after and de-
liberately ordered the Cunningham
claims to proceed to patent.
"The Love report, to my mind, and
1 have acted on thousand or more
reports, did not in itself warrant a
favorable recommendation. 1t showed
there had been an understanding
among the claimants, and suggested
fraud rather than a compliance with
the law.
Another evidence that Ballinger
was not trying to protect the peoples
rights was his appearance before the
public lands committee of the House
in favor of the Gale bill. which carried
out the statement Ballinger made to
Jones that he would do what he could
to obtain legislation which would have
enabled these fraudulent claimants to
get patents. IL the Gale law had
passed, it would have validated the
claims.
"The next step Ballinger took was
bis unprofessional action-at least
members of the bar SO regarded it.
and l know of no attorney of my ac-
quaintance who would have done it.
in deliberately going around and rep.
resenting the other side, after having
been commissioner of the land office
and having full knowledge Of the char
acter of the investigation we had
made. He did not act alone in the
Cunningham group, but in the Green
group as well. in which he took six
affidavits. He also acted as arbitra.
tor between II. r. Hartman and John
Hartline relative to the purchase of
some coal claims.
His next action consisted in asking
me, in the fall of 1908. when he was in
politics and arranging for campaign
contributions, to hold off any investi.
cation Of the coal cases. This showed
he did not have the interests Of the
government at heart"
Seattle, Wash.-The Twenty.flfth
infantry-of Brownsville fame-was
cleared Of new trouble Monday. The
colored soldiers were paraded before
Mrs. C. e. Alzeda, a white woman. who
claimed she had been attacked by a
soldier. who threw a cape over her
head last Friday night. Twenty of the
soldiers were absent from Fort Law.
ton at the time of the alleged attack.