Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-10
CONGRESS REPORT
SCORES BALLINGER.
Democrats Charge Secretary
with Having Forfeited Conf
denCe Reposed by Public
SCANDAL IN COAL CLAIMS
Official Acts of Cabinet Officer
Severely Criticised, and
Pinchot Is Praised
SCANDAL IN COAL CLAIMS
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voted to their work and conscientious
in the discharge of their onerouS
duties, and in the rendition of their
valuable services that their protests
and actions restrained the officers Of
the interior department and prevented
the consummation of a great public
wrong, and that their conduct through
out was wholly in the interest of the
people.
"That in his statement of September
13, 1909, to the president, and in other
correspondence and communications to
tie president Mr.. Ballinger has been
frequently uncandid, that he has on a
number of occasions been guilty of
duplicity and that his conduct in the
premises was intended to and did have
the effect OF deceiving the president.
That after resigning as commission
er of the general land office Mr.. Bal
linger resumed the practice of the law
in Seattle; that he became interested
as an attorney in cases which were
pending in the general land office
while he was commissioner, and that
in at hast one case he received com
pensation for his services, and that
such conduct was highly reprehen-
sible
FIND BALLTNGER FALSE
While Secretary Ballinger claims
that because of his professional con-
nection with some of the claimants
he turned the consideration and con-
troll of all Alaska coal claims matters
over to Frank Pierce, his assistant, we
find from the evidence that he did not
in fact do so, but on the contrary
improperly continued his connection
herewith.
That he aided the movement to
force the Cunningham claims to
IofA hn
ready to proceed and properly produce
its evidence, and placed the manage
ment of cases in the hands CT an ex-
perienced young attorney, with full
knowledge of the Importance of the
cases.
That he encouraged INSTRUMENTATION
in the reclamation service by trying to
discredit the director or the head of
that service in general way and by
issuing orders direct to subordinates in
said service, without either consulting
or communicating with the proper per-
son or persons in charge of said SER
vice.
That he condoned highly improper
official conduct on the part of Mr..
Perkins. head of the Chicago office of
the reclamation service and instead OF
reprimanding him or of asking for his
resignation, as recommended by the
director and chief engineer, he re-
IalneQ MIN IN the SdIHe OlLiNV WIN
creased powers.
Under these circumstances and In
view of these findings, which are
forced upon us by a consideration OF
the evidence, we are under the stern
necessity of making a further finding:
That Mr.. Ballinger has not been true
to the trust reposed in him as secre-
tary of the interior; that he is not
deserving of public confidence, and that
he should be requested by the proper
authorities to resign his Office as secre-
tary of the interior.
Mr.. Lawler, assistant attorney gem
eral of the interior department. the re-
port says, testified as only concerned
the so-called Lawler memorandum, pre-
pared by him at the presidents re-
ouest under the direction that he
should write it las If it were the pres
ident's."
AS to clifford Pinchot, the report
says:
American people that it is probably
unnecessary to refer to his standing,
but it cannot be out of place to cite a
few of the presidents words concern
ing him.
Mr.. Madison's report also was filed
with Mr. Sleman; A summary of it
follows:
MADIsON'S CONCLUSIONS
Mr.. Madison's conclusions are:
"That the charges made by l.. r.
CLAWS against Secretary Ballinger
should be sustained; that in the matter
OF the disposition Of the Cunningham
coal lands Mr. Ballinger was not
faithful trustee of the interests of the
people and did not perform his duty
in such a manner as properly to pro-
tect such interests.
''That the charges made by Mr..
Pinchot should be sustained; that Mr..
Ballinger's course in the administrator
of the department of the interior has
been characterized by lack of fidelity
to the public interest; that this has
been shown in the treatment of the
+, Cunningham coal claims, the restora-
tion of the water power sites to entry
without intention to rewithdraw, ana
in his administration of the reclama-
tion service, the latter resulting in un-
necessary humiliation to the director
and tending toward the disintegration
of the service.
HE has not shown himself to be that
character of friend to the policy of tho
conservation of our natural resources
that the man should be who occupies
the responsible position of secretary OF
interior in our government, and he
should not be retained in that office"
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
A summary of Mr.. Madison's hndlngs
follows: 1.-THE investigation resolved
itself into two branches, the CLAWS and
the Pinchot.
"Glavis charged that Ballinger had
been an unfaithful trustee of the peo-
ple's interests; that this was more par
ticularly demonstrated by his conduct
: toward the Cunningham coal claims.
"Pinchot charged that Ballinger's
course as secretary of the interior had
been characterized by a lack of fidelity
to the public interests; that he was
an enemy to the policy OF conservation
of natural resources; that this was
particularly evidenced by his restora-
tion to entry of the water power sites
withdrawn by Secretary Garfield, his
conduct toward the reclamation service
and the Alaska coal fields"
MIR. Madison then described Alaska
as ''the last great natural storehouse
of natural resources that to large
degree belongs to all the people of the
United States; that the secretary of
the interior should guard them against
both fraud and monopoly"
The Cunningham coal land claims
were then described, Cunningham be-