The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-06-21
Who IS Who
AND WHAT
Is Ballinger, Is the Big
Problem at Wash
ington.
THREE REPORTS LIKELY
BY the Congressional In
vestigating Committee
Points to be Emphasized
by These Reports.
Arguments of Both Sides Summar-
ized----Federal Cases Before the
U. s. Supreme Court.

Washington. June 21--After many
months of public discussion and
fifty days of formal sessions, the
Congressional Committee, appointed
TO investigate the charges brought
against Secretary of the Interior Ball.
niger at last is ready to begin work
on its opinions. There will be two
reports and perhaps three. The ma.
jority of the committee Is expected
beyond a doubt, to declare the charges
unsubstantiated. The minority will
not accept that report The division
probably will be on party lines, with
the exception that Representative
Madison. of Kansas. a Republican in.
surgent may return an opinion dis
senting from the majority. 1t is esti-
mated that the investigation has cost
about $4,000
The whole inquiry was to deter
mine whether Ballinger was ft for
his job. Briefly summarized the con
tentions which the prosecution pre-
sented as tending to show Ballinger's
unftness are as follows
That his association with Special
Interests and friendships with Alas
kan claimants biased him In the
coal cases.
That he attempted to hasten the
Cunningham coal claims through 10
patent, both as Commissioner of the
Land Office and as Secretary-in the
latter position sueing through his
subordinates while avoiding the APP
pearance of acting himself.
That he came into secretaryshir
with the express intention of over
turning the Roosevelt Garfield policy
of Withdrawing water power sites.
That he restored vast areas of
valuable power sites and when forced
TO undo his work by President Taft,
he withdrew the lands but afforded
inadequate protection to the sites,
That he undermined the efficiency
OF the Reclamation Service. sought
TO replace it's director. +. II. Newell
and wanted to run the service on a
political basis.
/ That his hatred for Clifford Pinchoi
and the Forest Service led him tc
abrogate cooperative agreements be
tween that division and the Indian
reservations.
That he terminated the Garfield
cooperative irrigation certificates plar
unjustly and upon misconception OF
it's purpose and thus worked hard
ship on settlers under government ir'
rigation projects
That he countenanced a scheme OF
one of the Reclamation Service EN-
ployes whereby the employ was "a
receive money from the Hartman
railroads for lecturing In favor Of ir'
rigation projects along their lines.
That he acted as legal advisor for
several of 1he Alaskan coal claim
ants after his resignation as commits
sioner 1908 in violation of the statute
which prohibits a government OIL
cial from prosecuting claims against
the Department within two years al
ter quitting the service
out of these accusations have grown
additional charges. since the incep-
tion of the inquiry, In general. as foi-
lows u.
That Balllnger and Oscar Lawler
assistant attorney general for the In
terror Department conspired to. mis-
lead and deceive President Taft as to
the truth of the CLAWS charges,
That President Taft should have
sent to Congress In response TO a
request for all papers, the so-caiied
"Lawier draft" w
That Attorney General Wickersham
deliberately antedated this sum
mary"of the CLAWS CHARGES to lend
color to the statement that the Presi.
dent had legal opinion before him
when he wrote the letter eXonerating
Ballinger ,.fs
That the President really never read
the data on the CLAWS charges. pre-
pared by Ballinger and his associa-l
tes, and that he had Lawler write
the draft of letter "as II he were
That Lawler who admits having
written a draft. was personally BIAS
ed as to CLAWS and regarded him as
a personal enemy. 49,
That Ballinger was guilty OF false
on the witness stand In