Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-06

letters are supposed to have been
| found.
Senator Nelson announced the rule
relating to the handling of public docu-
ments sent to the committee had been
modified to the extent of allowing
counsel to exhibit the papers to clients
and to make copies of them.
When Mr.. Pinchot had taken the
stand Senator Nelson, recalling the
dreary session of yesterday afternoon,
suggested that counsel avoid going
over the same ground more than once.
Mr.. Pinchot has charged that Mr..
Billinger appeared before a committee
of congress in the interest of fraudu-
lent claimants.
Vertrees attempted to show that his
appearance had to do only with the
new coal land law, the necessity of a
new law having been urged by Presi-
dent Roosevelt and Secretary Garfield
Claims 6alIineer Was Misquoted
Mr. Pinchot said that in his testimony
before the congressional committee that
Ballnger had urged an amendment
which would have let the Cunningham
claims go to patent at $40 an acre,
whereas all future claimants would be
assessed mot less than $40 an acre"
1t was shown, however, that the
Cunningham claims were the only ones
that had gone to final entry in Alaska.
Asked if congress could legislate
against entries already made in good
faith, Mr.. Pinchot said that was a
question for legal authority.
The witness and counsel soon began
to clash again in the manner which de-
layed proceedings yesterday. Vertrees
read to the witness a part of message
by President Roosevelt. Pinchot lis
tened earnestly and then snapped back:
do you read in that message any
insinuation that Mr.. Roosevelt fav-
ored the patenting of claims not made
in good faith?"
Attorney Vertrees-I am insinuating
nothing. Mr. Roosevelt.
Mr.. Pinchot-That is not my name.
'Well, didn't Mr.. Roosevelt say just
what 1 have read you?'
of course he did,
Senator Nelson grew impatient and
declared the meaning and intent OF
message, and everything else could be
determined by the committee. Attor-
ney Pepper protested that Vertrees'
s-examination was made up al
most of argumentative questions which
called for argumentative answers.
"Oh, so on" sighed the chairman,
wearily.
Tries to Show Pinchot Resentful
VertreeS sought to snow Inat I'm
chot's charges were largely the result
of suspicious and the resentment that
rises in the bosom of a discharged pub
lie servant"
The lawyer switched finally to an
analysis of Pinchot's motive to Senator
Dolliver the letter which caused the
forester's removal.
"I wrote it, said the witness, "be-
cause 1 thought it wise that the cases
of Messrs. Price and Shaw should be
presented at the same time as Mr..
Wickersham's defense of Mr.. Ballinger,
and because Mr.. Dolliver asked me to-"
did you consider whether or not
that letter would calse your removal
by the PRESIDENT"
"I thought it was about an even
chance whether I would be removed
or not"
"And you decided to take the
chance?"
eyes"
"You wrote that letter rather than
resign, although the relations between
you and the president were as cordial
as the letters you have introduced here
have shown?"
"I had told the president would not
resign
When Vertrees closed his cross-ex-
animation Attorney Pepper conducted
brief redirect examination of the
witness. He asked Pinchot if his in