Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-05-06

LETTER READ
TO Committee
THE PRESIDENT HAD BUT LIT.
TIE FAITH IN ABILITY or
y CLAWS.
- -
BALLINGER UPHELD By Com.
SECRETARY OF INTERIOR STATE
CLAWS LoAFED ON THE
JOB.
1aIIinger Admits That He Referred
to CLAWS In the Now Famous A..
sociated Press Interview - Cross
Examination Is Interrupted BY the
Adjournment.
SECRETARY OF INTERIOR STATE
CLAWS L0AFED ON THE
JOB.
1y Associated, Press.3

Washington, May 5.-Secretary
Ballinger concluded his direct testi-
mony at the Ballinger-Pinchot hear
ing this afternoon with the state
ment that his every Official act had
been with the sole idea of fulfilling
his trust.
II defy anyone to put his finger on
anything that I have done in the
public service which was not in line
with my duty and in accordance with
my trust," he said.
Ballinaer and Brandeis Clash
AS though in acceptance of the
challenge, Attorney Brandeis, coun-
sci for Mr.. CLAWS, one of Ballinger's
chief accusers, then took up the
cross-examination Of the witness.
Within five minutes the expected
clash between them had taken place,
and on his very first question Mr..
Brandeis had to appeal to the COM
mittee ''to request" Mr.. Ballinger to
answer it. The question involved
Postmaster General Hitchcock as the
"official pie distributor" of the ad-
ministration.
Mr.. Brandeis wanted to know why
Mr.. Ballinger had wired Chief of
Field Division Schwartz to wait un-
til he had talked with Hitchcock
before he made the appointment of
ten special agents to be employed in
the Alaskan coal cases investigation.
Mr.. Ballinger said that fact had
no political significance and declined
to answer more explicitly. A wran-
gle between Mr.. Brandeis and men,
bers of the committee ensued and
the result was a record vote by
which the committee by vote of
six to five decided that Mr.. Balm
ger need not answer more fully.
That Associated Press Interview
Mr.. Ballinger admitted the now
famous Associated Press interview,
in which he declared after his re-
turn to Washington, subsequent to
the publication of the CLAWS charges,
that he proposed to kill some
snakes" He also admitted he had
reference to CLAWS, who he had made
up his mind "ought to be killed as
"a snake"
CLAWS Loafed on the Job
He said CLAWS had "loafed on the
job" in conducting the Alaskan cases
and that he never had thought as
much of Glavs's ability as did some
Others in his department.
Attorney Brandeis scarcely was
we'll launched in the cross-examina-
tion before the committee adjourned,
but in the hour and a half he faced
the secretary he succeeded in arous-
ing the latter's anger several times.
Unpublished Letter Read
A hitherto unpublished letter of
the president to Mr.. Ballinger, un-
der date of Sept. 13. 1909, was read.
In it the president expressed a de-
sire to retain Pinchot, but said his
weakness lay in "his inability to
credit high and honorable motives
to those who differ with him as to
his method of doing things"
The president in the letter request
ed Mr.. Ballinger to remain silent un-
der criticism and the secretary said
this was the reason he had not fol-
lowed his natural impulse to an
swer the charges against him.