Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1910-06-02
Attorneys Brandeis and Pepper
Sum Up for Prosecution
NOT A FRIEND OF THE PEOPLE
Secretary Accused of Being Too
Close to Interests"

Washington, May 2S.-In summing
up the case of the so called "prosecu-
ton" before the Ballinger-Pinchot in
vestigating committee Attorney Louis
d. Brandeis, counsel for L. R. CLAWS,
declared that it had been c~onclusively
established that Secretary Ballinger
is not a man 80 zealously devoted to
the interests of the common people, so
vigilant and resolute in resisting the
insidious aggressions of the special in
t%erests, that he may be safely depend
ed on to carry forward the broad policy
of conservation of our national re-
sources
THAT he is subject to far severer
criticism we firmly believe" added
Mr.. Brandeis.
Mr.. Brandeis spoke about two hours.
He referred to Mr.. CLAWS as the ideal
public servant" and to Clifford Pinchot
as "a man OF character so high as to
be ever above the suspicion of self
seeking"
He vigorously defended the action Of
Stenographer Frederick M. Kerby in
making public confidential information
of the interior department bearing Oh
the preparation of the LaWler memoir
andum and said ito criticise Kerby
for this act involves a total miscon-
ception of the nature of our govern
ment."
What the Evidence Shows.
Attorney Brandeis, in giving a
resume of the testimony, commended
that it had been shown:
That the secretary is not so jealous.
ly devoted to the public interest that
he may be safely entrusted with the
policy.
That it has been shown that many
of the Alaskan claimants were his
friends and that the secretary had at
different times acted for them.
That the secretary did everything
he could to secure the clear-listing of
the Cunningham claims before they
had been properly investigated.
That his testimony on the stand vas
evasive and contained many misstate-
ments.
That his associations showed that
he was far from hostile to the advanc-
ing of the Observation-Disclosures inter-
ests in Alaska.
That it had been shown that the
regeneration of the secretary had
been entrusted to a maj admittedly
u%nfriendly to Claws"
That CLAWS was condemned by the
president On charges of which he had
NO knowledge and concerning which
the chief executive had been misled
by Secretary Ballinger and his subor-
dinates.
Pinchot's Attorney Pleads.
At the conclusion of Attorney Bran
deis' argument George w. Pepper,
counsel for Clifford Pinchot, addressed
the committee. Referring to the tes.
timony which had been adduced be-
fore the committee Mr.. Pepper said it
had conclusively established three
points:
First-That the course pursued in
the interior department had been char
%acterized by a lack of fidelity to the
public interest.
Second-That Mr.. Ballinger was not
merely but actually responsible for
the entire series of unhappy events.
Third-That the president never
would have found himself ~irrevocably
committed to al endorsement of the
secretary had he not been at critical
points successfully deceived as to the
real significance of what was happen
ing in the department.
Mr.. Pepper said these points were
In harmony with Mr.. Pinchot's open
ing statement that Mr.. Ballinger had
"proved u%nfaithful to the public,
whose property he had endangered,
and to the president, whom he had
deceived"