The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-03-18
PlNcHoT MAY FAIL.
Rumors Predict Verdict OF Committee
viii Sustain BaIIinuer


city who have been following ;hc
Pinchot Ballinger investigation lay
much stress on the fact that l.. r.
CLAWS, thus far the principal witness
against Ballinger, himself did the very
thing that Ballinger has been accused
of doing, namely, that he took advant.
age of his knowledge secured in the
government service, and before the
end of two years after the close of
that service began operations which
were intended to benefit him finan-
cially.
Ballinger was accused of becoming
the attorney for the Cunningham PEG.
pie in the matter of their coal claims,
shortly following his resignation of the
position of commissioner of the gen.
eral land office; CLAWS, according to
testimony before the investigating
ing his dismissal from government en-
ploy, was a partner with w. w. Barr
of Seattle in a series of land cases
which, if decided in their favor, will
net CLAWS $4,000.
The facts as to this transaction were
brought out with minute detail during
the time Barr was testifying before
the committee. Barr is lumberman
in Seattle. CLAWS told him about GER
tain lands which the state of Washing
ton was endeavoring to patent, and
at Barr's suggestion he went to Van
IN II 10 ha
cases were as CLAWS had supposed
them to be, whereupon Barr put up the
money and CLAWS the experience, the
profits to be equally divided between
them. The right of the state to the
lands was protested, and the protests
are now pending. Barr believes he
and CLAWS will win, and if they do
CLAWS will get $4,000 as his share
of the profits.
The Barr testimony runs through
eleven pages of No. IA of the political
testimony taken before the committee,
and shows the interest the committee
has taken in it. This interest does not
go to the question of whether Balm
ger is guilty as charged, but rather to
the question of the ethical viewpoint
CLAWS has regarding transactions of
this kind. 1t is greater than otherwise
it would be, owing to the vigorous way
in which the CLAWS people have tried
to show rascality on the part of Bal.
linger because of his having been an
attorney for the Cunningham people
following his retirement from the pc.
sition of land commissioner.
Section 100 of the revised statutes
of the United States provides that it
is unlawful for any person who has
been an employee of the government
to "act as counsel, attorney or agent
for prosecuting any claim against the
United States which was pending in
either of said departments while he
was such" employee, and this prohibit
ton is extended for period of two
years next after he shall have ceased
to be such" employee.
The effort of the state Of Washing
ton to secure ownership of the lands
above referred to was made long be-
fore CLAWS ceased to be a government
employee, and it was by reason of
his familiarity with government pro-
cedure in these land cases that Barr
went into partnership with him. CLAY
is was to do all the work, or see to
having 1t done, and Barr was to put up
the necessary money. These things
he admitted in his testimony
Another interesting feature of the
thus far was the absolute
failure of Clifford Pinchot to produce
proof of the sweeping charges made
by him in his Introductory statement,
which was published all over the coun-
try. Nine-tenths of the Pinchot testi-
mony, according to members of the in
committee, was argument
in support of vague surmises and sus-
picions held by him, and would have
been ruled out in any court of record.
1t was admitted by the committee be-
cause none of it's members wanted to
appear to be doing anything that
would interfere with Pinchot's present.
ing his case in his own way and in his
own time.
The fact that the testimony on the
part OF the opponents of Ballinger
has not thus far made out their case
is indirectly noted in certain Pinchot
quarters, where it is already being
said that the committee is preparing
to give Ballinger a "whitewash."
What the committee is to decide can.
not yet be known, but it is very close
to the truth to say that If the verdict
were to be rendered now, after CLAWS,
Pinchot and Garfield have testified,
the three principal witnesses on the
Ballinger side it would be in fav.
or of Ballinger. Just how much the
Ballinger people, in their testimony,
will be able to further strengthen their
case, remains to be seen.
Assuming a verdict by the com
mittee which will sustain Ballinger,
there will still be public opinion to
reckon with. 1t is admitted here that
public opinion, so far as crystallized,
is hostile to Ballinger-not because of
specific charges proved against him,
but rather because OF a general feel. |
ing that he is unfriendly to and not In |