Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1910-06-09
IALLINCER FLAYED
loTneys Brandeis and Pepper
Sum Up for Prosecution
II A FRIEND OF THE PEOPLE
|cretary Accused of Being Too
Close to Interests"

Washington, May 2S.-In summing
the case of the so called %"prosecu-
N" before the Ballinger-Pinchot in
stigating committee Attorney Louis
Brandeis, counsel for l.. R. CLAWS,
clared that it had been conclusively
sablished that Secretary Ballinger
not a man $50 z%ealously devoted to
e interests of the common people, so
gilant and resolute in resisting the
!. sidious a%ggressions of the special in
rests, that he may be safely depend
OF to carry forward the broad policy
conservation of our national re-
urces."
THAT he is subject to far severer
iticism we firmly believe" added
II. Brandeis.
Mr.. Brandeis spoke about two hours.
e referred to M. Claws as the ideal
llblic servant" and to Clifford Pinchot
"a man of character so high as to
, eve above the suspicion of self
,eking."
He vigorously defended the action of
tenographer Frederick M. Kerby in
laking public confidential information
I the interior department bearing or
ne preparation of the Lawler memoir
ndum and said "to criticise Kerby
Or this act involves a total miscon-
option Of the nature of our govern
lent"
What the Evidence Shows.
Attorney Brandeis, in giving a
esume of the testimony, contended
hat it had been shown:
That the secretary is not so jealous
y devoted to the public interest that
re may be safely entrusted with the
iarrying out of a broad conservation
'ollcy.
That it has been shown that many
If the Alaskan claimants we're his
riends and that the secretary had at
lifferent times acted for them.
That the secretary did everything
lie could to secure the clear-listing of
he Cunningham claims before they
lad been properly Investigated.
That his testimony on the stand was
evasive and contained many misstate-
nents.
That his associations showed that
he was far from hostile to the advanc-
ing of the Guggenheim-Morgan inter-
ests in Alaska.
That it had been shown that the
'exoneration Of the secretary had
been entrusted to a man admittedly
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.
Secondhand 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 an endorsement of the
secretary had he not been at critica.
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 hat
"proved unfaithful to the public
whose property he had endangered
and to the president, whom he hat
deceived"