The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-03-26
RESUME HEARING
BALL|NGER CASE
Director of Morgan-eussenheim synd-
icate Parries ouestions-com-
mittee Getting irritable.
BY Associated Press.


Washington, Mar. 26.-The Balm
ger-Pinchot investigation committee
after executive session today unani-
mously decided to deny the request
of Attorney Brandeis that Ballinger
be called as witness for the prose
cution" at this time.
Washington, March 26.-The Bal
linger- Pinchot inquiry was resumed
Friday after an adjournment of prac-
tically two weeks. the sessions OF last
Friday and Saturday having been SER
iously interferred with by the fight
against Speaker Cannon in the house
of representatives
AS soon as the committee met this
morning Attorney Brandels, represent
ing Louis r. CLAWS and others, sprang
a surprise by requesting that Secre-
tary of the Interior Ballinger be call
ed as one of his witnesses. Mr.. Bran
dels stated at first that he wished to
identify by Mr.. Ballinger two letters
that he desired to introduce in evil
dence at this time. Questioned fur
ther by members of the committee
as to his intent, he admitted he de-
sired to conduct general examina-
tion of the accused cabinet official.
Counsel for Mr.. Ballinger objected to
this and called forth from Mr.. Bran
dels the remark that from his letters
he had always supposed Mr.. Ballinger
to be ready to appear whenever and as
often as anyone connected with the
inquiry desired.
Some members of the committee
seemed to think that Mr.. Ballinger, as
the person most interested in the in
quiry, should have opportunity to
make his statement first in his own
way and not subject himself to cross
examination before being examined in
chief. The matter was passed ovel
temporarily, to be decided later In
executive session.
The witness stand was occupied dur
ing the entire day by Stephen Birch
managing director of the Morgan
Guggenheim syndicate in Alaska. 1
was thought at first that Mr. Birch''
testimony would be largely perfume
tory in character and would follow thu
lines of his statement recently mad'
before the senate committee on ter
ritories. Members of the committee
however, became deeply interested il
the operations of the Alaska syndicat
from every possible angle. Much o
the questioning was intended to shoy
that the Guggenheims practically cor
troll Alaska. Mr.. Birch stoutly denie
this
Well" he was asked by Represer
tative Graham, 'if the Guggenheim
got control of the coal lands in Alas
ka what would there be left?"
Mr.. Birch said he did not think thi
was fair question to ask him. H
admitted that the Guggenheim inte
ests were large, that they had il
vested some >$15,OOO,0e0 already, an
had contracted for the expenditure {
other millions There had been 4
returns from these investments a
yet. But the syndicate "had hopes
AS to the Cunningham claims, M
Birch produced the option which
committee of the claimants had give
to Daniel Guggenheim July 20, 1870
He declared that this option had bee
accepted by the Guggenheims Decer
ber 7 of that year. The claimant
however, had never lived up to i
terms. Cunningham, he said, in ia
uary or February, 1908, had conten
ed that the Guggenheims themselv'
had voted the option by changing the
railroad base from Katalla to Go
dova, and that, furthermore, the 0
ton was Of no effect, because a m
jority of the claimants had never ra
fed 1t.
Mr.. Brandels sought to show tn