The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-04-23
DRANDELs SAYS|T
IS A FRAME-UP
Attorney Generals Statements Ad-
mitted ncorreet--coIIler's At
tempted Bribery is Denied.

Washington, April 2s.-After at
tacking certain statements in Attor-
ney General Wickersham's summary
of the CLAWS case during cross-exam-
nation of a witness before the Bal
linger-Pinchot investigation Friday,
Attorney Brandeis, counsel for L. R.
CLAWS, threw out broad suggestion
that the document was prepared in
order to make II appear that Presi-
dent Taft's letter of vindication to
Secretary Ballinger had been based
on alleged facts 1t contained.
AT the white house and the depart
ment of justice 1t was stated that
neither the president nor the attor-
ney general would comment on Mr..
Brondeis' intimations.
Comparatively little progress was
made with the inquiry today, despite
the apparently growing impatience Of
the committee and the general desire
of the members to bring the hearing
to a close. The committee probably
win act tomorrow on the proposition
to hold hearings three days each week.
q. G. Finney, assistant to the Sec
retary OF the interior. was under cross
examination almost the whole day. He
admitted that some of Mr.. Wicker
sham's statements were inaccurate.
but insisted that they were unimport-
ant.
1t was near the end of Finney's ex-
animation that Mr. Brandeis sprang
his surprise, Mr.. Wickersham, in his
summary, says the suggestion that it
was unlawful for Mr.. 9allinger to
have any professional relations with
the Cunningham claimants because of
his previous ineumbency of the office
OF commissioner of the land office,
was based on section 1870 of the re-
vised statutes, and he cites authori-
ties to show that Mr.. Ballinger had
not violated that law.
Mr.. Brandeis asked the witness If
he did not know that CLAWS accused
Ballinger Of violating that law for the
first time in statement published
in a November number of Golfers
Weekly. Mr. Finney was not certain
on that point, whereupon Mr.. Bran
deis demanded to know If it was a
fact that the statement which pur-
ports to have been made OH Septem-
ber II, 1909, was not made until more
than two months after that time. Mr..
Finney responded that he did not
know it to be fact and did not be-
lieve it was.
Having come here all the way from
Alaska at the behest Of the commit
tee to tell whether he had made the
statement to Marshal Fl. K. Love that
an agent of Golfers had told him 'ft
would be worth $1,000 to $4,000 for
him to come to Washington to tes-
tify," John W. Dudley the dismissed
register of the land office at Juneau.
took the stand and said Mr.. Love had
misunderstood him. Mr.. Dudley said
Editor Russell of Juneau paper had
sought to act as intermediary between
himself and Golfers Weekly whereby
Russell wanted him to prepare an ar
ticle supplementing the CLAWS charges
for which he was to receive the sum
mentioned. He had told Love Of this
offer from Russell, and supposed
Love had not understood He said
he did not take kindly to Russell's
proposition and that the weekly would
not agree to it further than to pay
Dudley's expenses to New York to
talk the matter over He said Rus
sell did not pose as Golfers agent.
and that there was nothing said about
his testifying before the investigating
committee.
Members of the committee and at
torneys on both sides questioned Mr.
Dudley at length and apparently satis-
fed themselves that there had been
no effort made to influence testimony
imp operIy before the committee.
G. G. Keltman, former chief of the
mineral division of the interior de-
partment. will take the stand tomor-
row. Attorney vertrees, counsel for
Mr. Bailinger. said tonight that he
still had more than dozen witnesses
to examine.