The San Francisco call., 1910-05-29

What he had testified about
Connolly, LawIer said, he had {
{ believed 10 he correct, but in I
{ view of CODnOlIy's letter. read TO I
the committee yesterday, he
judged that he had been misin-
formed. He said that he did not (
{ intend 10 do any wrong to Con-
I molly, but took that method of
making public rctraction.
c. p. Connolly instituted suit (
{ for $4,000 damages for slander
I against LawIer yesterday in the !
I supreme court of the district of
! Columbia.
dered him he declined it, which. it
seems TO me, utterly precludes the
idea that he entered it for any i'm
proper purpose. He had no inter
est, directly or indirectly. in any of
these claims. He entered the Office
with the single idea to the dis
charge Of his duty.
If the committee should decide
against Ballinger. said Vertrees, it
would cast imputation upon every man
in the interior department who had
anything 70 do with the Cunningham
claims. They must proceed on the as
sumption that these men are not to be
believed" he said
GUGGENHEIM BOGIE OF WEST
The testimony against the secretary
was termed malevolent Yociferation"
by the attorney, who declared that
there had been no substantial charge
sustained against him
'Guggenheim' seems to be the bogie
Of the west" said Vertrees with en-
phasfS. i assume he is like other men
He has his virtues and faults. He
built a railroad in Alaska without any
stock or bond issue and with his own
money and that seems to be a good
thing TO me-
Reading extensively from the printed
testimony. Vertrees declared that Spe-
cial Agent Jones and others who took
afhdavits of coal claimants made rec
ord only of such statements as they
believed to be damaging to the persons
making the claims
CHARGE OF DISHONESTY
No act susceptible of two interpre-
tations ever receives an honest one at
their hands, he charged referring to
CLAWS. Jones and others who had been
interested in the Cunningham cases
and were in opposition to Secretary
Ballinger- Then he said:
II anything wrong was done at
all by Ballinger 1T was the clear
listing OF the Cunningham claims
The order clear listing the claims
Sb Gas ma made on the report of
that II was the right thing to do
/ ana that the record sustained that
Interpretation.
But my point is that il the rec
ords old not sustain Schwartz's in
depreciation of them; IL he said to
BaInnger that they We're correct
ana that the claims ought to be
clear listed. nothing short of malice
could impute wrong doing to Bal
linger in clear listing them.
ATTACK ON GARFIELD
Ballinger's action in drafting the
Cunningham affidavit and presenting
II to Secretary Garfield and the land
office was justified by his attorney on
the ground that he had left the public
service at that time and was a private
citizen.
Former Secretary Garfield was de-
noynced as disappointed office
seeker who knew that .once stripped
Of his saddle he would find himself q
mere pony" while Pinchot was char
acterized as "a small possum up a
very big tree
1t is an objectionable sin to cross
the ambition Of man." exclaimed
Fertrees. Such a man will forgive
almost anything, but it was an un-
pardonable sin for the president to
cease to retain Garfield as secretary
of the interior
of Pinchot he declared that every
thing wild or chimerical in reference
to tree or reserve was dear to
| him."
SCARS PUT ON BALLINGER
Garfield. Pinchot and friends. Yer
trees declared, had placed scars. on Bal
linger that he would carry to his
grave. He said that their course
against the secretary had been in
| spired by a desire for revenge. Ste
nographer Kerby he referred to as "a
weak creature who was fattered bv
being invited to Pinchots mansion un-
der the dark, soft mantle of night to
meet Garfield and Brandeis."
On resuming his address after the
luncheon recess Vertrees paid his re-
| spects TO Pinchot, saying he had been
a favored friend of at least one
president, and that at times he had
shown great zeal in the public service.
He has received credit for all he
deserves" continued Vertrees, but he
received credit for loftiness of pur-
pose he does not deserve I pronose
to show how reckless and how vicious
he becomes once he is aroused"
WITNESS AGAINST PINCHoT
Vertrees read from the testimony of
| George Otis Smith, director of the geo
! logical survey, regarding a converse
ton with Pinchot. Smith testified that
Pinchot wanted him to recommend to
Garfield that approximately all of an
appropriation of $4,000 made by con-
gress for surveys in the national for
ests should be spent ON the compila-
tion of maps for the national forests.
When Smith refused, according to
Nertrees, Pinchot said that he (Smith)
ought not to stand on a strict inter-
probation OF the law, that it had been
done under a former administration.
Smith still refused and, Pinchot then
| threatened to show up the bureau to
the reporters" Vertrees said that this
evidence was uncontradicted by Pinchot
or any of his associates, adding:
Plnchot, in order to carry out his
purpose, is not only content to
threaten public official about
something done by his bureau, but
something about which he con-
ceives that official had nothing to
do.
Can you conceive of a bludeeon
ing more unprincipled to which a
man could resort? man who