The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-03-12
Engineer Davis Will Be a Hard Witness to Contradict By
 MI. vertrees
MR. DAVIS CONTRADICTS
 WORDS OF BALLINGER
Witness Declares that He Told Bal- finger Himself ibat His Course Would Dcmoralizc the Rec-
 Iamatiou Service

Washington March 1t.--With Arth UT P. Davis, chief engineer of the reelam- alton service, on the stand the attack upon Secretary Ballinger continued to- day before the congressional commit tee. MT. Davis was called by MT. Pinchots attorney Although express | ing reluctance to testify MT Davis proved to be well fortified today with maps. dates and data, and proved in many ways to be one of the most im- portant witnesses so far introduced by the prosecution"
 The witness contradicted hatly many statements made by Secretary Ballin- ger to President Taft, revealing in de- tall various interviews and talks he had from time to time with Secretary Ballinger and ending the day by de- claring that the reclamation service is still in danger of disintegration as d result of MT. Ballinger's attitude to- ward it.
 MT. Davis declared that fin language as strong as politeness and proper re-
 spect would permit" he had told Sec
 retary Ballinger himself that his en-
 tire course had tended to a demor- alization of the service.
 l With regard to q statement by MT.
 Ballinger to the President that he had restored many lands with drawn by
 Secretary Garfield on the strength of
 recommendations from the reclamation
 service that these lands were no long,
 CT needed for reclamation purposes,
 Mir. Davis declared that all of the rec
 concentrations made by the reclamac ltiop service were in resporee to dif f ord3ys ssued hss If aallinger- l ese orders. bs said, wege repealed
 many times. but were never put in
 writing. Director Newell of the re-
 clamation service protested vigorously against the secretary's nction. 1 MT. Davis said Secretary Ballingcr
 had written a letter to Dr. Thomas
 Ewill of this city repeating the state ments that lands had been restored upon ton of the director | of the reclamation service that they were no longer needed. The witness
 said he was the director referred to-, | that he had never made any such rec
 ommendation and gave his ideas along | the subjects outlined
 | Mir. Davis declared that early in the present administration he had found
 Mir. Balllnger deeply prejudiced against | the reclama ton service. de asserted l that MT. Ballinger had told him to pre-
 pare the list of lands for restoration | slowly so as not to attract public at ltention. The witness said he had made
 no attempt to interfere with MT. Bal- Ilinger as to the restorations because
 he was always met with the flat state-
 ment that MT. Garfield's withdrawal 3f
 the lands had been entirely Illegal MT. Davis asserted that MT. Bullinger was wrong in stating to the Presi- l dent that MT. Garfields withdrawals 1 did not truthfully show what they were made for. There had been no subter- l fuge, he said and if there had been any appearance of subterfuge it was l his fault and not MT. Garfields. | The witness revealed in his testimony | that there is quite feud between the | reclamation service and the geological
 survey. It was repors of the re- | clamation service that Secretary Gar | field acted in his withdrawal of power
 sites. MT. BalIinger has depended en-
 tirely upon the geological survey. he
 declared.
 l MT. Davis did not hesitate to crit 1 icise the survey and declared that the
 narrow strips which had been with- drawn along the streams by the geo. Logical survey did not properly pro- | tect the power sites.
 The direc, examination had not been Iconcluded when adjournment was taken
 until tomorrow morning.