The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-19
SENATOR FLETCHER
SCORES bALL|NGER
Says Secretary of interior Was
Uncandid In Letter to
President
OFFICIAL HAS NOT ACTED
FOR PUBLIC WELFARE
Florida Senator Says Ballinger
Does Not Appear to Have
Desired Laws En-
iorcement

WASHINGTON, d. c.. Jan. I9.--In
point of Importance in the Ballinger-
Pinchot investigation. Senator F'letch-
err. Democrat, OF Florida, member
OF the committee, urged the adoption
Ballinger in the Senate to-day. This
report. said Fletcher in his long adj
dress ricnte- roughly with the secre=-
tary of the interior and recommended
that ne be separated from ais olfice.
Senator Fletcher told of the ques-
tons involved. read the law, explained
the Cunningham claims and set forth
briefly the official records.
Between vulgar graft and perfec-
ton lies the standard OF Official con-
duct the people have right to exact"
said the senator. They do not re-
quire that an offlcial shall be infalli-
BILE. On the other hand. they are not
satisfied To have him simply keep on
the windy side OF the law and pursue
q course which Is neglectful of ana
unfaithful to their interests to the
point just inside the line of criminal
guilt. Honesty. courage and ability
are demanded In high official posi-
tons. Has the interior department
been Differed and conducted accord
Ing to these standards? That Is the
principal question
Mr. Fletcher charged that Mr.. Bal
linger had been "uncandid'' In COM
munications to the President and
quoted testimony TO sustain his
charge.
RaIIinger Was Uncandfd.
"Ballinger was also uneandid." he
said. ''in his letter to the President
denying l. r., Claws statement that
after his resignation az commissioner
he acted as the legal representative
Of the Cunningham group. and for a
large number of others interested in
Alaska coal fields. He admitted on
the stand that he acted as the legal
representative of the Cunningham
group"
Fletcher charged that Ballinger
sought to procure he passage OF q
bill by Congress that would have le-
gaiized the Cunnir.gham-Gugg
claims to Alaska coal lands, worth
$25.o00.0o0.
Throughout the record he con-
tinued. ut appears that Commissioner
BalIinger, Lawyer Ballinger and Sec
Rotary Ballinger were in fun sympa-
thy with the coal land claimants and
desired that they should have their
patents. II they had violated the law
IL was because the law was absurd
and the violation ought not to be re-
garded. Nowhere does 1t appear that
he sincerely wanted the law enforced.
Nowhere il he shown to be safe
guarding the public interest. All
along he seemed to feel 1t his duty
to look out for private interests and
to lnse sight of the fact that the peo-
pies property was at stake"
1t was positively wicked, Fletcher
said. for Ballinger TO send a young
lawyer. who was only a year out OF
college, and had never tried a law
suit. to the Pacific coast to defend the
governments s25.000.000 interest In
the hearing on the Cunningham
claims"
Fletcher declared BaIIinger was
evasiye and apparently afraid OF the
TRUTH. on the witness stand. He
severely criticized Oscar LAWYER. au.
thor of the famous LAWYER draft
of Taft's letter generating Balm
ger for taking part In the case bear
ing In his heart the malice he did
toward CLAWS. The speech was q
most exhaustive review of the case
one Of the longest OF the session.