Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 May 1910 — BALLINGER CASE IS NEARING CLOSE [ARTICLE]

BALLINGER CASE IS NEARING CLOSE

Taft’s Letter to Secretary Defines President’s Position. IS INTROOUCED INTO EVIDENCE Closing Testimony on Cross-Examina-tion Develops Bitter Feeling On Part of Parties to Inquiry— President Letter in Full. Washington, May 6.—The climax of interest in the Ballinger-Pinchot investigation was reached when the direct examination of Secretary Ballinger was concluded and a sharp cross-ex-amination by Louis D. Brandeis, counsel ’ for L. R. Gravis, was begun. There were several tense moments in the session when it appeared that serious clashes were imminent. Secretary Ballinger made no effort to conceal the bitterness of his feeling toward Mr. Brandeis, Glavis, Pinchot, Garfield and others and the magazines and newspapers that have attacked him, and it was apparent that the cross-examination is capable of producing some sensational situations. President Taft’s letter in part was as follows: “Beverly, Mass., Sept. 13, 1902: My Dear Mr. Secretary—l send you in letter form my conclusions in regard to Glavis’ charges and other matters. I have studiously refrained from mentioning Pinchot’s name in the matter, because I do not wish to make it impossible for him to remain in the service. I value him highly as a public service and believe him capaoie of further usefulness. His weakness has been his inability to credit high and honorable motives to those who differ with him as to his method of doing* things when he is pursuing a worthy subject with all the enthiusiasm of his nature. I know him well and am very fond of him personally and mean, if possible, in spite of this defect, to preserve his great ability, valuable experience and patriotic disinterested zeal for the benefit of the public service. “I have confidence in both you and Pinchot. I know you are both patriotic and sincere and both favor generally the same result as to conservation, but that you are a lawyer, like me, and insist on the legal way; while Pinchot is impatient of such restraint. I wish to secure the high value of the service of you both for the great work before us. “Sincerely yours,

“WILLIAM H. TAFT.”