Show INQUIRY BEGINS ba ballanger efinger pinchot controversy to hold center Cante of stage for awhile aw hile washington Washing tom the ballanger ball I 1 nger pinchot congressional inquiry beganics began bega Its public sessions on wednesday with louis R orl secretary dal linger on the witness stand As a result of many interruptions and the final decision of the committee to insist that olavis counsel make an opening statement of the specific charges against mr ajr ballinger the witness did not get far in his narrative the charges in brief are that prior to entering the government service in any capacity n R A ballinger acted as aa attorney in drawing up uly an agreement in escrow and deeds inthe wilson coal company cases in lewla lewis county washington these cases being an alleged fraud upon the tha land laws mr Bal ballingers lingers name did not appear in court records in the case that mr ballinger as aa commissioner of 0 the land office in 1907 did not show due diligence in investigating alleged frauds connected with the cunnihgham coal land claims in alaska that he be had bad knowledge of all circumstances surrounding these claims and in spite ot of this entered the employ 0 oile oho of the claimants after leaving the land office and before becoming secretary of the interior that he ordered these claims to be clear listed for patent without due investigation and that they would have gone to patent it glavis and others had not intervened |