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Show BALLINGER-PINCHOT HEARINGlS ENLIVENED BY WITNESS H. E. JONES Special Agent Charges a Government Repre sentative, Sent Out on the Cunningham Coal Cases, With Gross Incom petency and Praises Glavis formed tho Impression that the ver diet, if there la not to bo a ruaJorlt and minority finding, which would leave the matter practically whero It was before the Inquiry began, will hinge upon the testimony of Mr. Bal-linger Bal-linger himself. In other words, the case will sooa narrow down to an Issue between Mr. Glavis nnd the secretary of the Interior. Inte-rior. Hie committee Is rather restlva and anxious that Mr. Balllnger's testimony testi-mony should be reached at the earliest time. When he has concluded and the documents arc all In, tho Inquiry will probably be closed. When the committee met In open session Attorney Brandeis, for the prosecution, requested permission to introduce In evidence the statements recently made before the senate committee com-mittee on territories by Stephen Birch, managing director, and J. N. Steel, attorney for the Alaskan syndicate syndi-cate of Morgan Gutrgenhelm syndlcata for tho exploitation of Alaska. These statements told In part of th Guggenheim Cunningham coal claims which have been tho source of all tha trouble Incident to tho present Inquiry. In-quiry. Chairman Nelson said the state. I monts of Messrs. Birch and Steel had not been made under oath. The com ! mlttee agreed that the men should b 1 summoned as witnesses. The attor neys for both sldea unite la tho request. re-quest. Special Agent Horace T. Jones, -who worked with Glavis on tho Alaska cases, having arrived In the city since the last adjournment of the committee, commit-tee, was called to the stand, -while Mr. Plnchot. waited. Washington. Feb. 25 Tho Ballln-ger-Pinchot inquiry took an expected turn today when Special Agent Horace T. Jones of tho land office took tho stand for the "prosecution" and made a sensational attack on James M. Sheridan, who was sent by the land office to Seattle lest year to tako I charge of tho government's case In hearings on the Cunningham coal claims on Alaska. Jones declared that Sheridan had been graduated in law only a year or two, that his conduct of tho case was incompetent, and that he had opposed to him two of tho leading lawyers of Seattle. Testifying for an hour or more as to Sheridan's conduot of the case, and giving Instances from which he wished the committee to draw Its own conclusions, con-clusions, Jones said he did not deslro to criticise SberldAU In any way. Ho said Louis B. Glavis vm not a lawyer, but knew more law thau Sheridan did, and he thought It was a reflection on Glavis for tho laud office to Bend Sheridan out there to tako charge of a case which Glavia had worked up. Under cross-examination, Jones appeared ap-peared defiant and aggresslvo to members mem-bers of the committee and counsel alike, and said ho did not caro what inferences were drawn from hla testimony. testi-mony. Jones was still under cross-examination when luncheon recc6S was taken, and it appeared that Glfford Plnchot would not be reached as a witness wit-ness until late In the afternoon. Jones was examined by Mr. Bran-dels Bran-dels as to his work on tho coal cases in 1907. The witness said he consulted con-sulted freely with Commissioner Bal-Unger Bal-Unger when the latter was in Seattle -In Julyr19.t7. Jle told Mr. Ballinger that Special Agent Love Jn Alaska I was only half-hearted in his work, because be-cause he was a candidate for United States marshal, "I told the Commissioner," h.J added, "that Love did not have the proper spirit for an investigator, and he agreed with me. Tho commissioner commis-sioner a&ked me Lo make an investigation investi-gation cf all the claims as soon ai possible, as he wanted to be In a position posi-tion to appear beforo congress to advocate ad-vocate remedial legislation. He wanted to know just what the conditions were in the various Alaska groups, so ho could tpeak Intelligently. I told him it would bo sufficient to Interview two or Oueo claimants in each group." The witness said ho had never seen the report made by Love ou the Cunningham Cun-ningham cases, dated Aug 2, 1907, until un-til December of that year, when Glavis told him about It. It was claimed on this report of Au. 2 thut Commissioner Commis-sioner Ballinger, in January. 1908, ordered or-dered the Cunningham claims to bo clear listed for patent, Jonos corroborated Glavis' testimony testi-mony as to his efforts to get thu Alaska cases taken up by the grand Jury at Seattle. Glavis wa criticised in Wickersham's report to the President Presi-dent for halng done nothing toward a criminal prosecutlou. Jones said he went to District Attorney Todd at S"?allle by direction of Glavia, who was then his chief. 'Todd said It was useless to take the cases up at Seattle, for Judge Han ford was constitutionally opposed to land fraud cases, and he did not want to he humiliated by being turned down." tho witness said. "Todd suggested that w? take tho matter up with the attorney general at Wpshlngton. and get the attorney general to direct him to take up the matter at Seattle." Jones corroborated what Glavis had testified to as to the statement made by Donald A McKenzle. that the reason rea-son Jjnies R. Garfield was not retained re-tained in Mr. Taft's cabinet was because be-cause of his hostility to ttw. Alaska coal claims. The affidavit wade by Jones and Glav'- ns a lobbyist, was introduced in t-videnco and road. Washington, Feb. 25. Interest In the resumption of tho Ballinger-PIn-chot congressional Inquiry today, after an adjournment from Saturday last, centered In the anuouueement that Glfford PIchot would be called to tho stand as the third Important witness for the "prosecution." Ju6t what Mr. Plnchot would 6ay was problematical. After the avowal of Louis R Glavis that ho sought Mr. Plnchot' s assistance, aud that Mr. Plnchot Pln-chot had sent him to the President, the former forebt?r seems to havo had less to do with the matters under Investigation In-vestigation by the committee thau had been popularly supposed. There was a rumor before the day's session began that an effort would be , made to hold Mr. Plnchot strictly to testimony dealing with the Alaska coal lands, or matters concerning the inquiry, and this might materially cur-tall cur-tall his recital The irqulry was Inaugurated for the purpose of delving Into both the Interior Inte-rior department and the forestry service, serv-ice, but after tho resolution passed congress Mr. Plnchot and his two sub- J ordlnates, -who were active In the I Glavis matter, , wcro dismissed from the service. j When Mr, Pincbot was asked by the committee Borne time ago as to what j angle of the cose his testimony would ' have to do with, he answered that he proposed to tell the story of his connection con-nection with conservation. Followers of the Inquiry have |