LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5 – Working his way through more than 19,000 pages of transcript, Charles Manson’s attorney Monday described the Tate-LaBianca case as a “political trial” and claimed his client is innocent.

Irving A. Kanarek, offering final arguments for the third full day, said the 36-year-old Manson had become a “symbol of one of the confrontations going on in this country today.”

He said Manson had scratched an “X” on his forehead as a “form of free speech,” and “a symbol of his protest at the way he’s being treated.”

Kanarek argued repeatedly that the testimony of Linda Kasabian, the state’s key witness, had not been corroborated to show “any wrong-doing on the part of Mr. Manson.”

Showing jurors a series of pictures of actress Sharon Tate’s Benedict Canyon home, photos of other figures in the case such as Charles (Tex) Watson, and pictures of the victims, Kanarek asked how they corroborate Mrs. Kasabian’s testimony of two nights of murder.

He pointed out that Leno LaBianca’s hands had been bound by a leather thong on the second night and a leather thong taken from Manson’s clothing had been introduced as evidence.

Kanarek charged that prosecutor Vincent T. Bugliosi wants jurors to make an equation between the thong around LaBianca’s wrists, illustrated by a photo he displayed, and a leather thong the defense lawyer held in his other hand.

“I think if we meet the issues head on in this case, we can acquit Mr. Manson and go on to other things,” the attorney said.

“How many inferences do we have to make to allow the prosecution a political victory?”

Kanarek belittled the suggestion that Manson ordered the seven Tate-LaBianca killings to start a black-white race war.

“If this was to start a black-white war, why did it stop on the second night?” he asked. “Why wasn’t there a third, fourth and fifth night, if that was what was supposed to take place?”

Kanarek attacked the credibility of Juan Flynn, a Panama-born hay hauler, Vietnam veteran and sometime actor who testified that Manson once held a knife at his throat at the Spahn ranch and said, “Don’t you know I’m the one responsible for all these killings?”

“These killings?” Kanarek said. “What killings? All sorts of philosophical discussions were going on there at Spahn ranch.”

He said the statement doesn’t resemble anything near a confession because no “ascertained human beings” had been named in the words “all these killings.”

Manson interrupted his attorney in a loud voice.

“It’s not a confession to any murder,” the defendant called through the grillwork of a holding cell, “Why don’t you sit down? You’re just making things worse.”

Manson and three women defendants — Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten — have listened to the trial by loudspeaker from nearby rooms since repeatedly disrupting the hearing several days ago.

Kanarek later told jurors they must not permit themselves to be influenced by Manson’s “unhappiness with the court.

“This kind of conduct has nothing to do with guilt,” he said.

By JOHN KENDALL