Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-31
At THE WHITE HOUSE
Sensational Turn in Oregon
Land Fraud Cases.
JOHN n. HALL REMOVED
WAS UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
AT PORTLAND.
A New Regime In Virginia-John
Goode Calls in Interest Of James,
town Exposition.
JOHN H. HALL REMOVED

town Exposition.
There was sensational turn In the Oregon
land fraud cases today when Attorney
General Moody. after a brief conference
with the President, announced that John
ii. Hail, United States attorney at Port
land, had been removed from office. Mr..
Moody declined to give any reasons ex-
cept that the removal was to enable the
carrying out Of the land prosecutions In ac-
| cordance with the policy already begun
Mr. Hall, it was stated, had not been
In charge of the land fraud cases directly,
but had been giving his assistance to
Special Attorney Heney, sent to Oregon
some time ago to conduct the case. 1t
is supposed that District Attorney Hall
has not been cooperating in a satisfactory
manner with Mr.. Heney and that the Presi-
dent, Attorney General Moody and Secre-
tary Hitchcock concluded that the best SER
| vice could be obtained by making a change
in the legal representative of the United
states at Portland. Who will succeed Mr..
| Hall Is not known.
Senator Fulton of Oregon has been con-
suited by the President as to the step
| about to be taken and had several con-
| ferences at the White House He was
| there this morning shortly before the an
! nouncement as to the removal was made.
The action OF the President indicates that
| he intends to assist Secretary Hitchcock
| and his representatives to the fullest ex-
| tent In the prosecution of the land fraud
| cases, regardless of who is hit or hurt.
| Mr. Hall was appointed as a friend of Sem
| ator Mitchell and there may be some sig
| nifcance in the removal in this respect.
| AS a close friend of Senator Mitchell it
| would not be possible for Mr.. Hall to con-
| duct the cases that may arise against the
senator without some embarrassment.
A New Regime in Virginia.
President Roosevelt today formally recog-
nized a new dispensing element for Vir-
ginia patronage. and at the same time turn
| ed won the organization that has had charge
of things for many years. At long con-
ference with leading Virginia republicans
| who have not been identified with the
organization the President agred to the
carrying out of plans adopted at a con-
| ference of republicans held at Roanoke
about week ago. The main point of these
plans is to constitute Representative Slemp
| Of the ninth district the chief spoke in a
new wheel that Is to revolve every time
an appointment is to be made. The other
spokes of the wheel are to be members
of an advisory committee which shall be
made up of a member from each congress
sional district. The committee is not to
contain single federal offlceholder, and
in that respect the present Bowden-Agnew
combination will be eliminated 1t is stat
ed, however, that this faction of the party
in Virginia will be invited to place members
will get will be limited to suit the plans
of the new faction that will dominate
things.
Representative Slemp and United States
Judge Edmund Waddill headed the dele
cation, which spent more than thirty min
utes going over the situation in Virginia
with the President. Other members of the
delegation were State Senator Noel, c. A.
n
state legislature; j. Powell Royal and J..
P. Summers. They told the President that
their hope in Virginia is to reorganize
everything in such way as to bring ac-
cessions to the party from the best peo-
pie of the state; that they did not contem-
plate warfare on the present organiza ton,
which controls the state completely. and
on the other hand that they would like to
work in harmony with the organization.
They said they believed the patronage
ought to be dispensed by an advisory COM
| mittee, with Representative Slemp at the
head and that it should be dispensed in
such way to aid in the upbuilding of
| the party and not toward the building up
| Of an office holding class that cared little
| for the growth of the party.
1t is positively stated that no person hold
| ing a federal job shall be member of the
advisory committee, and that the influence
dominating the committee in all appoint
ments shall be free from the holding
faint.
Representative Slemp's friends have been
seeking to put him at the head of repub-
| tcan affairs In Virginia ever since his cleo
| ton to Congress two years ago. His re-
| election In November last by a largely in
creased majority gave him a stronger foot
hold In his district and in the state, and a
few days ago a conference of his friends
and of leading republicans was called at
Roanoke, resulting in the putting forward
of the plan for a complete reorganization of
affairs
Representative Slemp stated that the
plans of this conference had been accepted
by the President. The advisory committee
Will be arranged for shortly.
1t is not known whether the Park Agnew-
Bowden faction will wage a fight on the
new element, which will undoubtedly do all
that is possible to gradually obtain control
of the state organization. While Mr.. Ag-
new, who is republican state chairman, and
George E. BOwden, who is republican ma
tional committeeman, are practically ig-
nored in the new arrangement and shorn of
their patronage, which they have hereto
fore been allowed, they are of a fighting
class and may give the new faction much
trouble. On the other hand, the Semp peo-
pie express the belief that they will have
no trouble in harmonizing affairs with the
old faction.