The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-11-10
Ex-Chief CLAWS Tells of
Alaska Monopoly.
ARRANGEMENT OF BALLINGER.
Secretary of the Interior Is Again
Accused of Failure to Take
Steps to Save Immense
Beds of Fuel.

!
L. r. CLAWS, removed in September
from the office of chief of field divi-
sion of the general land office, says:
prom 1902 to 1909 was in the field
service of the general land Office, for
the last two and half years as chief
of field division. In September, 1909.
was summarily removed from my po-
sition without formal hearing by
Richard A. Ballinger, secretary of the
Interior, by authorization of the presi-
dent of the United States. That re-
moval was accompanied by the publi-
cation of letter of the president to
Mr. Ballinger. l believe that my re-
| moval was unfair | believe the presi-
dents letter was grievously unfair, be-
cause in 1t the president gives weight
to charge against me which never
had the opportunity to see or answer.
| The president states in his letter that
/ withheld from him information fa-
vorable to my superiors. l do not
know Of any such information with
held by me, nor am l conscious Of do
ing my superiors injustice Neverthe-
less, l should not now make any public
statement Of the matter were it not
still possible to save for the govern
ment many thousands of acres of coal
lands which | believe the land office
may in the near future grant to fraud
ulent claimants.
THE coal lands of Alaska owned by
the government amount to over 1OO,-
600 acres. They are the future coal
supply of the nation, of almost inesti-
mahlc value. Possession of them by
private individuals means great wealth.
A monopoly of them would be Il ma
tional menace.
"On Nov. II. 1906. President Roose-
welt withdrew all coal lands in Alaska
from public entry, but previous to that
time there We're about 800 claims filed.
covering about 100000 acres. nearly
the whole of the coal fields. The law
attempts to prevent monopoly of such
claims by limiting the amount of each
claim and providing that each claim
ant must take up the land in his own
interest and for his own use. This law
has been interpreted by the supreme
court of the United States to forbid
specializing in coal lands before entry,
either by dummy entrymcn or by pre-
vious agreements to consolidate claims
after entry. OF these 900 claims to
Alaska coal lands, among them the Sc
called Cunningham group, the majori-
ty are fraudulent. 1t is asserted that
the Guggenheims are seeking Il monop.
oily of the Alaska coal fields.
AS to the action of the land office
on these claims. | assert that the land
: office ordered the Cunningham claims
to patent without due investigation
, when Commissioner Balinger knew
they were under suspicion; that while
in office Commissioner Ballinger urged
congress to pass law which would
validate fraudulent Alaska claims
! that shortly after resigning from of
! fee he became attorney for the Gun
; ningham group and other Alaska
claims; that soon after he became sec
retary of the interior his office ren.
dered decision which would have
validated all fraudulent Alaska claims
A reversal of that decision on every
point was obtained from Attorney
General Wickersham.
!, II assert that in the spring of 1905
the land office urged me to an early
: trial of these cases before the investi
= cation was finished and when Secre
tary Ballinger, as the president has
! stated, knew that the Cunningham
, claims were invalid. When l appeal
J. ed to Secretary Ballinger for post
ponement he referred me to his sub
: ordinates. The department of agri
J. culture intervened. | was superseded
: in the charge of the cases, and tn,
a man who superseded me indorsed my
= recommendations, and the postpone
4; ment was granted. Immediately there
after l made my report on the Gun
!; ningham cases to President Taft anC
}. was dismissed from the service for in
i subordination.
"The president has chosen to trea
! my report as Il charge of criminality
l made no such charge, nor do max,
i, it now. The presidents letter Is a de
}. fense Of Mr.. Ballinger and Mr.. Den
!: nett commissioner Of the general lane
=. oticel from charges not made in m,
n report to him. l was not investigator,
: either Mr.. Ballinger or Mr.. bennett
. but the Alaska coal cases."
l. The forthcoming article in Collier
o Weekly is expected to reopen the en-
d tire Pinchor-Ballinger dispute over tn
a disposition of public lands. One of tn
:. most bitter official controversies eve
known in Washington may follow, an
;, the result may be the retirement fror
g office of either Secretary Ballinger O
"a Clifford Pinchot, chief of the fores