Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-25
IN CUSTODY OF CLERK ASKS FOR THE FACTS
Order for Temporary Care of President Taft Wants to Know
Incubator Baby. About Alaska Coal Lands.
OTHER ISSUES DEFERREDICALLS FOR FULL REPORT
Corpus Proceedings Await Acting Secretary Pierce Will Sub
Action of Governor NIT Details Soon
FOSTER MOTHERS STATEMENT DEPARTMENTAL ROW POSSIBLE
an Actress-Wiu Continue the Heads Of
Her His Superiors.
President Taft Wants to Know
About Alaska Coal Lands.
CALLS FOR FULL REPORT
Acting Secretary Pierce Will Sub
nit Details Soon.
DEPARTMENTAL ROW POSSIBLE
Sensation Caused by the Appeal Of
Mr.. CLAWS Over the Heads Of
His Superiors.

Interesting If not sensational develop
ments are expected quickly in the Pin
chot-Baliinger row. President Taft has
taken hand in the case. and has placed
Interior Department officials on the de-
fensive.
Officials of the Interior Department to-
day received demand from President
Taft for detailed report upon all phases
OF the departmental action on what is
known as the Cunningham coal land
cases. arising In Alaska.
There Is nothing to say about this
NATTER said Acting Secretary Pierce to
Star reporter. except that we will
make report to the President within a
few days upon published statements and
upon the situation
The officials take the position that as
President their lips are necessarily
sealed against any outside discussion
of the subject. This was the attitude
assumed by Commissioner bennett. who
only this morning arrived from an in
spection tour through the west. and
Acting Secretary Pierce coincided with
this statement. The two officials were
engaged early In the day with Assistant
Attorney General Lawlor in consulta-
tion with reference to the proposed re-
port to Beverly, and assurance was
given that 1t would be put In shape as
soon as possible Privately the officials
express Indignation regarding the re-
port. and say that at the proper time
they will have no difficulty in convinc-
ing the public Of the probity Of their
conduct in the matter.
A departmental row Of the biggest pro-
portions is threatened as the very least
that will happen. while the air Is full OF
rumOr of possible scandals of magnitude.
1t Is said that charges which have been
preferred will either be sustained. to the
disparagement Of one set of officials. or II
disproved will react upon another set and
interfere with their further usefulness to
the government.
President Taft is said to- be in q posi-
tion where he must take .cognizance OF
| most vigorous fashion by demanding the
fullest explanation. He has also called
| upon Secretary Ballinger, now In the
west, for his version of such portions OF
the case as he may be familiar with as the
| result of his former connection with the
Cunningham claimants and his official po-
stion as head of the Interior Department.
Charges Of Chief CLAWS.
This action was precipitated by the
recent visit to Beverly of l.. r. CLAWS,
chief of field division Of the general land
! Office, with headquarters at Seattle and
with Jurisdiction over Alaska. Mr..
Claws went over the heads of his i'm
mediate superiors and took his informa-
tion direct to the President. The fact
that his charges are said to reflect upon
| the work of his own department, and to
substantiate intimations which would
support the position Of the forestry sery-
ice. lends added significance to his
| action.
Mr.. CLAWS is not now in Beverly nor
In Washington. and 1T is declared he has
not talked to newspaper men. but there
is knowledge in a general way in official
| circles of the purposes Of his recent visit
to the summer capital.
There is thought to be no question that
Mr.. Claws statements to the President
prec!pitated the executive action calling
for the complete statement from the In
terror Department. The present crisis is
said to be an incident of the friction be-
1 tween the forestry service and the land
office over administration of the conser-
walton policy. and therefore In a measure
a part of the Ballinger-Pinchot contro-
yersy.
In the absence of official statement and
depending upon unofficial and press re-
ports from various points, the situation At
present seems to be an inquiry into the
truth or falsity of certain charges or in
timatiOn that some Interior Department
officials have not lent requisite aid to the
effort of the government to save bill
lion dollars worth of Goa Hands I'm Alaska
from being turned over to private owner
| ship instead of being withheld by the
government under the conservation policy.
| AS matter of fact. reports go a great
deal farther than that and make stronger
intimations, but they have not. publicly
at least, taken the form of official
charges and necessarily cannot be detail
| ed at length.
Coal Lands in Dispute.
| The lands in dispute in this case COM
! prise some $1,000 acres in Alaska. part of
the tract lying within the Chugach forest
xgsI,-
quantities, and q, rough estimate of their
value places them upon footing with
the Pennsylvania coal fields. They con-
| tain the fuel for coming generations OF
settlers in Alaska and on the Pacific
coast, and the government policy of con-
servation has been to withhold them
from private acquisition until their value
could be ascertained and a method for
| their disposal provided.
In the meantime, settlers have endeav-
ored to get hold of them by entering
claims. Some 725 filings have been made,
and later these were consolidated, reduc-
ing the total claims to some forty-five.
The charge has been made that some of
these entries were made through con-
spiracy. the use of dummies and SINH
lar methods. The land Office has been
investigating those charges, and Mr..
CLAWS has been in charge of the work
until recently superseded by Special
Agent Sheridan.
1t has been alleged that the action Of
the Department of the Interior has
tended to hurry the decision in the con-
spiracy cases before all the testimony
could be put in. 1t is alleged that May
1S Acting Secretary of the Interior
Pierce laid down a decision that no
charge of conspiracy should lie against
the Cunningham cases. and that upon
Mr.. CLAWS taking it over the heads OF
his superiors and to the President. At
torney General Wickersham reversed
the order about June 20 and held that
conspiracy charges should be considered
as lying in those cases.
Mr.. CLAWS communicated with the
forest service. Informing the law Of
ficial of that branch Of the service that
part Of these coal lands were within
the Chugach forest reservation. and
asking him to have the forest service
cooperate in efforts to hold up decision
in the Cunningham cases until they
could be further Investigated.
This was done, and through the Secre-
tary Of Agriculture the cases were
halted.
One of the most significant features
of the whole affair. according to OFF,
cials is that Mr.. Claws the oficer OF
the Interior Department, should find Q