The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-24
MILLIONS IN
 COAL LANDS
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 became secretary of the interior suc- ceeding Garfield, he directed that the charges against the Cunningham claims (35 of them in aln. were insult f1cient and directed that the claims be .sclear listed" for patents in the land office. ~
 Clavis protested against this deci- sion and his protest being unauail- ing. he went to Wsshington to urge ington he found that the claims had been sent back to be patented without hearing. Clavis then secured the sub- to Attorney General Wickersham and Wickersham ruled that at least hearing must be held and Clavts re- turned to Seattle to prepare his case for an immediate hearing: An order kas given to Clavis by the land of flee to the effect that the hearing would not be held at Juena, but that under special arrangements with the General Land ofice would make the decision direct from the basis of evi- dence taken by special representa- tive"
 ceived a letter from the land office indicating that his activity was un- desirable and that for his own sake it would better cease. He continued to protest and although he felt ne knew more about these cases than anyone else, they were taken from him and given to Special Agent Sheridan in Denver, a man who had had only one years experience and was entire ly unfamiliar with the case. Sher1- dan was expected to expediate the case
 Clavis then made a final protest against the hearing being held before the government could finish the col lection of evidence and he wrote ana wired to the law offices of the Pores try Service. setting forth that the for estry people had it within their power to avoid the past action.
 Upon the representations of Shaw, Secretary Wilson wrote to Secretary BaIinger requesting a postponement and Shaw went at once to the Interior Department and asked to see SaH the files bearing on these cases. He was refused access to the papers and this is said to be the first time in the his- tory of the Forestry Service that an- other government official was denied
 About this time Secretary Ballinger gave out statement in Seattle say ing that Chief Forester Pinchot was trying to run the Interior Department nounced that the hearing had been postponed.
 Last Friday Glavis appeared here at Beverly to lay his troubles before tions have now been referred to At torney General Wickersham second time and are in his hands. At the same time a statement was given out at Denver setting October 15 for a hearing at Seattle of the so-calied Alaska coal cases and on the same day Acting Commissioner of the Land Office Schwartz gave out a. statement from Washington showing the activity of the interior department in prose cutting frauds and in withdrawing the entire public lands of especial value. ~I,i ArO That the United States Forest Service has bit- terly opposed the policy of Secretary of the Interior Ballinger in pushing to a settlement the so-called Alaska coal land cases, involving lands worth nearly a billion dollars, developed here today, when the United Press dispatch from Beverly saying that the President had turned the matter over was shown to Acting Forester Overton Price He refused to discuss any phase of the controversy except that
 in which the forestry service was di- rectly concerned. Price made it plain | that that branch of the government stood solidly back of L. R. Glav1s, the chief of the field division in which | the lands are located and who was di- rectly instrumental in securing a re- hearing of the matter through Pres1- | dent Taft.
 'aThe service has had the vigorous | Price. ssWe have from the first held l it is well for an organization like | our own, entrusted with the handling of public property, to have all the | facts before acting Until we know l all about these Alaska lands, the ser l vice will not recommend final action An expert from the service has already been sent to Alaska with this idea in 1 view. Over half of these coal claims | are within the present limits of the | Chugach National Forest
 | Price corroborated the statement ir I the Beverly dispatch that the Forest Service had been refused access tc | the records of the Cunningham cases | filed in the General Land Office. 'sA' my request. MT. Shaw. the acting law lofficer of the service,. said he. "went Ito the land office to consult these rec ords He was refused access to then and reported that fact to me. Late' Iaccess was Grapted to certain records bs,f x1ffrirn xvlafr331r involved correspond.