Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-06
COMES TO SHOW Down
Continued from First Page.)

| tries that were proper ones, to stand OF
three sections, 1850 acres but in that
consolidation it was of course necessary
for the entrymen to show good faith in
compliance with the law before the con-
solidation would bes permitted. No con-
| solicitations have been made because the
| interests which wish to do that could not
make good their interest,"
Entries Classed as Illegal.
| Mr.. bennett said:
There is one application pending" He
referred to the Cunningham group. Mr.
| Garfield then said:
Yes; and the entries as soon as we
examined them we found were not legal
ones. Now these gentlemen have recent
! ly been endeavoring to perfect their or
they were clearly in violation of the
statute as construed by Judge Hanford
in the Washington district and in the
cases coming up in the court in Colorado.
They are trying to find out some method
by which they can get control of the en-
tire field"
Mr. bennett then testified:
1.-THE act passed at the last session was
for the purpose of relieving those who
had attempted to make entries on the
Alaska fields, but who realizing that the
coal could not be brought out by indi-
vidual effort, had agreed to pool their
interests with the intention of retaining
their interests in the land when their is
sues had been so proved, and they were
allowed to do that to the extent of $3.50
acres. The provisions with regard to the
land passing into the hands of trust
were Objectionable to certain parties, and
Ia few Of them are still attempting to
come In under the old act-this allowed
the corporation to take 64O acres and an
individual to take 16O acres"
In other words, Secretary Garfield,
January 80. 1909, construed the law as
it was afterward construed by the At
torney General. and plainly expressed
his desire and purpose to defeat the
fraudulent claims. which he said were
field.
Mr.. Dement'S View.
Commissioner bennett, however
whether or not the claimants would be
| willing to subject themselves to the
| antitrust clause of the act of 1908 in
| order to secure the right Of combina-
ton. Mr.. Schwartz in his testimony
outlined the steps which had been
| taken by. the Alaska coal claimants ia
perpetrate fraud upon. the government
In the acquisition Of the coal lands, al
| though he seemed to think that some OF
the claimants whose claims had been
| initiated by dummy entrymen with the
purpose of defrauding the government
| might attempt to combine their inter-
ests under the act Of May 23, 1908. and
might possibly do SO. His real opinion
was that they could not
Mr.. Schwartz said in reference to the
claims:
In the first place, with reference to
labor values up there, 1t must be borne
in mind that these claims are on the
coast. They are not back beyond the
range in the mining countries. and nor
| mally the labor is not as high there
and by water it is not a great distance
| from Seattle. and the bare cost Of ship
ping this coal or the bare. transporta-
ton. Is the water transportation to get
to the Puget sound country. The peo-
pie there are the people who want the
| coal. Further than that, these Goals are
practically in the line of. the orient
| trade. and through that fact values
will undoubtedly be greatly enhanced
/ just as the orient trade enhances, and
| 1t undoubtedly will.
Reasons for Further Investigation
| Now as to why these are included here
for further investigation ] may say tha