The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-08-27
"GOEASY
ON THOSE
FELLOWS"
Secretary Bamnger
So Cabinet Officer Is Said TO
Have Instructed SubOrdinates
in Trust Inquiry
Reports Made to Taft Bring
Order for Details of Alaska
Coal Lands Investigation
Guggenheims Alleged to Have
Paid Expenses of Men Who
Patented Property
Rich Copper and Coal Mines
Reported to Have Been Passed
Over to SmeIter Combine

Especial Dispatch 10 The Call


w YASHINGTON, Aug. 26.-It
w has just leaked out here that
w Law Officer Shaw of the forest
service called on President Taft sew
cral times last week and laid before
him mass of evidence in the matter
of the Cunningham coal land claims IN
Alaska, in which it is alleged that
gigantic frauds have been committed.
The president sat up until midnight
on two occasions, going over these
documents and questioning Shaw and
Field Agent CLAWS of the general land
Office. These officials kept their move
ments secret. The outcome of their
reports was the direction from the
president to Secretary Ballinger, As
sistant Secretary Pierce, Land Com
missioner bennett and Chief of Field
Service Schwartz to prepare a state
ment Immediately, showing every de-
tail of the Cunningham case.
Reflects on BalIinger
1t is understood that an afi-
davit was presented to the
president showing that Secretary
BaIlinger while in Seattle recently
instructed certain subordinates to
"go easy on those fellows" refer
ring to the Cunningham crowd.
They are good fellows and all
right" was a remark credited to
Ballingef.
1t is also reported that vouchers
were laid before the president
!. showing that the Guggenheim
smelter trust paid the expenses of
Cunningham, Moore and their as
sociates in the work of pushing
the coal land claims toward pat
ent, the evidence tending to show
that the Guggenheims were to
take over the claims after the
government had surrendered title.
Among these expenses were attor-
neys' fees, said to cover dates
when Ballinger was attorney for
Cunningham.
The coal claims are not tar from
Copper river, where the Guggen-
helms are about to erect snelter.
Katalla, a town situated in the
southeast corner OF the Chugach ma
tional forest, and near the mouth of
the Copper river is one of the strate-
gic points in the exploitation of the
coal fields and copper mines. From
Katalla a short railroad is being con-
structed and is partly in operation to
tap the coal fields and the copper mines.
While BalIinger was commissioner of
the general land Office he issued to one
OF the claimants Of the Cunningham
claims patent for the land which now
constitutes the town Of Katalla, not
withstanding that 4here were already a
number of residents settled upon the
site.
The residents thus unceremoniously
ousted were loud in their protests. but
to no purpose. They contended that
the town should have passed into the
hands of the real settlers and not into
the hands of the coal land claimants IL
is asserted that the officials OF the
general land once, either knew or
could have easily -ascertained that BY
issuing this patent the homes OF many
settlers passed into the possession of a
few spectators.
Trust Gets Rich Mines
Investigation has disclosed the. fact
that some Of the richest copper mines
in the world are situated in the Copper
river district. Explorers for the Gug-
genheims and the Amalgamated inter-
ests prospected the district long before
the wealth of the region was generally
known, and it is common rumor that
the mines are already in the hands OF
the trust. The erection of a great
smelter such as will be built by the
trust will make a market for the coal
which lies so conveniently at hand.
The geological survey reports thar
there are over 2S square miles OF an
thracite coal in the disputed field be-
sides 20 square miles Of semibitumi-
nous and II miles of coal bearing land
of improved quality. The whole area
is as rich as the Pennsylvania fields.
| If the government can net prove that