The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-09-27
HRAB AT ALASKAN COAL LANDS

The Ballinger-Pinchot row has
 reached the stage where the two prin- cipals do not recognize each other, though both are in the Presidents touring party, andg there seems to be considerable doubt whether the Pres ident, who desires to retain both in l the government service, can adjust 1 the difficulty. It will be the more diff cult for the reason that he has open ly endorsed Ballinger.
 The Van Norden Magazine publishes [ an article upon the controversy. It appears therefrom that while Ballin- gerewas U. s. Land commissioner, he urged Secretary Garfield to issue pat ents on certain coal land clair2s in Alaska to Clarence Cunningham of Seattle, but MT. Garfield learned that some claims were unlawful; inasmuch as many of the original 725 filings were made by "bums'' picked up on the docks of Seattle and San Francis co, the consolidation of them would be clearly contrary to the mineral laws of Alaska. He therefore began leged bogus claimants have since con- fesssed.
 After leaving the Land Office, Bal finger became counsel for. Cunning ham. Later, he became Secretary of xhe Interior and orders were at once given to issue the patents to Cunning ham, mot however by Ballinger but by Asst Secretary Pierce to whom he had turned over the matter. On May 19, Pierce rendered a decision that the charge of conspiracy should not lie against these claimants, but it was re- versed by Attorney General Wicker sham, upon the appeal of L. R. Glavis, chief of, the field division of the General Land Office. who has since been retired from office. In a recent letter to President Taft, MT. Glavis says:
 The evidence indicated that a great syndicate is trying to secure a mo- of the law. Ultimately, I felt myself obliged to appeal to you over the heads of my superior officers in order to bring about the enforcement of the law which in a measure would con serve these coal lands to the people at large.
 Since there may be now even great CT canger that the title of these coal lands will be fraudulently secured by the syndicate, it is no less my duty to my country to make public the facts in my possession concerning which I firmly believe that you have been mis- led. This I shall do in the near fu- ture.
 The lands, in question will, accord ing to estimates by the Geological Sur vey, yield at least 57,O00,000 tons of fine steaning coal and probably as much more. These claims were stalk ed out in 1902 and are all contiguous. Cunningham is, it is understood, act ing as the agent of a syndicate and b to receive eight per cent. of the property for his services.
 Millions seem to be involved in the case, and present indications are that the syndicate will win, as the result of President Taft's endorsement of Ballinger which serves as an appro- val of the whole procedure.
 The substance of the case is that claims which were in process of dis approval by Secretary Garfield, were approved as soon as BaIlinger suc- ceeded him, and that Ballinger had previously served as the claimants counsel and had also, while acting as Land commissioner, endeavored to push Cunningham's claims to the is- suance of perfected titles.
 MT. Glavis promises further details of what is evidently a scheme to mo- nopolize these very valuable coal lands, but present indications are that they will come too late to pre- vent full consunmation of the scheme |