East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-09-13
SPECIAL AGENT CLAWS REPORTS
UPON alaska COAL CASES

(By John E. Lathrop, Washington
Correspondent for the Oregon Jour
nall
Washington, Sept. 11.-For one
month / have sought to obtain a copy
of the CLAWS report; / didn't get it..
No one got it. 1t Is as inaccessible
as was the celebrated report that
was filed in the case against Binger
Hermann seven years or so ago, and
on which the prosecution of the for
mer land commissioner is In part
based. A. r. Greene was the Blnger
Hermann special agent Louis r. Gla-
Wis is the r. A. Ballinger ct al special
agent, and upon his presentation TO
President Taft about August 25 OF
facts of which he has official record
rests practically the whole case
which has been made up against
Secretary Ballinger, his assistant Sec
retary, Frank Pierce, the commission
er of the general land office, Fred
bennett, and the chief special agents
II. H. Schwartz.
But at least the framework af the
case Is herewith presented. 1t is alb
solutely exactly In accordance with
the alleged facts upon which this
"cause celebre" rests. 1t Is, as to its
gathering, a patchwork quilt-that
is, 1t is the putting together Of diff
ferent facts gathered from time to
time, and may be verified from III:
official records here.
A Prize Worth Billions.
This statement is prepared without
sensationalism of language, o. inter-
written comment 1t is, perhaps,
more appealing to lawyers than to
laymen; and TO lawyers II will be a
plain Tale from the Hills"-the
hills of Alaska, where is deposited
coal on 100000 acres of land. on
$4,000 acres alone the geological
survey. purely as scientific PROPOSE
tion, estimated 1,500,000,000 long
tons Of high grade coal, worth az SO
a ton $4,000. 100000.
How much coal is in the 100000
acres of known deposits, besides vast
areas of other coal lands in Alaska,
remains to be determined ir the fu-
ture.
Suffice 1t to say that II, for the |
sake OF argument II be assumed that |
charges of criminal collusion were /
brought before court, and Il were |
sought to establish an adequate mo- -,
tive for the commission of the alleg- |
ed crime against the coramonwoal, |
this rich prize of coal wou be the !
answer-that to get II men who rank
among philanthropists, Wall street
college endowers, art con-
noisseurs, kings of a smelling empire.
princes of an oily kingdom, railroad
rulers men whose names are familiar
on every European Brouse, insurance
western bankers, politi-
clans, campaign managers for can
didates for this nations most exalted
such a coterle sough.
ways and means wherewith they
might circumvent the laws of the
country and get that prize of billions
Of tons of coal from all of the peo-
pie.
Tools OF the Combine
This story which follows is based
on the evidence that dummy entry
men," so familiar to the people in
many western states, had been EN-
ployed to get that coal; that the Gug-
yenheim syndicate was paying the ex-
Denses; that clerks and stenograph-
ers in distant cities were used az
dummies, along with laborers in
lumber and grading camps; that co..
usion was present, and that, If fat-
,nted according to orders actual" is
sued by Mr.. Ballinger's assistant,
Frank Pierce, this mighty wealth Of :
uel would have passed into the own
,rship of the Guggenheim, Morgan n
md Standard oil combine which is
ooting Alaska. >
The question then, is no., was
here intended collusion," That Is