The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-12-16
Representative Hitchcock
Attacks Conduct of the
Cabinet Member.
BELIEVES IN STORY
TOLD BY CLAWS
Wants Special Committee Appoint
ed to Investigate the Land
Office.

/ Severely attacking Secretary Of the
/ Interior Richard A Ballinger, the Gug-
] genheim interests, and the administra-
/ ton of the Land Office in general, Rep
resentative Hitchcock, OF Nebraska, to-
day urged upon the House the neces-
/ sity Of appointing a special committee to
| investigate the notorious land frauds
I of recent years"
/ Mr. Hitchcock expresses confidence in
the charges recently made BY l.. r.
/ CLAWS, the discharged chief OF the field
Z division OF the Land OHlce, and de-
| Clares that his discharge came because
I of zeal in protecting the Government
I against frauds.
4 pity the helpless subordinate" said
I Ar. Hitchcock VINO IS forced 10
/ choose between holding his own posi-
! ton in silence and endRngering II by
/ open protest against frauds entrenched
in power backed by inueflnce.
Hundreds Of them are probably to be
I found in the public service today. They
fear 20 speak or 10 protest.
/ Congress should protect these men;
when charges are made IL should In
Story Well Told
"The case Of CLAWS has been well
and simply told by himself. In Golfers
! Weekly, soon after he was discharged,
he wrote a history of the case, the read
ing OF which carries conviction. It
shows that whether the land office was
presided over by Ballinger, with Den
nett as his assistant, or later bennett
as commissioner, with Ballinger outside
as an attorney FOR the claimants, or
later still with Ballinger returned TO
power as Secretary Of the Interior, 1t
was manipulated to assist land thieves
In their depredations on the valuable
coal lands Of Alaska"
Alaska is the treasure house Of the
United States, Mr.. Hitchcock insisted.
I Already. he said large copper deposits
ET NrlfFT
Company, with the Government hardly
receiving lneSs Of pOttage for the
great heritage. CLAWS risked and lost
his reputation, declared the speaker. be-
Il cause he attempted 70 protect the tim
Der and coal lands remaining.
me Ftcenb controversy said Mr.
5s-teneolsh; 2 { s'oH ibiy reyeaIea a con
oition OF lawlessncss and favoritis1n In
me Land Cthoo which IS amazing.
In the Office.
This revelation indicates that the
real seat OF the public land frauds Is
in the Land Office itself rather than
outside he declared.
, The only way TO reach the evt is
i by a Congressional investigation. To
appropriate money for the Land Office
N 70 use IN guarding against fraud Is
4 folly If the Land Office itself is in the
hands Of the Phulistines.
huinors are even now current about
the misuse Of the 81, 600 600 appropriated
last year TO protect the public lands /
near or thousands OF dollars expended
/ out Of this fund for expensive furniture,
} or salaries OF 1avOrites that have been
coupled / near great increase in
clerical helpi OF sUbOrdinates who are
cOmplacent and who stand iu'' receiy-
b ing more pay than their superiors.
i speak Of these only as rumors, but
, we have some substantial facts some
, direct and specific charges, some evi-
, dence already before the country.
Inc case or Claws is fresh In the
J public mind. After seven years faith
tul service In various capacities he was,
without a hearing. summariIy dis
charged Had he been charged with
fraud, had he been helping the land
/ of neglect2
quite the contrary
He was discharged because he had
shown too much zeal i'm protecting tho
Government against frauds.
1t was the old stOTy-a Door, loyal
subordinate trying ID perform his diIfy
IN an office whose lead was controlled
Mr. Hitchcock rev. .,ewd the history Of
the Cunningham ClaI. as as n has preyi-
ously been narrated BY CLAWS. At the
time Ballluger was Commissioner Mr.
/ Hitchcock boldly said. he refused IN
) recognize CLAWS in his repeated efforts
d TO precent a certihCatiOn Of the claims
on the ground that they were fraudu-
lent, but, on the other hand, hurrieE
their approval over the protests of
CLAWS and before the Investigation was
complete. He revoked the order ONLY
r after Claws had wired and written 9TH
er protests.
Has To Retire.
"BaUlnger was TO retire I'm sixty davf
from the Land Office" continued AIr
b. / Hitchcock He did not retire in March
1909. A few days before retiring, how
ever he appeared as Land COmmis.
| siDuer before the House Committee or
Public Lands and urged the passage of
4 {. NFI d rrrfHHHT
Z / De TO leEalize the Cunningham claims tC
4 5000 acres. shortly after leaving Of
/, nee, ne appears before his successor
- bennett az the paid attorney repre-
! SeutnE the Cunningham claim-a direct
4 / violation Of the law, which prevents q
- former official Of the department ap-
4 pearlug as attorney within two years
v A year later Mr Ballingcr is made
! Secretary OF the Interior. with full
e Jurisdiction over the Land office. Again
i the pressure In behalf OF the Cunning.
% ham claims. The GUggcnhoim Com.
, pany has powerful friends in high
v places.
4 CLAWS again resisted and when over
ruled by the Land Office appealed if
desperation 20 the Department Of Jus
uCe- The Attorney General sustaint
u GlaFls and declares the Cunningham
] Claims trauo oUlent and illegal. The 800
p acres and 100000 tons Of coal arr
g what happens TO the faithful en-
3 nloye who has defled his superiors an,
3 saved the property He is dismissed
/ from the public service"
Mr. Hitchcock. I'm concluding. took ,
. rap at the Committee on Rules. whIcI
- ! now has his resolution TO iuvegtipato
| Although - per cent OF the Houe
/ wanted TO investigate. ne said thor
was no way 90 force the committee q
n report except through the Speaker
Confidential official information an,
+ copies Of secret papers were freely civ
; / en- 90 the fraudulent claimants" do
/ clared MIR. Hitchcock as he wound nj
his arraignmeut of the Land OfacG
| ''The Gucgcnhcim Company appears n
. have had fun access to everything ca
! the House get the same free access 10
an Investigation T'
The best Of any article is best 70
you. Piper Heidsieck is the best chew
li-. dot