Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1909-08-19
COAL LAND GRAB IN ALASKA,
CONNECTED WITH THE NAME
OF BALLlNGER. q
UGLY ALLEGATIONS MADE
Director Smith Defends Secretary of
lnterior.-GeoogicaI Survey Off
coal Attempts to Refute Mon
tana Charges.

Spokane, Washington.-The report
is being circulated among dele
gates to the national irrigation con-
gross that charges of a serious nature
against Secretary of the Interior
Ballinger are to be laid before Presi-
dent Taft at Beverly 1t is asserted
that the charges are backed up by a
number of affidavits. There are in
possession of a man who is said to
have passed through Chicago with
them on Thursday, on his way east.
DO these charges relate to water
power sites?" was asked.
1T is something far worse than
that was the reply from we'll
known member of the reclamation
service. THE charges relate to trans,
actions in Alaska
Open war has broken out between
the friends and foes of Secretary Bal
lnger. Public charges now involve
what is known as the Cunningham
group of coal land entries in Alaska.
The allegations involve the names of
several individuals, including that of
a United States senator
Coal lands of remarkable richness.
aggregating over 5000 acres are up
for patent in the interior department.
and it is asserted that Ballinger has
allowed the case to run to such a
length that it will be impossible to
prevent patents being issued to the
various persons involved.
Clarence G. Cunningham, a mining
man from Idaho, a few years ago
formed an association consisting of
himself and thirty-two other individ-
uals, and filed on $3.50 acres of coal
land thirty miles north of Katalda,
Alaska
The land is described as containing
the richest coal deposits in the north.
The vein in many places is sixty feet
thick and the product is said to be
better steam coal than now is pro-
duced anywhere on the Pacific coast.
Baliinger Is Accused. I
During the interim between Mr.. Bal
fingers two terms of service with the
government, or after he had retired as
commissioner of the general land Of
fee, it is being openly asserted, he
became attorney for the Cunningham
association, and, it is alleged attempt
ed to put through their claims at
Washington The unsettled case was
one of the legacies Secretary Garfield
left to Mr.. Ballinger.
Using as his cudgel cold hard facts
and figures which he declared a capa-
Bile man had obtained for him from
the government land offices, DR..
George G. Pardee, former governor
of California, before the congress re-
newed his attack upon Secretary Bal
linger, whom he charged, with throw
ing open to entry, valuable water
power lands, which had been with
drawn for the people by Secretary
Garfield, under the Roosevelt admin
istration. These lands are now in
the hands of the so-called water DOW
er trust, DR.. Pardee declared
Smith Defends Balinger.
The new attack faliowed a spirited
defense of Secretary Ballinger by
George Otis Smith. director of the
United States geological survey who
sat up all night at Mr.. Ballinger's di-
rection preparing his speech Mr..
Smith asked for a special place on the
program IN order to make his stat6-
ment.
Mr.. Smiths appearance was sur
prise to the delegates, as he had spok-
en- earlier in the week He read tele-
grams from the Montana land office,
one of which said that no filings had
been made on the lands thrown open
by Mr.. Ballnger; the other that but
one entry had been made and had
been protested