New-York tribune., 1909-09-16
SECRETARY UPHELD IN
LAND CONTROVERSY.
Atso Supported an Forestry Dispute
-GlaJ1s Charges "Shreds Of
Suspicion"

nection with the Cunningham coal land claims
IN Alaska. generating Secretary Bannger Of
tne Interior Department and observing that
MI Glavis's case embraced only "shreds of
SUSPICION without substantial evidence" vas
made public here tonight
The President grants secretarv BalHrxer,.
request for authority to dismiss Mr.. Glavis
from the service Of the government ~for un-
justly impeachng the official integrity Of MS SUI
perior officer. and reviews the so-caHed water
power trust and other cases To refute the
charges that the Secretary Of the Interior is out
of sympathy with the policy Of the ahminis-
'ration in favor Of the conservation Of natural
resources
Mr.. Taft also supports Secretary Bauinzer 4,
the controversy with the Forest service af
which Clifford Pinchot is the head
THE PRESIDENTS DECISION.
The statement. which is in the form Of a letter
10 Secretary BalIinger. written before President
tart left his summer home at Beverly, Mass.
| follows:
4 Beverly. Mass. September .1S 1000
MY Dear SIR; On the 18th day of August laz.
VT Nj. l. K Claws. chief OF field division OF the
General Land Office. with headquarters ar Sc
attIe, Wash called upon me here and submitrsA
statement or report relating to the Conduct %
the interior Department and particularly TO tn.
action Of yourself. Assistant Secretarv Pierce
o.. oonirnlssIoner OF the General Land once Dem
S1,. nTSt ano Cnief or Field Service Schwartz. in
/ coal land claims in AIasEa. AN e'V'' %
Mr Glavis's report does not formulate his
Cnarges against you and the others but hv- in
| sinuation and innuendo. as well as hv dirsr.
\ averment. he does charge that eacn one OF Won
Whle public officer has taken steps 10 aid m.
Cunningham claimants TO secure nsren5s bassd
on claims that you know or have reas son 4, be-
is nJve 20 oe fraudulent and unlawful The report.
Wnlcn IS voluminous and contains exhibits ~
telesrarns. letters and public documents. i d.
reeted 70 be copied and sent to you and 20 ths
otner officers involved. You and each OF the
other gentlemen named have now made vritren
answers TO the statement OF Mr. CLAWS ana
accompanied them by additional EXHIBITS taken
wen as BY private letters
1 NO SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE
4 have examined the whole record most r,-.-
\ puty snd nave reacneo very definite concu-
sh3' son - InpossIbIe for me, in announcing
4 ct the charges and tho evidence or both AIDES
| IS sumeient 70 say that the case attempted TO
| De :, ,ace oy Mr- CLAWS embraces only shreds Of
\ suspicious without any substantial evidence to
| sustain his attack
The whole record shows that Mr. CiIsyts Ma,
honestly convinced Of the illegal chs,ractsr s,r
/ the claims in the Cunningham s,rosIps and that
ne ne was seeking evidence to defeat the claims
Y But II also shows that there was delay on his
/ part IN preparing the evidence with which 10
! orins this with other claims. to hearing; and
that justice TO the claimants required more.
speedy action than the department. through AT-
| CLAWS, seems 20 have taken
I Nr. CLAWS seeks, by quoting from single
teieSTam IN the department. TO show that at one
time the department wished 70 delay him in
/ his Investigations OF the Alaska claims and Ar
another time Unduly to hurry him: and he at
4 tempts 70 prove these two circumstances hv
citing teleEramS and correspondence without
disclosing other circumstances and corresncn5
/ ence which he knew had under his control
and which do show entirely proper reason ro,
be taken.
In other words the reading of the whole rec
ord leaves no doubt that in his zeal to convict
Bennett and MIR Schwartz he did NOT give ms
the benefit OF information which he had that
would We thrown light on the transactions.
shown them to be consistent with an. impartial
attitude on your part toward the claims in que>-
tion.
CABINET MEMBER UPHELD.
The great responsibility of Cabinet positions
demands the selection therefor OF men OF the
highest character and integrity Possession o.
these qualities. we'll an ability and ex-
perience which especially fitted you to direct The
affairs of the Department. of the Interior. war
ranted your appointment as Secretary. DUTY TO
the country. 20 you and To myself requires that
those OF your subOrdinates be promptly met and
carefully considered. to the end that If Justified
proper remedy may be applied. and if not thai
il be publicly refuted.
BY appointment OF President Roosevelt YOU
became Commissioner OF the General Land Office
in March. 1907. and resigned the position n
March. 1905. and then returned 20 Seattle. your
home. TO resume the practice OF the law In
Interior and you assumed the duties of YOUR
office on the 9Th day of that month In the \
teryaL when you were not holding ONCE, one
in regard 90 the prospect OF securing patent
upon the claims and invited your attention
the character of certain evidence which was
being used 10 impeach the validity OF the claims
BY Special Agent CLAWS. You accepted the
employment. visited Secretary Garfield and
Commissioner Delnett presented the question
TO them in respect 20 which you had been con-
suited. found that there probability Of
securing the patent OF the claims without pre-
ssnting them under recent semedial Legislation
imposing conditions which tie Claimants were
either unwilling or unable To meet. You %
expenses and for your services you received
$3.50 and no more.
TOOK NO IMPROPER ACTION
The inference which Mr. Claws seeks to have
drawn To your discredit in this connection is
that you. while Commissioner OF the General
Land Office came into possession OF facts CON
cerning the sO-called Cunningham group of coal
land claims which made IL improper for you 20
such facts after your resignation in the
course OF securing the IStcnts- fnd the fact
to be that as commissioners you acquired no
knowledge in respect TO the claims except that
of the most formal character. and nothing which
not properly known TO your clients when
they consulted you The evidence in respect to
which YOU were consulted professionally was
not secured by Mr.. CLAWS until after vour
resignation as Commissioners of the General
Land ONCE.
a second Inference sought 10 be draw, nv
Mr.. CLAWS against YOU Is that YOU have acted
improperly since becoming Secretary of the In
terror in reference TO the consideration Of ths
Cunningham cases and have used your influences
TO interfere with Mr. Glaviss efforts to defea.
The claims.
Your only action which could in anv manner
affect the Cunningham group of claims was an
order made by YOU soon alter assuming office
that the thirty thousand claims pending and nm
disposed of in the Land office should be pressed
TO final hearing and disposition rapidly az
possible consistent with justice. and these in
cluded the 93l Alaska coal claims of which the
Cunningham group numbered nineteen. As such
expedition was essential both in the public in
terest and in that OF the claimants II could
hardly be said 10 be action taken in the Gun
ningham claims.