The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-12-23

AS tar back as August Is, l9O/,
Special agent Il. Jones reported TO
Richard A. Ballingcr, commits
sioner of the general land Office:
Found among the papers in the
possession of former Special Agent
A. K. Love, on whose favorable
report Ballinger sought to have the
Cunningham claims patented, was
the following statement in an UNI
signed letter, dated Juneau, Alaska,
March 10, 1908, and addressed to
Hon. Oscar Foote of Seattle: Il
have Just received a copy of Mr..
Gales coal bill. 1t seems all that
/ Katalla interests could possibly
wish. In fact think it was draft
ed by Judge Mckenzie, who, with
associates, have acquired large
holdings there. 1t seems to open
the whole proposition for corporate
holdings. The papers say that ex-
Commissioner Ballinger urged be-
fore the committee the same bill;
whether this Gs true) or not,
don't know
Mckenzie, like his namcsakc and
prototype in the placer story, is
well known Washington lobbyist
and an oldtime political supporter
of Senator Piles of Washington,
Ballingcr's friend. He is one of
the benehciaries of a townsite Of
| two thousand acres on Cordova
Bay, Alaska, the terminus of the
I Guggenheim railroad This town.
site was granted, through the
efforts Of Senator Piles of Wash
ington, by the Doth congress, to
Mckenzie and two others, one of
whom is ex-governor John II. Nc
GraW OF Washington, former p)-
litical manager for Senator Piles,
and one of the committee of the
Seattle Chamber of Commerce
which recently, in answer to
( CLAWS article in this paper, gave
/ Ballinger a glowing certificate of
character and spoke of him as a
scrupulously honest man.
When Ballingcr represented Cum
ningham he represented all the
| Cunningham claims. Not only
this, but the record is quick with
the evidence of his employment by
other Alaska coal claimants at diff
ferent times. Under date of De-
Cember %, 1908, a little over two
months before he took office as
secretary of the interior, Ballinger
wrote to the register and receiver
of the United States land Office at
/ Juneau, Alaska saying that he rep
presented w. G.. Whorf whose
entry was known as coal survey
/ No. 515. On January 7, 1909, less
than % days before Ballingcr be
came secretary of the interior, NJ
/ A. Green, who represented another
/ Alaska coal syndicate, wrote to
John w. Dudley, register of the
Juneau. Alaska land office: Il
submitted this scrip to Judge Ball
niger as my lawyer, and he has APP
proved the same, saying it was
regular in every way, so | bought
ii and paid for it, and am sending
it forward at this time.
John Ballinger, nephew of
Achilles, now represents these III
terests. Under date of April 10,
1909, six weeks after Ballinger took
the oath of Office as secretary OF the
interior Walter M. French, of the
law firm of Allen & French, of
Seattle, wrote John w. Dudley,
register of the Juneau land office:
"Mr. Hartman, whom | represent
has on several occasions taken the
matter of sale up with Judge Ball
niger, whose firm represented the
purchasers, and with Mr.. Maritime,
and the parties have at all times
seemed to be in perfect accord. y
II is hard to keep track of them all
no doubt, and we must end the
present list. On November r.,
1907, CLAWS submitted report to
:, ,,.... az, co.r,ri cSiOupr OF the