The daily sentinel., 1909-11-09
DO THE GUGGENHEIMs CONTROL
DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR!
Continued Iron First Page. }


which would have validated all
Alaska claims. A reversal of that
| decision on every point was obtained
from Attorney-General Wickersham.
| Had ii not been for Mr.. Wickersham' S
decision, every fraudulent Alaska
claim would have gone to patent
assert that in the spring of 1909 the
Land Office urged me TO an early
trial of these cases before the inves-
tigation was finished, and when Sec
retary Ballinger. as the President has
stated, knew that the Cunningham
claims We're invalid. When | ap-
pealed to Secretary Ballinger for
postponcment, he referred me to his
subordinates. The Department of
Agriculture interviewed. | was SUPER
seded in the charge of the cases, and
the man who superseded me endors-
ed my recommendations, and the
postponement was granted Immed-
lately thereafter | made my report
on the Cunningham cases to Presi-
dent Taft, and was dismissed from
the service for characterization.
The President has seen fit to raise
broader issues than those contained
in my report. In view of this fact, !
shall in this report use material not
which | did not use in my report to
the President, because these facts did
not immediately concern the Gun
ningham cases.
The first official communication to
the Land Office which suggested that
some or all of the Alaska coal claims
were fraudulent was made by Spe-
cial Agent III. X. Love in October,
1905. In June, 1907. Special Agent
Horace I. Jones was detailed by Mr.
Fred bennett, First Assistant Com
missioner of the General Land Office,
to make a complete investigation.
Subsequently Jones was instructed
by Mr.. Ballinger to make the report
Il preliminary one. Jones reported
on August 10, 1907, requesting fur
ther investigation by an experienced
and fearless agent" On August .,
1907, Love made a report favorable
TO the issuance of patents to the Gun
ningham claims.
My first connection with these
cases was when in the fall of 1907 |
discovered in Seattle, while inves- |
tigating other matters, that some or |
all of the coal claims were not bona |
fide. My report of this matter to |
Mr.. Ballinger stated that one claim |
ant had refused me an affidavit on |
the ground that Mr.. Ballinger him |
self had told some of the claimants |
to make no statement until /, the |
charges were made, in order that |
they might know what they had to |
meet, but that l could not believe |
this statement Mr. Ballinger never |
commented to me on this phase of |
my report. In December, 1907 III
was called to Washington, and ex-
planned to MIR. Ballinger, then Land |
Commissioner, what | had found out |
about all the claims, including the |
Cunningham claims. | also stated |
that the Department of Justice would |
know these facts and would investi-
gate them If the Land Office did not.
Mr.. Ballinger told me he was a
friend of many of the claimants, but
that | was authorized to go ahead
and investigate all these claims, no
matter what the result He then
wrote me a letter, putting me in
charge of the investigation of all the
Alaska coal claims. 1t was agreed
by Mr.. Ballinger that inasmuch as
Special Agent Love was candidate
for United States Marshal in Alaska,
he was not in position to make an
impartial investigation. At our con-
ference in December, 1907, the good
faith of the Alaska entries was dis
cussed by Mr.. Ballinger On Jan
uary Z, 1908, ten days afterward,
Mr. bennett, Assistant Commissioner,
notified me, as investigator of the
whole field, that the Cunningham
claims had been approved for patent
on the Love report. Three days be
fore this telegram, signed "R. A.
Ballinger," was sent to Love in
Alaska, directing him to forward the
plats which the Land Office would
require in issuing patents to the Gun
ningham claims. Again, on January
II, 1908. a telegram was sent signed
with Mr.. Ballinger's name. to Love,
asking him whether he had acted on
the previous telegram. Love tele-
graphed that he had sent the plats. |
The envelope of this telegram in the
Land Office was endorsed Hand to
Carr. o. X. Carr" Carr was then
private secretary to Mr.. Ballinger.
Following the above statements
Mr.. CLAWS proceeds to detail many
other very interesting and sensational
movements and offers a great amount
of evidence to back up his charges
that the interests of the people have
been betrayed. The now famous
Cunningham claims case is reviewed |
at length and the alleged friendship |