The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-11-09
Golfers Weekly Prints a Severe Attack on
Secretary Of the Enterior===B BaIIinger Makes
Sharp Reply in Public Statement.

By l.. r. CLAWS in Golfers WeekIy)
New York, Nov 9-From 1902 10
1909 | was In the field service of the
general land office. for the last two6
and n half years as chief of field di-
vision In September. 1909, | was
sUmmarlly removed from my position
without formal hearing. by Richard
4 Gallinger. secretary of the INTERIOR
by authorization OF the President of
the United States. That removal was
accompanied by the publication of a
letter OF the President to Mr.. Ballin-
ger ! believe that my removal was
unfair. because in it the President
gives weight to a charge against me
which / never had the opportunity TO
see or answer. The President states
In his letter that | withheld from him
Information favorable to my superiors.
] do not know OF any such Information
withheld by me nor am | conscious
of doing my superiors injustice. New
crthelesS | should not now make any
public statement of the matter were
II not still possible to save for the
government many thousands of acres
OF coal lands which / believe the land
Office may In the near future grant
to fraudulent claimants The hope
that my statement will help to arouse
public sentiment. and that this dan
ger to the national resources may be
ayerted, is what actuates me This
statement Will simply give facts and
leave 10 the judgment OF those who
read whether or not the land office
has been Jealous in the public SER
vice.
The Facts Are These.
The coal lands OF Alaska owned by
The government amount to over 100,-
900 acres. They are the future coal
supply Of the nation, Of almost ines
Unable value. Possession OF them
by private individuals means great
wealth-a monopoly of them would be
a national menace.
On Nov. IL, 1909. President Roose-
VOLT withdrew all coal lands In Alas
ka from public entry; but previous 70
that time there were about 900 claims
filed. covering about 100 600 acres
(nearly the whole OF the coal fields).
The laws attempt TO prevent monop-
oily OF such claims by limiting the
amount OF each claim and providing
that each claimant must take up the
land in his own interest and for his
own use. This law has been inter
preted by the supreme court of the
United States to forbid speculatinS
In coal lands before entry-either by
dummy entrymen or by previous
agreements to consolidate claims
after entry. OF these 900 claims TO
Alaska coal lands-among them the
so-callcd Cunningham group-thc ma
jcrity are fraudulent
As 10 the action of the land Office
~ IL L 81
land office ordered the Cunningham
claims Ia patent without due inyesti.
cation when Commissioner BalllDger
knew they were under suspicion; that
while in office Commissioner Ballin-
ger urged congress to paes law
which would validate fraudulent Alas
la claims; that shortly after resign
ing from office he became attorney
for the Cunningham group and other
Alaska claims; that soon after he
became secretary OF the interior. his
Office rendered decision which would
have validated all fraudulent Alaska
claims A reversal Of that decision
on every point was obtained from At
torney General Wickersham Had it
not been for Mr.. Wickersham's decis-
ion. every fraudulent Alaska claim
would have gone to patent I assert
that In tho spring OF 1909 the land
Office urged me to an early trial If
these cases before the Investigation
WAS finished, and when Secretary
Balllnger, as the President has stated,
knew that the Cunningham claims
were invalid When l appealed TO-
Secretary Ballinger for postpone
ment, he referred me to his subord-
mates The department of aGricul-
ture intcryened. ! was superseded in
the charge of the cases, and the man
who superseded me endorsed my
recommendations, and the postpone
ment was granted. Immediately
thereafter ] made my report on the
Cunningham cases to President Tart
and was dismissed from the service
for insubordination.
The Alaska Frauds.
The President has seen ht TO raise
broader Issues than those contained
in my report In view of this fact,
shall In this report use material not
favorable TO the people concerned.
which | did not use in my report 10
the President because the facts did
not Immediately concern the Cunning
ham cases.
The FIRST official communication to
thc land office. which suggested that
some or all of the Alaska coal claims
were fraudulent, was made by Special
Agent II X Love in October. 1905
IN June, 1907. Special Agent Horace
T. Jones was detailed by Mr.. Fred
Bennett, first assistant commissioner
Of the general land office. to make q
complete investigation. Subsequently
Jones was instructed by Mr.. BALM
ger 10 mako the report preliminary
one, Jones reported on August 10
1907. requesting further investigation
"by an expert t'ced and fearless
agent" On August 2. 1907 Love
made a report favorable TO the issu
ance OF patents 10 the Cunningham
claims
Ny first connection with these cases
was when. In the fall OF 1907, ] dis
covered in Seattle. while investigating
other matters. that some or all of thC
coal claims We're not bona6de NJ