East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-11-09


The following article by L. r. Gla.
Wis. the deposed chief OF the field dl.
vision Of the general land office. un-
der the title of "The Whitewashing OF
Ballinger" will appear in Golfers
Weekly November 13, and It is by the
courtesy of the management of that
publication that this paper is able to
print II in advance:
From 1902 to 1909 l was in the field
service of the General Land Office,
for the last two and a half years as
Chief of Field Division. In September,
1903, was summarily removed from
my position without a formal hear
ing by Richard A. Ballinger, 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 Presl-
dent to Mr.. Ballinger. | believe that
my removal was unfair. l believe the
Presidents letter was previously un-
fair, because in 1t the President gives
weight to a charge against me which
I never had the opportunity to see or
answer. The President states In his
letter that l withheld from him infor-
nation favorable to my superiors.
do not know of any such information
withheld by me. nor am l conscious
OF doing my superlors injustice.
Nevertheless, / should not now make
any public statement of the matter
were 1t 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
danger to the national resources may
be averted. is what actuates me. This
statement will simply give facts and
leave to the judgment OF those who
read whether or not the Land office
has been jealous in the public service.
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
tlmable value. Possession of them |
by private individuals means great |
wealth-a monopoly Of them would be |
a national menace.
On November 10, 1906, President |
Roosevelt withdrew all coal lands in |
Alaska from public entry: but previ-
Gus TO that time there were about 900 |
claims filed. covering about 100000
acres (nearly the whole of the coal
flelds.) The law attempts to prevent
of such claims by limiting
the amount OF each claim and provid-
ing 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 specializing in
coal lands before entry-either by
dummy entrymen or by previous
agreements to consolidate claims af-
ter entry. OF these 900 claims to AL
aska coal lands--among them the So
called Cunningham group-the ma
ority are fraudulent. II
AS to the action of the Land Office
On these claims, assert that the Land
Office ordered the Cunningham
claims to patent without due investi-
CATION when Commissioner Ballinger
knew they were under suspicion; that
while in office Commissioner Ballin-
yer urged Congress to pass a law
which would validate fraudulent AL
lska claims; that shortly after resign s
ng from office he became attorney for {
he Cunningham group and other AL |
lska claims; that soon after he be- '
,ame Secretary of the Interior his 8
'ffice rendered decision which would 10
lave validated all fraudulent Alaska '
laims. A reversal of that decision on a
very point was obtained frorn Attor- (
ey- General Wickersham. Had It not ]
,een for Mr.. Wickersham's decision, a
very fraudulent Alaska claim would
ave gone to patent. 7 assert that in n
he spring of 1909 the Land Office 7
Irged me to an early trial of these +
ases before the investigation was fin f
shed. and when Secretary Balllnger, {
5 the President has stated, knew that H
he Cunningham claims were invalid. D
When I appealed to Secretary Ballln- |,
er for postponement. he referred me q
D his subordlnates. The Department e
( Agriculture interviewed. I was su- n
erseded in the charge Of the cases, fl
nd the man who superseded me en- 1
orsed my recommendations and the =
was granted. Immedi-