Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-10
Alaska Coal
Land Claims
Under Review
Dismissed Inspector CLAWS Repeats
His Charges of Fraudulent
Entries.

NEW YORK. Nov. 9.-Under the head
ing, The withdrawing OF Ballinger,"
Golfers Weekly prints a review OF the
Alaska coal land cases by L. II. CLAWS,
the land office inspector recently dismissed
from the service by order of President
Taft for INSTRUMENTATION and for making
unsupported charges against Secretary of
the Interior Ballinger. Mr.. CLAWS asserts
a conspiracy exists to secure by fraudulent
entries possession of about 100, 900 acres Of
coal land in Alaska; that the alleged con-
spirators had friendly supporters In the
land office and that in order to save the
coal land for the people it was necessary
to appeal to the attorney general from a
ruling of the law department Of the In
terror department, which tended to con-
firm the validity Of the Cunningham claims
on which the issue hinged. The attorney
general set aside the land office ruling
and upheld the view Of the inspector that
the act OF May %, 1908. was not a curative
act and did not validate imperfect or
fraudulent entries.
! Mr.. CLAWS declares his removal was un-
fair and that the presidents letter was
"grievously unfair, because in 1t the pres
ident gives weight to a charge against me
which / never had the opportunity to see
or answer" He reiterates the charges of
wrongdoing against his superiors in the
land office, and makes this summary Of
the controversy and results:
"On November u, 1906, President Roose-
welt withdrew all coal lands in Alaska from
public entry; but previous to that time
there were about 800 claims filed, covering
about 10000 acres nearly the whole Of
the coal fields). The law attempts to pre-
vent monopoly 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 interpreted by the su-
preme court of the United States to for
bid specializing in coal lands before entry
either by dummy entrymen or by pre-
vious agreements to consolidate claims
after entry. OF these 800 claims to Alaska
coal lands-among them. the so-called Cum
ningham group-the majority are fraudu-
lent. 30 la. s.
LAS to the action Of the land office on
these claims, 1 assert that the land office
ordered the Cunningham claims to patent
without due Investigation when Commits
sloner Ballinger knew they were under sus-
/ picion; that while In office Commissioner
Ballinger urged congress to pass a law
which would validate fraudulent Alaska
claims; that shortly after resigning from
office he became attorney for the Cunning
ham group and other Alaska claims; that
soon after he became secretary OF the in
terror his office endered a decision which
would have validated all fraudulent Alaska
claims. A reversal Of that decision on
every point was obtained from Attorney
General Wickersham. Had 1t not been for
Mr.. Underestimate decision every fradu-
lent Alaska claim would have gone to
patent. 1 assert that in the spring of 1903
the land office urged me to an early trial
Of these cases before the Investigation was
finished. and when Secretary Balllnger, as
the president has stated, knew that the
Cunningham cases were invalid. When 1
appealed to Secretary Ballinger for post
ponement, he referred me to his subor-
dinates. The Department of Agriculture
| interviewed. l was superseded in the charge
OF the cases, and the man who superseded
me endorsed my recommendation and the
postponement was granted. Immediately
thereafter l made my report on the Cum
bingham cases to President Taft, and was
dismissed from the service for insubordi-
nation"