The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-05-26
G O Min u E D
r o A@-
P A G F. O N f.
WHO'S LAWLER?

lions Of Americans have probably
been asking during the week that
Lawler has occupied the center of
the stage in Washington. Lawler
is an assistant attorney general, as
signed to duty in the department of
the interior. Lawler has held this
position during the Taft admins
| tration.
Prior to that time, he had been
United States district attorney for
the southern district of California.
The fact of this district attorney
ship in California is sufficient proof
for anyone familiar with California
political conditions that the South
ern Pacific interests are not I'M
| friendly to Lawler. The Southern
Pacific crowd has controlled the
| destinies, named the candidates and
stood sponsor for the federal ap-
pointees of the republican party in
| California for so many years that
| the oldest inhabitant cannot remem-
Der when it was not SO.
From the Southern Pacific, with
its alliances through the common
interests with the Morgan-Guggen-
helm power trust, big business
groups, to Oscar Lawler, United
States district attorney for the
southern district of California, was
but one step at the time he held
that job, exactly, today from the
Southern Pacific and those alli-
ances to Oscar Lawler, law officer
for the interior department, who
wrote Secretary Ballinger's exoner-
alton "as if he were president" is
but one step.
That step is Senator P. Flint of
California.
Whoever heard of Flint before he
was suddenly announced in 1905 as
CALIFORNIA; choice for the United
States senate. Los Angeles had, be-
cause he was United States district
attorney there for a while A few
people of California outside of Los
Angeles knew of him. That was
all At the time of his election, Flint
was junior member of a firm of law
yers in Los Angeles which handled
Southern Pacific railroad business.
That was the truth. stating it
bluntly. The Southern Pacific
picked out Flint for the United
States senate. The Southern Pa
cific political ring in Los Angeles
headed by Walter F. Parker was
notified. OF course, Flint was
elected. If there was any doubt as
to who turned the trick for him 1t
was dispelled when, in speech be-
fore the Los Angeles Chamber of
Commerce Flint said, TT affords
me pleasure to say it, and the state
ment may be interpreted as broadly
as it is possible to do so, that | owe
my election as much to Walter F.
Parker as to all other men and in
fluences combined" However much
Flint may have owed to Parker, he
did not owe all of his success at the
polls to the Southern Pacific ma
chine leader. Parker had three very
capable lieutenants during the cant
paign for Flint. Two of them were
Leo Youngworth and Motley Flint,
brother of the senator. The other
was Oscar Lawler. After Flint
went to the senate, Youngworth be-
came United States marshal. Flint,
the brother, became postmaster at
Los Angeles, and Young Oscar Law
Ter, who had risen from a bellboy
in the California club to a clerk in
the law office Of Flint. became
United States district attorney for
the southern district of California
This same Lawler is the man shown
by Frederick M. Kerby's statement
TO have dictated Taft's letter exon
Grating Ballinger of the CLAWS
charges that he clear listed the
Cunningham Alaskan claims, which
were optioned to the Guggenheims
and then to have assisted in the
burning of the rough drafts, proving
that he wrote the letter.
When Lawler moved up. from
United States district attorney of
the southern district Of California
to the assistant to the attorney gen.
eralship attached to the interior de-
partment, as law officer, the OBJ