The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1910-03-03
It the time Of his recent appointment

confession of s. A. ID. Puter, king
Of the Oregon Land Fraud Ring. con-
victed by Heney, Puter charged that
during Balllnger's short term as COM
missioner OF the general land Office,
Northern Pacific land patents by the
wholesale were issued. He also stat
ed that the general land office, under
the Ballinger and Dennet administra.
ton, shut it's eyes to glazing land
frauds in Oregon.
The Gugeenheim Connection.
As far back as August 13, 1907, spe.
cial agent Horace T. Jones reported
to Richard A. Ballinger, commission
or Of the general land office:
'sFrom the talk :of different attor.
(.ueys and individuals interested In the
Alaska ceal lands, l feel that the dis.
posal of the lands all tends toward one
direction. and that is: the Guggen.
helm companies. The papers here In
Portland, Oregon, are full of news
that the Guggenheims are construct.
ing ra..roads near Katalla, Alaska, for
the purpose Of taking out the oil, min.
erals, etc., and there is an advertise.
ment in the said papers, for the EN-.
ployment of two thousand men to 60
to katalla, Alaska, and work for the
Guggenheims.' Katalla is the loca'
ton of the Cunningham claims. I'm.
der date of December, 1907, Cunning
hams books show the receipt Of ST.
1880, with this notation: "The above
sum was received from Daniel Gug'
genhelm (head Of the Guggenheim syn
dicate) in full for expenses incurred
on account of the examination OF coal
lands on his account" ''--~'"'' - q
We have in former article referred
TO the fact that Commissioner Balline
er appeared before the House Com
mittee on public lands and urged the
massage of the Gale bill, which had
II passed, would have made the Gun
ningham claims legal, With Balling
er there appeared one Donald R. Nc
Kenzie. Found among the papers In
the possession of former Special Ag
ent H. K. Love, on whose favorable
report Ballinger sought to have the
Cunningham claims patented, was the
following statement in an unsigned lei
ter. dated Juneau, Alaska, March ~
1908. and addressed to Hon. oscar
Foote of Seattle: Il have Just recelv
Gu copy, of Mr.. Gales bill. 1t seems
all that Katalla interests could pos
sibly wish. In fact, think it was
drafted by Judge Mckenzie, who, witt
associates, have acquired large hole
ings here. 1t seems to open the whole
proposition to corporate holding.
Mcnenzie, like his namesake ant
prototype in the placer story, is
well known Washington lobbyist ant
an old time political supporter OF Sen
ator Piles of Washington. Balline
er's friend. He is one Of the bene
iciaries Of townsite OF two tnous
and acres on Cordova Bay, Alaska
the terminus of the Guggenheim rail-
road. This townsite was granted thru
the efforts of Senator Piles OF Wash
ington, by the sixtieth congress, tt
Mckenzie and two others, one
whom is Ex-Governor John H. Nc
Graw of Washington, former polittca
manager for Senator Piles, and on
Of the committee Of the Seattle Cham
Der Of Commerce which recently II
| answer to Claws article in this pa
per, gave Ballinger a glowing cert'
fcate Of character and spoke OF hin
as a "scrupuously honest man" Oh
June % of the present year Mcken
zie brought S. w. Eccles of the Gug
genheim syndicate on his way to Ais
ka, to see Special Agents CLAWS ant
Jones in Seattle, in order, as III
stated, that Eccles might learn frs
hand from them Of. the progress they
were making with the Cunningham
claims. At this interview Mckenzie
= = = S. =