Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1910-02-15
COMMITTEE DID
NOT FINISH
Senators Expect to Autho-
rize Report on State
hood Bill on Friday
CLAWS HAS FIT OF ANGER
discriminating Letters Found in
Box in Grand Jury Room at
Seattle.
snecial to the New Mexican.

Special to the New Mexican.
Washington, Feb. 15.-The Senate
committee ON territories today devot-
ed two hours to the consideration OF
the statehood bills for New Mexico
and Arizona. Adjournment was TAX
en- to Friday when the committee eX-
poets to finish its work and author
ize, a report favorable to the bill.
Delegate Cameron introduced bill
that the secretary of agriculture ex-
pend $4,000 in the construction OF
roads and improvements in the Grand
Canyon national monument; also to
increase the pension of William Dun
lap to $15.
Congressman w. R. Smith of Texas,
presented a petition of 250 citizens
of Curry county, New Mexico, against
gambling in agricultural products.
Twenty-four Missing Letters Found.
CLAWS is Angry.
Washington, Feb. 15.-In striking
contrast to the lively interest of yes
terday's testimony, the proceedings
today in the Ballinger-Pinchot inves-
tigation were dull. Mr.. Vertrees,
counsel for Secretary Ballinger, con-
tinued the cross examination of Mr..
CLAWS, but in order to frame some
questions it was first necessary to
wade through a mass of documentary
evidence, and this consumed much
time. The committee was in eXecu-
tive session forty minutes, discussing
the admissibility at this time Of a re-
port from Seattle, giving details of
the alleged discovery among CLAWS
effects of twenty-four letters which
had been missing from the files of
the land office there. No decision
was announced. A subponea was is
sued however, for A. Christensen,
chief of the field division at Seattle,
and G. w. McNeill, assistant custo-
dian of the federal building, where
the boxes belonging to CLAWS were
stored. Mr.. Vertrees also requested
that the committee summon a mum
Der of other witnesses, including Spe-
cial Agent Frank L. Spaulding OF
Cheyenne.
CLAWS angrily declared that if any
letters had been found in his belong
ing "a frame-up" had been prepared
against him. His denunciation of fed
eral officials who would stoop to such
a trick to win the favor of their SUI
periors called out a demonstration of
applause from the spectators which
caused Chairman Neal to announce
that any repetition of the outburst
would result in the room being clear
ed Throughout the hearing the SYM
pathies of the spectators, a great ma
pority of whom were women, have
clearly been with CLAWS and they
have laughed with satisfaction as he
made points against his questioners.
A climax was reached late in the
afternoon when Mr.. Vertrees an
nounced that a box belonging to Mr..
CLAWS and left in the grand jury
room at Seattle had been broken open
a few days ago and that a number of
missing letters from the files of the
land office in Seattle, copies of which
recently had been published in a
weekly paper were found therein.
Mr.. Vertrees announced that C. A.
Christensen, CLAWS successor as
chief of field division, would be call
ed to testify to the finding of the let
: ters.
He offered in evidence letter from
christensen giving the details of the
alleged discovery and the committee
got into a long wrangle as to whether
it should be received in evidence at
this time. The matter was put over
for consideration tomorrow in execu.
tive session.