Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-05-20

long before CLAWS had publicly emit
ed upon the scene. Another point
controversy was the agreement be,
! tween the forest service and the In
dian office relative to the handling o
timber on Indian reservations. Sec
rotary Ballinger abrogated the agree
ment Mr.. Pnchot charges that .
false hypothetical case was made W
| for the law officers in order to annu
| the agreement.
Other Points Of Difference.
A third basic point Of difference be-
tween Ballinger and Pinchot related t.
| forest-ranger stations. There were
certain strategic positions on the pub
| lie domain, near national forests, which
the forest service wanted withdraw
| from entry for use as ranger stations
but when an appeal was made thru
Secretary Wilson to Secretary Balm
| ger for such Withdrawals BalIinger re-
fused to approve it, and this angerec
Pinchot Another cause OF disagree
ment between them was the co-opera
tive certificates of Garfield with which
the government paid settlers for work
done on irrigation projects to be APP
piled as money on payments due the
government by settlers. When these
cooperative certificates were knocked
out it was charged that Ballinger was
trying to cripple the irrigation system
so as to have such projects developed
by private enterprise rather than by
| the government
| These We're the main manifestations
of antagonism and lack OF harmony
| The stage had been set for the dance
when, on Aug. 10, Field Agent CLAWS
| stepped out OF the wings with his ac-
| cusations against Secretary Ballinger
in connection with the Cunningham
coal land claims in Alaska.
CLAWS Coal Land Charges.
! The charge that the Interior depart
ment was about to "clear-list" coal
| lands worth millions of dollars and
then turn them over to the Guggen-
heimer- Morgan syndicate, coupled with
accusations Of fraudulent entry and
! dummy entry men, aroused intense
interest and indignation. 1t was a mat
ter less technical than the other points
of difference and more easily UNDER
stood.
On July 16, 1909, CLAWS wired from
Seattle. to "A. c. Shaw asking the CO.
operation of the forest service in the
the ground that the claims were partly
located within national forest Shaw
the next day went over to the land
office and sought access TO the papers
on the Cunningham claims. His re-
quest was granted. A few days later
Shaw returned to the land office to re-
sumo his inspection. While it was in
progress his examination was suspend
! ed and further access to the record
refused by Assistant Commissioner
Schwartz. Forester Pinchot was then
absent in the west. Acting Forester
Overton w. Price combined with Shaw
in a protest against Schwartz's action.
Schwartz withdrew his refusal and al
lowed the Cunningham record to be
examined.
Found Alleged Proof Of Charges.
Shaw and Price are on record in the
testinl ony>as declaring that the facts
then and later ascertained showed that
fraudulent claims to valuable deposits
had been persistently pressed against
the government and that Certain Off
GERS of the department had pursued a
course of conduct in favor OF these
claims as against the government On
Aug. CLAWS telegra pied to Shaw
| that he had Damaging and conclusive
evidence showing official misconduct
of parties." and also that Secretary
and commissioners are parties referred
| to-" He urged Shaw TO hasten to Seat
tie. Without the knowledge of Pinchot
directions were given by Price and
Shaw to wire CLAWS that a reliable
person would call upon him for a
statement of the facts, it having been
the intention af Price to send to CLAWS
newspaper man with whom Price
had also communicated.
/ But CLAWS and the correspondent
failed to meet as CLAWS before receiv-
ing Prices letter went to Spokane On
Aug. 8 he sought out Pinchot, before
whom he laid his Cunningham evil
dence. Pinchot advised CLAWS to go
direct to President TAFT.
1T seemed to me that there was
rikely to arise out of this Cunningham
case the great national scandal which
mas since arisen" Pinchot testified be-
fore the senate committee, when asked
why he sent CLAWS to Taft.
Pinchot Sent Him to Taft.
On August 10 Pinctot gave CLAWS a
letter of introduction to President Taft,
On THE same day he wrote a letter to
the president urging him TO give his
PSA 'OA1oI dtlSItloll ~ CnlS mltTer.
Pinchot on the same day wired Shaw
to meet CLAWS at Chicago and help
him prepare his report to the president.
Shaw did meet CLAWS there and helped
him with his report. Both started east
ward, Shaw coming to Washington and
CLAWS going to Beverly Claws had
his Interview with President Taft at
Beverly. Aug. 10. When it ended ha
wired Shaw to go to Boston, as the
president wanted additional infor-
nation relative to the water-power
sites. Not hearing from the president
again, CLAWS, while Shaw was still
with him, telephoned to NJ Taft's sec
rotary at Beverly, ard was told the
president might wish to see him later
but CLAWS might for the present go
back west. CLAWS and Shaw went to
New York, where CLAWS tried TO SECURE
an interview with Attorney General