Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-02-16

time to time to the end that action
might be taken without further delay.
The witness would not admit that this
meant that he was to complete his in
VestiGation in one group before going
to another Mr.. Vertrees sought to
show by his succeeding questions that
! it was CLAWS action in not submitting
separate reports from time to time
which caused all the trouble. CLAWS
said he deemed his way of conducting
affairs the best.
At one point. of the examination At
torney Brandeis answered for the wit
ness.
Let the witness answer the queS-
tons remarked Mr.. Nertrees.
CLAWS in response to questions by
Chairman Nelson said there were only
about 40 of the 900 Alaska claims that
had gone to final entry and that 80 of
these We're in the Cunningham group.
You said on yesterday" remarked Mr..
Vertrees to the witness, that you regard
ed Mr.. Ballinger's act in stating he was
coming to Washington to see what Con-
gress could do for the relief of the Alas
ka coal claimants as one of the reasons
of his not being fit for office. In that
connection I would like to read the fol-
lowing paragraphs from President Roose-
velt's message to the Goth Congress. He
said:
The regulations should permit coal
! lands to be worked in sufficient quantity
by the several corporations. The present
limitations have been absurdly excessive
4 md
render it necessary that there should be
I either fraud or else abandonment of the
work of getting out the coal.
=" The coal land laws should be changed
so as to meet the peculiar needs of the
territory. This should be attended to at
once for the present laws permit indi-
viduals to locate large areas of the pub
lie domain for speculative purposes and
cause an immense amount of trouble,
fraud and litigation"
Mr. Nertrees also read into the record
part of the testimony of former Secreta-
ny of the Interior Garfield before the
House committee on public lands favoring
a change in the coal land laws so as to
permit of the patenting of claims, which
it was shown that full price had been
paid the government and where the total
arear did not exceed something under 5000
acres.
"Under date of Jan %, 1908, you tele-
graphed the commissioner of the land
office saying: Coal entries mentioned in
your letter Jan. 9TH should not be clear
listed. Letter follows didn't you?" ask
ed Mr. Vertrees.
Mr.. Vertrees devoted the latter part of
the afternoon session to showing that
when the land office ordered the Cunning
ham claims to be cleared-listed for pa
tent in January, 1907, Special Agent II. X.
Love, who had charge of the cases, had
made two reports which were regarded as
favorable CLAWS would not admit that
the reports were favorable, but insisted
that they warranted further investigation.
Mr. Vertrees read into the evidence a
letter from J. II. Fimple assistant COM
missioner of the land office, dated Feb. "a,
1906 to Clarence Cunningham, advising
him that the construction of tunnel tap
ping the Cunningham coal veins would
not imperil the rights of the entrymen
to patent. CLAWS said that he knew of
this letter at the time he directed An
drew Kennedy coal expert of the land
f, office, to go to Alaska to make physi-
cal examination.
| Didn't you also send Gabriel Wingate
up there to make an examinations" asked
Mr.. Vertrees.
No. replied CLAWS. "Wingate was