The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1910-01-08


F, the entries. The committee disregarded
his suggestion. But, a bill introduced
by Senator Hepburn, and amended at
the suggestion of Secretary Garfield, be-
came a law. This law provided for the
consolidation of claims entered by lo"a-
tors solely in their own interest and
not as the employed agents of another.
Immediately after his resignation as
commissioner, Ballinger, as attorney
for the C~unninghams, filed an affidavit
in explanation of certain passages in a
private journal secured by CLAWS from
Cunningham which is alleged to have
shown that the Alaskan claims were
taken out by the C~unninghams in the
names of dummy entrymen." The
book is alleged to have shown the sub
stitution of responsible persons for the
dummies later on.
Assistant Secretary Pierce in May,
1909, signed a decision holding that the
Hepburn law allowed the consolidation
of a certain character of coal claims in
Alaska, which would have included the
Cunningham claims. A copy of this
decision went to CLAWS, and he was
directed to make a report in accord
ance with it.
IA, I,,,o 10 Attarnaxr Gapara1 NNiab-
ersham overruled the Pierce decision.
The Cunninghams then preferred to
stand under the old law, and CLAWS. re-
eeived orders from the land office to
hurry his investigation. Later, Special
Land Agent Sheridan was placed on the
eases, superseding CLAWS. CLAWS had
protested and asked for time in which
to complete his investigation, and when
he found his protests unavailable he
telegraphed to Acting Law Officer
Shaw, of the forest service, stating that
there were about 700 claims in the
Chugach national forest reserve, inciud-
ing the Cunningham, which were about
to proceed to trial, and asking the CO.
operation of the forest service.
On July p, Secretary of Agriculture
Wilson requested Secretary Ballinger
not to fix dates for the hearing of these
claims until he could find out, from the
local forestry officers, the full reasons
for the request for postponement. A
day later Law Officer Shaw of the for
est service, called at the general land
office, and requested that he be allowed
to examine the record in the cases.
which was rfused. He reported the re-
fusal to Associate Forester Price, who
with Shaw then called on Chief of
Field Service Schwartz, of the general
land Office. 1t was on this occasion
that the statement "Pinchot is trying
to run the interior department was
made. The forest service officers were
finally allowed to see the record-after
certain papers we ertaken out.
Special Agent Sheridan, after look
ing over CLAWS record of the eases at
Seattle, endorsed the recommendation
for delay, and later Acting Secretary of
the Interior Pierce granted the request
of the secretary of agriculture for a
suspension of the hearing, but urged
that the forestry investigation of the
claims be fastened as much as possible.
1t was with the Cunningham claims
in this situation that CLAWS iourneyed
from Seattle to Beverly, Mass, last
summer and laid the case before Presi
dent Taft. The whole west by this time
was ablaze with the discussion of the
Ballinger -Pinehot controversy. Both of
the principals were attending rival
Conservation Congresses in the west,
flnehot making speeches demanding the
preservation of the land for the peo-
pie and Ballinger declaring that
'Pinehot is trying to run the interior
department."
Then came the open letter from the
president to Secretary Ballirger com
pieteiy exonerating him, and character
ning the CLAWS charges as mere