The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1910-02-03

ing in the forest service, asking for
postponement OF the Cunningham
hearings. CLAWS wrote or wired him
recently in the matter. Require CLAW
is to show copy of his letter to Shaw,
it being necessary to determine the
motive behind agriculture's request for
such long delay"
CLAWS explained that he understood
Shaw would come to Seattle to coop
crate with him on the Cunningham
claims, as several of them were in
the forest reserves. This is how the
forest bureau came into the contro-
versy officially. Another letter read
was from Ballinger to Schwartz last
July, saying:
II am just advised by bennett of
your telegram with reference to in
crease in number of special agents in
the excepted class. | desire that you,
In making any of these appointments,
in addition to the president being
consulted, Postmaster General Hitch
cock be also consulted. provided that
a%ppointees are not directly suggested
by the president"
SCHWARTZ AS ADVISER
The last item read caused much
laughter. 1t was from Schwartz,
dated at Washington, Aug. Il, at the
time the report was being made upon
Ballinger, and addressed to Special
Agent McEniry at Denver. 1t read:
Get into scareheads tonight, and
the Associated Press of possible, that
the secretary and commissioner have
secured 1'idence showing unlawful
combinations of several hundred coal
entries: that the general land Office
Is assigning its best coal engineers and
lawyers to Seattle to assist in the
coming trials; that the commissioner
Of the land office. while in Denver, had
expressed confidence that several hun
dred entries would be cancelled; that
the government is making every eff
fort to secure speedy action in the
case, and coal entries in Alaska have
now been suspended over -four years;
that the government is anxious to
clear the lands of bad entries, that 1t
may get coal for is calling stations
in the Pacific: that special agents
say the hearings will reach some of
the largest interests yet uncovered and
that Ballinger has made it plain that
he will stand behind them to the fin
ish: that several railroad corpora
tons owned by eastern capital are
making efforts to delay hearings, hop
ing the next congress will pass furth-
err legislation to permit greater con-
solidation, but it is the position of the
commissioner that such entries as are
fraudulent as the law now stands
should be cancelled at once and Grim
inal liability developed before the
statute bars action.
Follow somewhat the above idea.
I understand a slanderous newspaper
attack is about to be made On the COM
missioner of the land office, the secre-
tary of the interior, and Assistant
Secretary of the Interior Pierce in
Alaska Coal. | wish to forestall. Treat
the source of your information as Sc
cret, as l have consulted no one.
After putting this out | advise
further to avoid interviews in this
matter"
TO USE MAGAZINES
In the course of his testimony CLAWS
said:
Schwartz said he knew some maya
zine people. and he thought it would
be a good thing to get the story print
ed, telling all that was done in the
Alaska coal cases, and giving Balm
ger credit for the investigation. Then
the secretary would feel better dis
posed toward me-"
Concerning Dennett's visit to Seat
tie last July, CLAWS said:
81 thought he was crooked and I
asked the stenographer to take down
all I said and all bennett said to me-
CLAWS said he told Attorney Heney
that the land Office was hurrying him
in the Alaska cases and expected him
20 interview five hundred people in
sixty days. "In view of all l had
heard about bennett. ] thorght some
thing was wrong" said CLAWS.
CLAWS related how, in Spokane, dur
ing the conservation congress, he told
Pinchot his troubles in connection
with the coal land cases, and Pin
chot advised him to go to the presi-
dent. He accordingly prepared a re-
port, took 1t to Beverly, and present.
ed it to Taft. He returned west from
there and the next thing he knew he
was dismissed from the service.