The Washington times., 1910-01-06
President Transmits Papers
and Reports Bearing
On Case.
WICKERSHAM'S ROLE
SHOWN IN SUMMARY
Documents Written By Him Play
Important Part In
Investigation.
Continued from First Page9

missed rom me service Il Sep u LLAt--l
the President promptly took The At
tOrney General declares, in reporting TO
the President:
Exaggerated Ego
CLAWS actions appear TO have been
founded upon a wholly exaggerated
sense Of his OWE Importance, and a
desire for personal advancement rather
than on any genuine desire to protect
the interests OF the Government, and
this species Of megaIomauia has finally
led him 10 submit TO you charges of suI-
proper motives and conduct against mis-
official sU9eriors. which, IN my opinion.
are so un. Ist and unfOundcd as To- merit
his immediate separation from the serE-|
Ice
The Attorney General charges that
the Claws report abOundS in Cou-r-dlC-
lions and misstaterrents and he alleges
that Claws has been guilty OF absolute
suppression Of letters kilograms and
other documents, some of which were
IN his possession and others which
were available to him
No Justification
Incidentally, Attorney General Wick
ershaEi-s report TO the President takes
lie ground that Claws had no justifca-
ton IN appealing 10 the Forestry Blu
rea1 70 intervene IN these cases and
thus by inference al least, the Attorney
General seems to take the ground the
Forest Service officials have no right TO
enter into any controversy with The In
terror Department over The claims which
are under discussion
On page twenty-five Of the report ano
summary Of the Attorney General II
IS shown that SDeCiaI Agent Jones Of
the Interior Department IN a report on
investigation Of the frauds in coal lands
eF-- -r-r- Glz-
LEGATION by an experienced and fearieSs
IRON the talk Of different attorneys
and individuals interested III me Aia-ha-
coal lands. feel that the disposal OF
the lands all tends toward one direction
and that IS, the GuEEenheim compan-
les"
Wickersham's Views
The conclusions Of the Attorney Gen
eral on the Claw -aDort follow
The conclusions --icn- in my Opin-
ion. are very clearly established by
these papers are as follows
first The Insilua-i0us OF charges o.
Improper action on the part Of Secre-
tary BaIIinzer. Assistant Secretary
Pierce. Commissions bennett or Chief
Of Field Division Schwartz are, IN my
opinion. entirely disProveds So far from
taking any action TO favor the Gun
nIngham claimants the record clearly
shows that Secretary RaIIIuEer was
scrupulousIy careful not in any respect
to act upon these claims for the reason
that during the summer Of 1905 while
he was in no manner connected with
the Government, he had been consult
I'd by some OF the claimants with re-
Suecr 10 the issuance of patents, and
had called upon Secretary Garfield fol-
the purpose Of zSCerJaiuinE the att
tJde Of his department thereon Meth
CT his action nor any Of his writer
or spoken expressions were favorable u
these claimants The utmost he die
vas to- instruct the Land Office u
promptly investigate and dispose of al
pending cases
Second The suggestion that Il va
unlawful for Nj BalIinger 20 have an
professional relation with these claim
ants because Of his previsus iucIm
bency Of the Office OF Commission
Of the Land Office. is, in my opinion
unsound. The suggestion IS based ol
section 49, United states Revise
Statutes. which eEacts-
TT shall not be awful for any DeTsog
appointed after the first day Of June
any Of the departments TO act as cOIu
sci, attorney or agent for prOsecU-l ms
any claim against me United STATE
which was pending IN either OF said De
UarrmenIS while he was such officer
clerk, or employe- nor in any manner
nor by any means 10 aid IN the prose
cuJiOn Of any such claim. within T7'
years next after he shall have ceased u
Be such officer clerk or enployer
Cites Harlan Case.
In the case Of W D. Harlan o. Lam
Dec z16l Secretary of the Inter5o
Smith. In vveu-reasoned opinion. he'll
that the words claim against tn
United States" as used in that section
must be construed 10 mean a money de
mzud against the United States A
earlier decision q Land Dec 172), whic
gave wider application 10 the words
was cverruIed- In Teatar vs. Prince q
Land Dec. I@0, this construction wa
adopted and followed ry Acting Score
rarv Ryan
4 similar construction has been give
in section 10 Of the act ~ March - LE-
now CONSTITUTING section 1888. Revise
Statutes, relating To the ASSIGNMENT "a
any claims in SAVIOR Of the Unite
States Dv Attorney General Edward
D2 Or 5431- and section 5fgS- Revise
statutes. relating 10 the prosecution
any claim against the United States p
an officer of the United States etc. ar
pears only TO have been applied 10 Oh
Third The Cunningham locations Eyer
made in July and August. 1906 All h1
three Of them proceeded 10 entry priC
10 Nay = 1877, and the remaining tnrr
In October, 1901 payments a-GreEatiu
$3.50 being made and covered into u
Treasury
Validity Of Entries.
The Government has had an abuu-
ance Of time TO investigate the validit
Of these entries The e1tryTnen are ce
tainly entitled 70 know with rcasonab
promptness the objections TO issuir
patents on their claims and
have such objections disposed
within a reasonable time The ate
ton Of the Land OdIce was specidcaI
directed 10 these claims in August "a
They were Investigated bE Agents Lo
and Jones They were put in II
Claws hands together with the iuVe
tiEatiou Of al other Alaska coal lar
locations and entries in January. 70
Tie had the benefit Of the report
Nessrs- Love and Jones All the eSse
ffal facts relating To the claims see
g. have been aSCeTfGlned 0E him IN {
spring Of 1905 Indeed, the clalmau
DO not appear to have made any CO
CeaInent Of the facts upon which -ht
claims depend
F-,rrzuf during z period of not eNCEs