Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-07-12
WALTER FISHER
| ON THE STAND
Declares That Ryan Oh.
tanned No Undue Rights on
Controller Bay
PUBLIC INTEREST PROTECTED
Alleged Attempts of Guggen.
hem and Other Interests to
Monopolize Alaska.

AsAOAS~kSSAA~O ~es~Ses~s
(By Special Leased Wire to New Mexican)
Washington, D. c., July 12.-Secre-
tary of the Interior, Walter L. Fisher.
was a witness today before the COM
mittee on expenditures in the Interior
Department which is inquiring into
the alleged attempts of the Guggen-
helms or other interests to monopo-
lize Alaska.
Though not subpoenaed, Secretary
Fisher was allowed to make state
ment in which he declared his con.
clusion that the public interests had
not been jeopardized by anything
done in the Alaskan case.
From my examination of the case"
he said, Il have satisfied myself that
Richard S. Ryan has obtained no
rights in Controller Bay whatever,
that jeopardize the rights of any one"
Fisher Urges Haste.
Secretary Fisher asked the commit
tee to hasten the inquiry into the al
legged "Dick to Dick" letter, which can
not now be found in the department
files.
w. P. Fannell, counsel for the
committee, replied that the letter was
not of so much interest as the facts.
"It was within the power of the
president" added Mr.. Fannell, "to
throw these lands open to all, so that
the race would be to the swift, but it
was not done that way. 1t was known
only to few and those few already
have obtained monopoly Of the min.
eral rights in that territory. That is
what we want to investigate"
II am much concerned" said Secre-
tary Fisher, about the publication Of
letter which Miss M. F. Abbott says
she saw in the files of the interior de-
tpartment and that is not there now.
! If there is any one in the department
who would be a party to the abstrac-
| tion or destruction of public docu-
ments we want to know it. Men who
had been in charge of the files in the
interior department have left the ser
vice and others are about to leaye, and
urge inquiry into that as soon as pos
sible SO that We may take steps to re-
place responsibility of the letter, if
1t ever existed. / never saw such q
document as described, letter from
Mr.. Ryan to Mr.. Ballinger. and never
heard of it until read of it in the
newspaper the other day."
| Chairman Graham said the commit.
tee would get to the matter as soon as
possible.
Secretary Fisher said that all infor.
nation now obtainable relating to Con-
troller Bay was being compiled for the
Senate in response to the Poindexter
resolution of June 27.
This data, he suggested, would be
available to the House committee.
Chairman Graham announced he
would be glad to hear from Mr.. Fish
er on the merits of the Controller Bay
case, adding that the committee in all
probability, would ask him to appear
formally later.
Secretary Fisher said his attention
was first called to Controller Bay by
Senator La Toilette, who sought spe.
icific information as to the claims
the identity Of claimants, etc. After
thorough examination, Mr.. Fisher said
he was unable to see how the public
interest had been jeopardized.
i Il made up my mind" he added
that II anything was wrong we want
ed to know 1t. checked up the cass
j particularly to see II l could find any
] thing irregular.
], Il confess that ! was not SO mucl
i concerned whether the method O
opening the lands was one way or an
other. The real thing I am iookin,
for is to get constructive results.
Il found in my investigation tha
} Richard 8. Ryan, after the release 0
| the Shore Line lands had made thre,
: entries, none Of which had been com
pleted. He made an entry as termin
I. al for railroad. That has not beel
} determined and his rights will be de
cided according to law and subject t,
J, my review.
Il found considerable other front
3 age available for railroad entry. tn
important thing is to ascertain wha
shore line rights lead to deep water
Il there is only room for one Failroa
the question to be determined I
whether 1t shall be Ryan's or som
jother railroads