New-York tribune., 1911-03-14
SECRETARY FISHER AT WORK
New Head OF the Interior Depart
ment Sworn Into Office.

Washington. March 1S.-Walter Lovrie
Fisher took the cath ~ Secretary of tho
Interior this morning. IN the Office of. his
predecessor. Secretary Balinger, the chief
clerk of tho department administering the
oath. aud no Que else being present.
Secretary Fisher spent the day with tx
Secretary Balinger, seeking To- acquaint
himself with the mess of detail I'm his de-
partment and becoming. acquainted with
the personnel of his office. There is no
more complex department in tic federal
government than that of tho Interior. Fer
years 1t was a sort OF dumping ground
into which Congress threw ever! thing that
did not seem especially appropriate 10 any
other department.. Perhaps its most i'm
pprtsnt bureau Is tho General Land Office.
which has to do with tho public domain.
brt hardly less important arc the Patent
Office and tho Pension Bureau, and then
come the Geological Survey. the Indian
Office the Reclamation Service, the nov
Bureau of Mines. the Bureau of Education,
and last but by no means least IN its ca
pacity to make trouble, tho Government
Hospital for the Insane
Secretary Fisher has a large task before
him in merely making himself familiar
with the various matters over which ne
now has supervision
\ report has been somewhat generally cir
Culated To the effect that there is difference
of opinion i'm the Law division OF the General
Land Office over the Cunningham claims
to Alaska coal lands. This statement is un-
warranted No difference has developed
with regard To these claims. They are in
the hands of Commissioner Donnet. who Is
under instructions to prepare and submit
20 the President as soon as practicable a
recommendation regarding the disposition
to be made Of them
This would have been done before now
but for the fact that comparatively recent
Is there came To light certain new evidence
which IS now prepared for submission to
tho Commissioner. There is no one with
authority 10 prepare an opinion of these
claims other than the Commissioner at the
present time, and he cannot form a final
opinion until all ale evidence is before him.
There il reason to believe that had not
this evidence come to light the claims
would have been cancelled before now, and
as tho now evidence is understood 10 bc
dcrogatory 20 tho claimants, II Is not like
IS their case will bc helped by its consid-
Grafton.
I'm view of Secretary Ballngcr's reSisna-
tion. II is not known whether the Commits
sioncr OF the General land Office will
make his recommendation 10 the President
or 10 the now secretary. The President
has isucd an ordcr instructing that tho
opinion hc submitted 10 him. but he did 30
because Secretary Ballinger felt himself
preciudcd from passing upon tho cases by
the fact that he had acted. I'm a limited
degree. as attorney for the claimants. aud
President Taft evidently did not care TO
impose tho responsibility for tho final de-
cislon on Assistant Secretary Pierce. Now
that there is a now Secretary of tho In
terror, however tho President may re-
scind his order and leave Secretary Fisher
10 make the final decision. based on the rec
ommcndation of Commissioner Dcnrct