The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-07-15
QUIZ FOR ALASKA
House Committee Will InVesti-
gate Alleged Crooked Deals
Of Which 1t Is Alleged Gen.
Wickersham Is COgnizant.
THE CABINET OFFICER
Is Charged With Deliberately
Suppressing Evidence
Until Statute of Limitation Had
Run on Crime.
THE CABINET OFFICER

Washington, July 15.-After secret
consideration of charges made by
Delegate Wickersham of Alaska. that
Attorney General Wickersham dehber-
ately permitted the statute of limita-
tions to run against agents OF me
Alaska syndicate, who defrauded the
government through perjury to the ex-
tent of $4,000, the house commlttee
on judiciary has determined 10 report
ed by Delegate Wickersham-
The resolution would call upon the
attorney general to furnish the mousse
with all documents. athdaVlts ana
testimony in his possession v,so.e ~
an affidavit submitted TO MN more
than a year ago and sworn to by r. j.
Douglas, former auditor OF the Alas
kan syndicate in 1908 -,
DELEGATE Wickersham startled lEc
committee when in executive commit
tee he produced a copy OF an dIloaVll
relating to an alleged crlmlnal dcS,
committed by Captain d. n. JARVIS OF
the Alaskan syndicate ana ~ AolIiIs,iS
prominent in the government revenue
cutter service who committed suicide
in Seattle on June %, the day LolioW-
ing the Introduction OF the WICKER
sham resolution calling LOT prouuct'ou
of the papers in the case, and by John
II. Bullock of the John J. Sesnor Coai
com pany of Nome.
rrhro1igh connivance of these men 1t
was charged that the government was
defrauded on coal contracts ana that
evidence to that effect was permitted
to remain unacted upon in the attor-
nev generals office for more than
year until the statute of limitations
expired last May.
DELEGATE Wickersham furnished the
committee with Photographic copies OF
p letter of an attorney Tor the <Aiasld
syndicate to D. II. Jarvis admitting lhe
exDeuditure Of money to control gov
ernmont witnesses in the Hazey muir
der trial in 1908, wherein an agent OF
the Alaska syndicate was accused q
numbering laborers employed by rival
interests during the construction Oh d
railroad in Alaska
Photograph of Account
A photograph of an expense account
of S1.133.4O of NJ. B. Morrlssey, en-
pIoyed by the syndicate, it is claimed,
to entertain government witnesses ana
iurvnen in that connection, also was
submitted to the committee This eVi-
dence. Delegate Wickersham declared
also is in the possession or the atlor-
nev general. Delegate Wickersham
urged on the judiciary committee fhe
Douglas afidavit involving the repre-
seutatives of the NOrthW estern Com
mercial company. one OF the Alaska
syndicate concerns, and the Sesnor
%On May "a. 1910" he said. "I sent
ia Attorney General Wickersham
CODY of the affidavit calling his atten-
had been defrauded of $500 by per
iurv and combination of these two
CORPORATIONS in the sale Of coal to she
government for military posts in
Alaska.
II asked him to make an investiga
tfon and prosecute those persons for
the crime committed in that transae-
ton I received a letter of acknowl-
edgment May 81. 1910, and we had
considerable further correspondence.
and on June ! 3. 1911, more than
wear later. received a Letter from the
year later. [ received a letter from the
statute of limitations had expired
The correspondence. including the
final letter of the attorney general, was
read into the record.
at rood the last letter" continued
Delegate Wickersham. Ito show that
the attorney general now says that the
statute of limitations has run against
the prosecution Of these men who
committed perjury and defrauded the
government. They submitted false af
fdavits to the government and COM
mitted fraud in April and May. 1908,
and the statute Of limitations did not
expire until May 10. 1911. I sent all
the evidence to the attorney general a
year before and he failed and refused
10 prosecute these people for robbing
the treasury and he permitted the stat
ute OF limitations to run In their favor.
IT want the committee to have el
the facts so that it may know whether
the attorney general has deliberately
shielded these people from prosecution
for crime or not. 1t is fair to him and
fair to me. I say that he has"
Evidence Enough to Indict.
did you send the attorney general
evidence enough and indicate where
witnesses could be found to warrant
an Indictment" asked Representative
Webb, OF North Carolina.
s'Tndoubtedly" replied the terri
torial delegate, "and 7 furnished him
with evidence of other crimes. The
Alaska syndicate is an organized
crime"
syndicate?" Chairman Clayton in
QUired.
Il refer to the Alaska syndicate.
composed of J. Pierpont Morgan. the
Cuggenheim brothers. Kuhn. Loeb &
Co. Jacob H. Schiff and Graves
who do you mean by the Guggen-
helm brothers % asked Representative
Norris. OF Nebraska.
Senator Simon Guggenheim and
what is Graves2" asked Repre-
sentative Graham, of Illinois.
He represents Close Brothers, the
English syndicate, and other English
captain Jarvis" added the dele
gate, was the confidential agent of
Morgan in Seattle. He committed
suicide following the introduction OF
this resolution you are now consider
.He knew that this resolution would
bring out the facts
The Douglas affidavit charges that
when the war department advertised
for bids for coal to supply the Alaska
military posts, Jarvis. treasurer of the
Northwestern company. and John H
T1Uock of the Sesnor Coal company
p rival OF the syndicate. agreed to sub
nit bids which would insure the
award Of the contract to one company