The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-07-13
FISHER TAKES
MUCH INTEREST
Secretary Of the Interior Yolun-
teer Witness Before the
House Committee.
MAKES STATEMENT
REGARDING ALASKA
Urges That Inquiry Into the
"Dick TO Dick" Letter Be
HaStened.

WASHINGTON, July 12.-Secretary
OF the Interior Walter L. Fisher was
the most conspicuous witness present
when the house committee on expendi"
lures in the interior department re-
assembled today to inquire into the al
legged attempt of the Guggenheims or
other interests to monopolize Alaska
Miss NJ. F. Abbott. a newspaper
writer, who says she discovered the
=" Dick to Dick'' letter regarding Con-
troller bay, may not be called to testify
for several days.
Though not subpoenaed, Secretary
Fisher was allowed to make a statement
In which he declared his conclusion that
the public interests had not been
.leopardizcd by anything done in the
Alaskan case.
''From my examination of the case,'
he said, 81 have satisfied myself that
Richard 5. Ryan has obtained no rights
In Controller bay whatever that Jeopar-
dies the rights of anyone
Secretary Fisher asked the commit
tee to hasten the inquiry into the al
legged Dick TO Dick letter, which cannot
now be found in the department files.
Facts Are Wanted.
". P, Fennell, counsel for the com.
mittee, replied that the letter was not
Of SO much interest as the facts.
1t was within the power of the
president, added Mr.. Fennell, "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 -
60 am much concerned said Secre-
tary Fisher, ''about the publication of
a letter, which Miss M. F. Abbott says
she saw in the files of the interior de-
partment, and that is not there now. If
there is anyone in the department who
would be party to. the abstraction OF
destruction of public documents we
want TO know it. Men who had been
in charge of the files in the interior
department have left the service and
others are about to leave, and l urge
inquiry into that as soon as possible,
so that we may take steps to place
responsibility for the removal of the
letter, If IT ever existed. | never saw
such document as described-a 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 obtainabe 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.. Fisher
on the merits Of the Controller bay case,
adding that the committee Gin all hu-
man proba bility" 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-
cific 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 jeopar.
died.
81 made up my mind he added,
"'that if anything was wrong we want.
ed to know it. | checked up the case
particularly to see if / could find any.
thing irregular. ] confess that / was
not so much concerned whether the
method of opening the lands was one
WAY or another. The real thing 7 am
looking for is to get constructive re.
suits.
Entries Not Complete.
II found in my investigation that
Richard s. Ryan, after the release Of
the shore line lands. had made three
entries, none of which had been com.
pleted. He made an entry as a termi-
nal for a railroad. That has not been
determined and his rights will be dc.
cided according to law and subject to
my review.
~ found considerable other front
age available for railroad entry. The
important thing is TO ascertain what
shore line rights lead to deep water, II
there is only room for one railroad the
question to be determined is whether it
shall be Ryan or some other rail
road.
Chairman Graham made statement
saving that Miss Abbott, who claims
TO have seen the alleged "Dick to
Dick letter was not related in any
wuy to Willis j. Abbott, n newspaper
writer, formerly connected with the
Democratic national committee.
II. c, Graves, nautical expert in the
United States geodctic survey, testified
chat Controller bay had but one out
let to deep water.
The committee adjourned until next
Friday.