The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-07-16
DEMOCRATS TALK
OF IMPEACHMENT

BY Leased Wire TO The Trlpune'
WASHINGTON, July 15.-Serious
charges have been made against Az
torney General Wickcrsham; the Dem
ocrats are going to probe them at once
and some of the enthusiastic ones al
ready are talking about Impeachment
proceedings.
Delepnte James Wickersham of Alas.
ka is the author of the charges against
the attorney general. He alleges that
Mr.. Wickersham permitted, with full
knowledge of the facts, the mainte:
nance Of the Guggenheim coal mo-
nopoly in Alaska; that when evidence
was laid before him of larceny, per
Jury and murder committed By the coal
robbers, the attorney general made no
effort to punish the offenders but ac-
tually removed from Office government
officials who sought to prosecute the
guilty men.
Delegate Wickersham charges that
when the matter became so hot that
the attorney general had to act 1T was
too late to accomplish anything, the
statute of limitations having run
against criminal prosecution.
Embarrassing to Taft.
The administration will doubtless be
ton Of these charges. The Democrats
have felt for long time that Attor-
ney General Wicl1ersham was unduly
friendly with the trusts, despite his
vigorous prosecution Of several big
corporations They have accused him
Of putting into the Taft railroad bills
several sections demanded by the rail
road presidents and which Mr.. Taft
later was forced to withdraw. His fail
ure to prosecute the steel trust, on the
Stanley evidence, has long been sore
spot.
The Republican insurgents also hold
to the view that Mr.. Wickersham is
big load on the Republican admins
tration They have not forgotten how
he tried to read them out of the party
year ago in his Chicago speech. The
Recommendation Of Wickersham that
Professor Wiley be dismissed is point.
ed to as in line. with his general pol
icy toward everything sayoring of lib
eral or progressive government.
Denial by Wickersham.
Attorney General Wickcrsham en-
phatically denied today that he was
withholding prosecution of Alaskan
coal conspirators until the statute of
limitation had run in their favor. He
said that the statute of limitation had
not run In the case of Captain D. II
Jarvis and John II. Bullock, alleged
TO have conspired to defraud the gov,
ernment by fake bids when the United
States purchased coal for the Alaskan
| military establishment.
The attorney general said the case
was now being investigated; that the
investigation had been going on for
come time and that if the investigation
warranted prosecution there GER
tainly would be one, He said he Is
ready to furnish the house committee
on judiciary any evidence, papers OF
documents on the case in the depart
ment Of Justice.
Jacob M. Dickinson, former secre
tary of war, was dragged into the
Alaska syndicatae scandal today by
| Delegate Wickersham. In communi
cation fled with the house committee
on judiciary, Delegate Wickershan
charges that Dickinson. while Secre
tary OF war, received evidence similar
to that submitted to Attorney Genera
Wickersham, tending to show fraud il
connection with Alaska coal contracts
Secretary Dickinson did not acknowl
edge receipt of the evidence, accord
ing to Delegate Wickersham.