The Washington times., 1911-06-26
Continued from First Page.)

(Conunued from F1rst PdBe.D
to get the riches of Alaska steered into
the Guggenheim Golfers. 1t was charged
early that Richard, A. Ballinger was
made Secretary cf the Interior with the
confident expectation that he would find
means to determine these questions IN
favor of the Guggenheims
The Administration stood firmly back
of him until last March, when Ballin-
ger. under fire from many quarters, re-
signed, and was succeeded by Secre-
tary Fisher, who now reverses his pol
helms. -.
Patents Denied.
Clarence Cunningham, for himself and
associates, entered thirty-seven claims
in the Bering river field in 1903. Later,
four were reinquished. Every effort
was made to hurry these claims to pat
ent, but under the Roosevelt Garfield
administration they were held I'D and
patents were denied. while efforts were
made to secure new laws for admins
tration of coal lands in the public in
terest. y
spirit came over Administration pur-
poses. Louis R. CLAWS. special agent
OF the Land Office early in 1905-before
Garfield retired-b9came suspicious of
the claims; The legal question was
claims, or had been entered with the
purpose of operating in a common III
terest. If theflatter was the case, then
they were illegal and not entitled to be
patented.
Appeals to Pinchot.
CLAWS. convinced that the claims were
syndicated in advance. and were des-
tined to be turned over to the Guggen-
helms. exhausted all efforts to con-
vince Secretary Ballinger. that a huge
fraud was contemplated. Convinced that
the Interior Department was not going
to give him consideration, CLAWS early
in July, 1909. wired to Forester Pinchot,
from Portland, Ore. saying that he had
conclusive evidence of improper con-
duct on the part Of Interior officials, in
relation to coal claims. Unless the For
est Service would aid him, the claims.
which were in the Chugach National
Forest, would inevitably go to patent
Mr.. P1nchot was not in Washington
when this telegram came. In his alb
sence. executive direction Of forestry af-
fairs, was in the hands of his assist
ant. Mr.. Price. Price looked up the
records, became convinced that CLAWS
was right, and appealed to the Inter-
ior Department to suspend action till the
Forest Service could investigate The
animosity toward CLAWS; was unwilling
to cooperate with the Forest Service,
and at first denied Price access to
important records
Action Necessary.
The whole situation convinced Price
that quick action was needed. He took
matters into his own hands, and in
stantly turned the Forest Service into a
Il
ments, explanations, details, and dates
about the whole situation; pointed out
the huge interests involved; reflected
seriously at times on the interior De-
partment; and presently had public at
tention focused on the question.
CLAWS carried his case, meanwhile, to
Pinchot, who was at the conservation
congress in Spokane. Pincnot, in turn,
was convinced. and urged CLAWS TO
take his whole showing up to President
Taft.
Claws went to the summer capital at
Beverly and laid the case before Presi-
dent Taft, who promised to consider
matters, He submitted the CLAWS data
to Interior of1cials, who reJoined In long
replies, whose tenor was that the cases
had been properly handled and the
public interest was in no danger. Later
Secretary Balhnger testified on the
stand that the claims were not Illegal
Real Attitude.
The real latitude of the Administra-
ton was soon developed when, on Sep
tember e, 1909, a letter from the Presi-
dent to Ballinger was published, direct
ing the Secretary to dismiss CLAWS.
This was a bitter arraignment, imply
ing that CLAWS had been vindictfve,
untruthful, and incompetent. 1t was a
most sweeping vindication Of Ballinger
as to the Cunningham claims, water
power, and other matters then in con-
troversy.
Later 1t developed that this letter
was based on a memorandum by Oscar
c. Lnwler, assistant attorney general
for the Interior Department. The Pres
ident's letter. however, purported to be
based on a report from tn Attorney
General. This supposed letter of the At
torney General had not, in fact, been
written at that time 1t was written
Congress had passed a res
olution for inquiry; 1t was dated back
to December I2. and inserted in the files
document. AMI had been before the
President when he wrote the letter di-
recting the dismissal of CLAWS.
These facts about the pre-dating OF
this letter were brought out during the
inquiry by the Nelson Congressional
They constituted the great
sensation Of that inquiry. and went far
10 convince people heretofore uncertain
about the merits, that something was
at least decadent in Denmark. al
Letter to Pinchot.
At tho same time that he directed the
dismissal of CLAWS. the President
wrote a friendly letter to Pinchot urg-
Ing him not to regard the matter as a
reflection on him; expressing the hope
that the matter would now be dropped,
and that Pinchot would not make Glav-
ISIS case his own.
Claws published an article stating his
side; the controversy soon developed
such form that 1t became clear that
either Ballinger or Pinchot must go.
Congress meanwhile had met, and the