The daily morning oasis., 1919-11-23
SURF PRISED 7 H {
INVESTIGATOR
Who WAS ON
THE PROBE
Congressman Heading the
Smelling" Com m ittee
Finds Himself Right in
the Same Bucket of Per-
fume.
Omitted Press Service)

WAOI1INGlON, NOV. ZZ.-A pnO-
tographic copy of letterhead of
the Stonedall Land and Timber Com
pany, upon which appeared the name
of Representative James A. Frear as
vice-president of the corporation, has
been produced before a house sub
committee of which Frear is chair
man, and which is investigating war
expenditures. The photograph was
shown to Chairman Frear and men,
bers of the subcommittee by Grig.-
Gen. Brice P. Disque, director of
spruce production of the War Depart
ment.
Brig.-Gen. Disque testified that the
Stonedall company owns timber lands
in section tapped by the government
and charged that friend of Repre-
sentative Frear had denounced the
spruce administration for refusing to
build logging road to timber tracts
in which Frear and Frank Pendleton
of the Pendleton Timber Company
were interested.
Chairman Frear contended that the
letterhead must be twelve years old,
as it was that long ago since he oc-
cupied the position of vice-president
of the Stonedall company. The date
on the letterhead, it was shown, was
October %, 1919. Chairman Frear
then asserted that he had gone into
the corporation years ago with other
Wisconsin state officials and that he
had never made dollar in the enter
prise. He admitted that he still held
stock in the corporation.
General Disque asserted that Pen
dleton had been Systematically de-
preciating the value of the govern
ment sawmill and railway in the
Yaquina (Ore.) district.
"The reason this thing was brought
up" continued General Disque, "is
that this Pendleton Timber Company
is part of this Stonedall Land and
Timber Company"
"That company was sold out to
another large company; that is the
last 1 knew about it," replied Mr..
Freear hurriedly.
"They own the timber there" re-
torted General Disque, "and I have
affidavits showing that Pendleton
was down there and remarked that
I'VE will bust the values of this prop
erty in one way or another, and the
next administration will come along
and sympathize, and then I will get
an interest in it and buy it up"
Mr.. Frear continued to assert that
he never had "received five cents"
from his stock in the Stonedall COM
pany.
Reuben Hitchcock of Cleveland, O.,
who had been a major in the spruce
division in charge of the cost-plus
contracts, here interjected:
eff we sell the railway to some
body down there that stock will be
worth something"
'I do not know of any railroad
down there that would be of any val
ue to them," said Frear. "These peo-
pile (Stonedall company only ownef
little scattered around at different
places"
"The own most of the timber over
the ridge at Toledo" replied General
Disque.
General Disque in criticizing one of
the numerous accusatory wires sent
by Frear and Magee to the secretary
of war, said it had the effect of
frightening away possible purchasers
who had been "carefully and serious
ly considering bidding on the railway
and property that we had for sale on
September 2. Personally I know of
one concern that was definitely con-
sidering a $3,5OO,OOO proposition for
the properties in Clallam County,
Continued on page eight)