The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1923-09-14
LIGHT ON THE OIL GRAB
SHOWN THAT OFFICERS CONNECTED WITH NAVY's OH. RE
SERVES WERE UNIT IN OPPOSING NOW FAMOUS
TEAPOT DOME LEASE
Officers Who Hit Raid Were Removed From Reserves Transferred
To Duty Elsewhere Far From Washington

DENLY opposing the lease before it
was entered into. 1t is further now
revealed that every one of these naval
officers, except the admiral, was sub
sequently ordered to duty far removed
from Washington and from all con-
tact with the naval oil reserves. The
admiral was retired ahead of time
This astonishing information will
be brought out before the u. S. SEN
ate committee on public lands which
will reopen the Teapot Dome hearings,
probably in December, when the new
congress convenes.
The admiral who protested to Sec
retary Denby was Admiral r. S.
Griffin, who during the war was chief
of naval operations, and admired and
loved by the entire service Other
naval officers who recorded their pro-
tests were Commander Steuart,
Commander Wright and Captain Hal
Ggan. One of these officers has been
sent to the canal zone, another to
insular duty in the Pacific posses
sions and another to sea service with
the Atlantic fleet.
Had Charge of Teapot Dome
These naval officers were in charge
of the administration of the Teapot
! Dome reserve, some of them having
been stationed in Washington, while
others were stationed at the reserve
in Wyoming.
The terms of the Teapot Dome
lease have been fully reported in this
newspaper. A national furore was
created when the lease was signed.
The facts brought out in the newspa-
pers associated through International
Labor News Service were cited in the
senate as constituting cause for IA
senate investigation.
When Senator LaFollette's commit
tee began its investigation into the
oil situation during the last session
early this year some of the facts re-
garding Teapot Dome were brought
out, but the bulk of the work was
purposely left to the Public Lands
committee 1t was Senator La Fol
lette who, during the closing days of
the last congress, secured adoption
of resolution which authorized the
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the inquiry during the summer and
into the life of the new congress. This
committee was the only committee
authorized to continue its work by the
old congress, and the fact signifies
to a considerable extent the impor-
tance that senators attach to the Tea
pot Dome scandal.
Senators Walsh, Lenroot and Nor
ris visited Teapot Dome and but re-
, Gently returned There three consti.
, tute a subcommittee in active charge
of preparing for the inquiry. They
have engaged three experts to go over
the field in Wyoming, preparatory tc
testifying when the hearing opens
These experts are now in Wyoming
} completing geological studies. The
, purpose of these studies is to show
the truth or falsity of the Sinclair
claim that Teapot Dome oil wa;
draining into privately owned wells
outside of the reserve and that tht
Teapot Dome reservoir would in time
} have been drained entirely into th'
) private wells. Pressing this claim
Sinclair claimed that his lease pre-
vented great loss to the government
Secretary of the Interior Albert Fal
gave credence to this claim in signin:
) the lease. The fact that the Unite,