The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-01-09

i Department. Mr..
i Fails resigna-
/ ton has not
i stopped the In
i quiry. but in
/ TACT has accel-
i Grated It. The
i m Public Lands
i Committee Of the
/ Z 49, Senate win meet
@ tomorrow to Sc
| N lect the experts
- who viii guide
it's q riches
WILLIAM HARD into the tech.
nical meanings Of the lease. The
case seems likely now to become
one of the great political battle
| fields Of 1923.
A poll of the Public Lands Com
mittee indicates that q majority of
/ the members Of the committee have
grave doubts regarding the desira.
/ bility of the LEASE from the public
be said that majority even of the
Republican members OF the com.
nlittee share this view.
They look at the lease as thing
that will have to be justified by ex-H
| tremely strong arguments. The
/ Administration. on the other hand,
has committed itself through its
| highest possible authorities to the
proposition that the lease is totally
1 innocent of wrong-doing and per.
/ fectly conducive to the public vel.
fare. The issue Is joined and the
/ stage is set for q first-class political
financial high-life moving picture
performance all dripping with
money and mystery.
The lease will be attacked on four
grounds. First it will be said that
the Secretary Of the Interior had
no right to undertake the granting
of the lease in view of the fact that
such Undertakings on naval oil re-.
serve land were confided by Com
gress to the special responsibility
of the Secretary Of the Navy. In
the second place it win be alleged
that the secrecy of the negotiations
through which the lease was grant
ed to company headed by a dis
tinguished campaign contributor
and close political friend of inn
portant persons in the Administra-
ton must be regarded as casting q
cloud upon it.
In the third place it will be
charged that the oil in the Tea
Pot Dome Naval Oil Reserve should
not be drained off now but should
be kept for future use in accord
ance with the theory Of conservA-
tion as laid down by President
Roosevelt in such matters and sup
national policy. On this point 1t
will be noted that Mr.. Fall has
claimed that the sinking of wells
in to the Tea Pot Dome reserve
was necessary because the oil in
1t was already getting drained out
from under it by wells in an ad-
joining district. 1t will be charged
that those wells in the adioining
district would never have existed
IL Mr.. Fall himself had not granted
permits and licenses which brought
them into existence.
In the fourth place it will be set
forth by numerous witnesses of high
standing in the oil business that the
terms Of the lease to the Sinclair Oil
interests are fabulously profitable to
Mr. Sinclair and his associates. This
assertion will be, emphatically and
copiously denied by the representa-.
IAVCS "a IAC EolIIC1dlE IuICTGGI6 SkIle4 VI
the Department Of the Interior. The
case needed only one further element
to become a perfect case for public
dramatic interest. 1t needed great
lawyer to act as the prosecutor.
It seems that Mr. Walsh is about
to perform that role. He happens
to be a man of notorious conscien-
tiousness, so that it is assumed that
he would not step forward to take a
special interest in the case unless he
had concluded that inquiry was gen.
timely needed. He is quite capable
of generating Mr.. Fall If the evil
dence turns out to lead him to a con-
viction of Mr.. Falls innocence.
In the meantime it seems that
he has prepared himself to examine
the witnesses and consider the ar
and since he is second to none
among his colleagues in the Senate
for legal learning and skill 1t is as
sumed that examinations in this
case will be extremely complete and
will put the whole matter finally
and definitely before the public.
1t is noted today that the sena-
torial resolutions which started this
case on it's way were introduced
into the Senate by Senator Ken
drick, Democrat, Of Wyoming, and
by Senator La Toilette, Republican.
of Wisconsin, as long ago as April
of last year.
Senator Smoot Rep.) of Utah.
chairman of the Public Lands Com.
mittee, has not shown undue haste
in bringing the matter to trial but
Is relied upon to be perfectly fair
presiding officer. With Mr.. Falls
approaching departure from Wash.
ing the Fastening Of the trial be-
came a thing much desired by Ger.
tain members of the committee; and
with the committees meeting to. |
morrow the full final start will be
made in proceedings which seem
likely to- become the most spec.
tacular.t combat that has happened
or will happen-during this Ad. |
ministration.