Evening star., 1924-02-09
VAST CONSPIRACY
!. OF OIL INTERESTS, .
CHARGE BY BONF|LS
Standard Oil, Doheny and
Sinclair in Collision Sen
- ators Are Told.
ROYALTIES PAID OTHER
FIRMS, WITNESS ASSERTS
Midwest and Pioneer Companies
. Got 100000 From Teapot,
He Says.

+ Got 100000 From Teapot,
he Says. i.
A charge that Harry .F. Sinclair.
E. L. Doheny and the Standard Oil
allied companies conspired to assure
award of the Teapot Dome naval oil
lease to Sinclair was made before the
Senate oil committee today by Fred
erick G. Bonf1ls. publisher Of the Den
yer Post.
Continuing his story of his connec-
tion with the group that held con-
testing claims in the Teapot reserve
and disposed Of them to Sinclair, the
publisher asserted that. in addition to
the payments made to that group, the
Midwest and Pioneer companies, who
also had interests in the district. re-
ceived $1,0o0,000 in oil produced by
the Sinclair company from Teapot
Replying to questions by Senator
Walsh, Bonfils said that there was
a conspiracy between Doheny and
Sinclair and the Standard Oil allied
companies to let Sinclair have the
teapot Dome as far as they were
concerned.
They. having. no antagonistic in
terests in California" he said, they
had no objection to letting Mr.. Do
heny have the naval reserve there
and they went into the agreement
granted"
Did you learn in these negotiations
OF the tSandard Oil subsidiary COM
pahles getting out of the field in or
der to get out of Sinclair's way?"
asked Senator Walsh.
Yes. I did," Bonils replied
What did you learn about it?"
= Firms Got Million.
THAT the Midwest and the Pioneer
got a million dollars in oil produced
by Sinclair Company on the Teapot
Dome. That / have confirmed. The
feeling with Sinclair was not friend
ly to Mr.. Stack. They treated him
like an Office boy, and thought they
could settle with him on any terms
agreeable to them.
THE Pioneer Company kept telling
him to settle with Sinclair and to take
whatever he would, give him."
During his testimony yesterday the
witness had said that he and Stack,
Denver oil man. with H. H. Tam
men. his partner, and H. H. Schwartz,
Their attorney. negotiated a settle
ment with Sinclair, the proceeds OF
which were split four ways. This
settlement. he said, took place after
the Post had published an article at
tacking the Teapot Dome situation,
but had deferred publication of other
stories on the same subject because
Of fear Of libel suits.
Walsh Questions Witness.
Reverting to this feature of the
testimony today, Senator Walsh call
ed attention to the article attacking
the Teaot Dome lease which appear
ed in the Post on August Is, 1922,
and asked if there were others.
Bonfils said he had prepared a list
of all of the articles regarding the
lease of Teapot Dome.
Il suppose there were hundred of
them from September Is, 1922, up to
the present time," he added.
why didn't you go back earlier?"
asked Chairman Lenroot
"The August Is article was the
main one" said the witness.
was that when you first began?"
asked the chairman.
Yes"
Aren't you mistaken" asked Sena-
tor Kendrick. democrat. Wyoming.
wasn't it on April 1872"
81 think that's the time, April Is
and 16," was the answer.
Says Fall Advised.
Senator Walsh said the records Of
the Interior Department showed that
the then Secretary of the Interior,
! Albert B. Fall. was kept fully advised
as to the publications in the Denver
Post regarding the lease. The. first, he
added, was under date Of April 5. 1922.
two days before the lease was signed.
Can you say how your paper got
information of the lease two days be-
fore 1t was signed" asked Senator
Walsh.
MIR. Dill, who edits our financial
page, probably got it on his visits to
offices of brokers and bankers" Bon
i fills said.
sent to Fall by N. D. McEnery.- a
land office official at Denver, under
date of April 9, 1922, he wrote Fall
that he thought some of the lawyers
who represented large oil companies
"are giving Dill this dope"
Mentioned Probe.
Under date of April IA, 1922. Nc
Emery sent a telegram to William
Spry in the interior department stat
ing that the financial editor Of the
Denver Post asserted in an article
that the Teapot Dv.s1 Aase to Sim
clair threatened an "oil sandal and
that "a probe by Congress may be
! asked"
The Post daily published articles
from April s to April IA, the record
showed, although the public an
nouncement of the lease was with
/ held by the Interior Department until
/ April 81.
! force the Stack contract?" asked
! Chairman Lenroot.
| Explains His Part.
"I was to advance money, employ
an attorney and pay the expenses
backward and forward between Dem
yer and New York and Denver and
| Kansas City"
do you know why Stack came to
YOU In the first placer"
"I had known him a long time. He
/ knew we had ample money and were
vigorous men and pretty live"
Chairman Lenroot wanted to know
! If Stacks bill of complaint in a suit
tagainst the Pioneer and Mammoth
companies had been filed. This bill
previously had been read into the
record.
Il suppose So" said the witness.
"Why else should Ii have beeu