The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-16
FALL ON JOB
Got 100000
FOR j. HAMON
Hank Sinclair Was to
Furnish the Money
CspeciaI to the Daily worker

Especial to the Daily Worker)
WASHINGTON, April 49,
Appointment of Albert B. Fall
as Secretary of the Interior was
worth 100000 to him, the late
Jake Hamon told n. w. Ballard,
Los Angeles oil man, Ballard
testified before the Senate oil
committee today.
1T was to be paid $150,000
down and the balance over a
period of four years" Ballard
SGT
"Who was to furnish the money!"
Ballard was asked.
"The man who got Teapot Dome,
Harry F. Sinclair suppose" Ballard
replied.
Ballard Went to See Jake.
Ballard told of an investigation he
made in 1920 of reports that Teapot
Dome would be leased.
Ballard said he had been informed
he should go to see Jake Hamon
about it.
81 went to Ardmore, Okla. to see
Hamon in May, 1920" Ballard said.
II had private conversation and of
course, he is not here to defend him
self and | hesitate to state that con-
versation. You realize that no mat
ter what one may say under these
circumstances, he will be called liar
and scapegoat."
The committee directed him to an
swer and he continued as follows:
Tells of Woods Ambitions.
II met Mr.. Hamon," he said. Gen
eral Wood had an ambition to be
president. He was to get from Wood
a promise to have certain men APP
pointed
Il told him there was a strong oil
crowd in California who would help
him to develop Teapot Dome if he
got the leases.
'He never suggested then there was
anything irregular. He said he had
the money to swing the convention
and that there would be a hard fight
ahead"
Fall Brought Like Steer.
Ballard said he went to- California
after this conversation, but returned
in July and saw Hamon again.
"He told me it was all off; that
the interests were too strong for
him. He said Harding would be
elected, that the Sinclair interest had
beat him to it. He said he had put
it up to Wood, but Wood refused to
promise him anything. He said he
would be a good loser and fight to
elect President Harding.
"Hamon said he thought Mr.. Hard
ing had been framed-by whom he
did not say. The secretary of the In
terror had been picked before the
nomination.
HE told me Fall had been bought
like a steer and thrown into the
office"
Hamon said, according to Ballard,
that $1,OO0,OOO would be spent to
swing Oklahoma for Mr.. Harding.
what did Hamon tell you he was
disappointed about wnen lie returned
from the convention" Senator Spen-
Ger, Missouri. Republican, asked.
He said his plan to be Secretary
of the Interior had failed at the con-
vention. He wanted to get in because
there was movement on foot then
to have the naval reserves taken out
OF the Navy Department and put them
under the Interior Department"
Doesn't Think Them School Boys.
who was behind that movement"
None of you are school boys. You
know that Hamon, Doheny, Sinclair
and others wanted to see the reserves
transferred to the Interior Depart
ment."
Senator Stanfield, Oregon, Republi-
can, drew from the witness a state.
ment that he had told the Hamon
story to "Mr. Sanger, who is some
where in Texas" and f. w. Reynolds,
an associate in Los Angeles.
Plan to Call Hearst.
Senator Stanfield, thereupon said he
expected to ask" that subpoenas be
issued for William Randolph Hearst,
publisher, and Harry Chandler, pub
Usher of the Los Angeles Tfmea