The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-06
WRITES HISTORY
 OF TEAPOT DOME
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(COntinued From Page One.b 1 Millions of dollars, literally already has been realized by the government as 8 result of this one act alone.
 Another Land Law
 i During President Wilson's admins tration, another public land law of far reaching importance to the country was enacted, viz: the act of February 25 1920, commonly called the mineral leas ing act. It was another of the bills in Secretary Lanes program for the purpose of administering the public lands for the good of the whole coun- try, in accordance with President Will sons administrative policy. This act was pending, in process of enactment, for about five years before it finally became law. It changed the whole system of disposing of the kinds of min eral lands therein named: coal, oil, gas, sodium and phopsphate lands. No long, CT were they to be sold outright for $5 an acre. Henceforth they were to be leased, and the government was to re- ceive a royalty therefrom, as if it were a private owner. Prospecting for these minerals was to be encouraged, but the government was to realize profit from the mineral henceforth. Under this act, tract of coal land in Alabama was leased for a cash consideration of $S5,- 600, with royalty to be paid for the coal actually mined. This was but one ] lease, and gives an idea of what it has meant to the country, in financial way, to handle mineral lands which be- long te the government on the basis and in the manner private business men handle their mineral lands where they : do not themselves operate them. The government receives one or two million dollars monthly, I believe, from this act.
 Handled Oil Work
 "The general land office, to which I was attached, is the bureau of the in- terior department that administers the public land laws, generally speaking. After the passage of this act, when plans were being made for it's adminis- tration, was detailed to the oil and gas work in the field service division, to handle cases under the relief sections of the bill. Then it was decided, in a short time, to transfer me to the min eral division, on oil and gas prospecting permit cases, which were pouring in by the thousands, since there were but four law examiners to handle them, while the relief cases were coming in slowly and the one man left on that work would not be approximately so overw6rked as the others were being. I remained on this prospecting permit work until I resigned this spring, not withstanding requests of chiefs of other divisions to have me detailed to. their divisions, and notwithstanding my own request for a transfer to one of these divisions. I was always told could : not be spared where was, but heavier and heavier work was assigned me. Having been on this work from the be- ginning, the developments have been of much interest to me.
 Lane Resigns
 Secretary Lane resigned soon after the leasing act was enacted, and was succeeded by Secretary John Barton Payne, but First Assistant Secretary Vogelsang, who had been closely iden- tified with this work all along, remained until President Harding went into of flee. Then Senator Fall became secre- tary of interior and, after his resigna- tion, Secretary Work succeeded him. therefore worked under all four of these secretaries, two democratic (Lane and | Payne) and two republicans (Fall and | Work), and under one democratic and two republican presidents. Each secre- tary had his personal traits. For in- stance, Secretary Lane was always boosting the department and encourag- ing pride in it-perhaps he boosted naturally being a Californian. Any way, his outstanding personal charac- teriStie as cabinet officer, to my mind, was his loyalty to his department and his pride in it. In every way, from meetings in the big auditorium in the interior building to holidays on patriot ic and appropriate occasions, he stressed the pride he felt in the department. A lovable man, a good executive, he is generally rated as the best of all the secretaries the department ever had.
 Payne Praised
 Secretary Payne was also a good sec retary. He was in office only for the last months of Wilson's administration, and did not have the opportunity for | constructive work that Lane or Fall or even Work had, but he left behind the impression of courteous, dignified, considerate gentleman, who was also an efficient executive. I remember sec ing, soon after he came in, an order by him stating that he had noticed when ever he entered a departmental elevator that it made no stops, either to receive or to discharge passengers while he was on it, and that this practice did not seem to be in accord with demo- cratic principles of business efficiency, and that.he wanted this practice stopped and no exception made because of his presence, or that of any bureau head in the department. In contrast to this was an order issued very shortly after Senator Fall succeeded Secretary Payne, wherein he brusquely forbade anyone in the interior department to use any of the elevators in the south end of the first wing of the interior building, but reserved all elevators there for his own personal use, thus forcing everyone in W0MAN S0 III