Evening star., 1924-02-25
|G.0.P. NEWS BUREAU
| SCORED BY WALSH.
Senator Says Charges
Against Him Are Malicious
Misrepresentation.

The news bureau Of the republican
national committee was charged to-
day in the Senate by Senator Walsh,
DEMOCRAT, Montana. with "a DELHI
crate and malicious" misrepresenta-
tton of the facts in a statement IT
| issued yesterday that tho naval oil
leases We're made under an act spon-
sored BIZ him.
Every one here who knows the
facts knows. these leases We're not
I, made under the terms Of the general
leasing law" Senator Walsh said
This act expressly excluded from its
provisions the naval oil reserves eX-
/ tept that il gave authority to the
Secretary of the Interior to lease pro-
ducing wells on the naval reserves.
There We're no such wells in either
reserve one (Caltfornia) and reserve
number three (Wyoming)."
The Montana senator explained that
the leases obtained by Harry +. Sin
clair and r.. L. Doheny from Albert
Il. Fall, as Secretary Of the Interior.
were granted under the provisions of
Il rider" to the naval appropriation
hill enacted in June, 1920, four months
a tier the general leasing law was
! passed.
Origin OF story.
senator Walsh said the story given
| publicity by the republican national
, colhnittee's news bureau did not
originate with that organization. but
with u republican newspaper in his
EoIlc town. lie explained that he
had telegraphed to that paper giyine
the facts, as he presumed IL had been
inadvertently led into an error.
Put I cannot give to the repub-
lican national committee or its news
bureau the excuse of being led into
an error he added. THE misrepre-
sentation on their part was perfectly
deliberate and malicious"
The statement asserted that Josephus
Daniels, Secretary of the Navy i'll the
Wilson administration, WAS responsible
for the section In the law which per-
Walsh was one Of its staunchest ad-
voCates. The statement. in part. fol-
lows:
"chairnan Hull Of the democratic
national committee issues a state
mcnt characteriZing the leasing OF
oil reserves as looting Of the public
domain. Mr.. Hull certainly cannot
| BE- familiar with the record OF the
democratic party and democratic
leaders. Ry such an assertion he be-
s-nirchcs the regulations of such men
:s Senator Walsh OF Montana, Jose
phus Daniels, former Secretary of the
Navy. and John Barton Payne. for
mer Secretary of tne Interior.
Says Walsh Eathered Act.
The leasing act, which gives TO
the Secretary of the Navy and the
Secretary Of the Interior the right
and power TO lease public oil re-
serves to private interests, was fa-
thered by Senator Walsh OF Mon
tana.
THAT particular section of the act
under which Secretary Denby acted
in signing the leases to Doheny and
Sinclair was not only suggested by
Secretary Daniels, but was written by
him practically word for word as It
now appears in the law. He frankly
stated that he wanted such power in
order to enable him to do exactly
what secretary Denby subsequently
| did.
Cites First Application.
THE leasing act received its first
application under the administration
Iof Josephus Daniels and John Barton
tpartmentS, respectively. Under their
administration government oil lands
both within and without the naval oil
preserves were leased to private inter-
IeSts to be developed by them on q
iroyalty basis.
80 If there is anything wrong in
connection with the leasing policy, as
democrats are now trying to make II
tappear, the iniquity rests upon the
heads of Senator Walsh of Montana
and former Secretary Daniels. And If
there is anything wrong in the action
lof Secretary DenbyS applying the
provisions of the act and agreeing to
ithe leasing of rights in naval oil re-
serves to private corporations, he had
la precedent in the action OF former
ISecretary Daniels