Evening star., 1924-04-01
ROOSEVELT
|. OPPOSED OIL LEASE
WadsWorth Reads Private
Letter of Denby's Aide Out
lining His Stand.


lpartment of the Interior and their
subsequent leasing, Senator Wads
worth of New York, republican, said
in the Senate yesterday, defending
| Roosevelt against a renewed demand
for his resignation contained in the
resolution introduced by Senator Dill.
Senator Wadsworth described the Dill
resolution as a bare attempt to be-
ismirch his (Mr. Roosevelts) character
by false inuendo."
Another sniper has raised his head
from the political trenches to take a
shot at member of the administra-
tion," the New York senator said, be-
Iginning an analysis of the resolution.
The purpose of the Dill resolution, he
Tended, obviously is to create the in
ference that Col Roosevelt was actu-
lated by improper or corrupt motives,
land such inference is absolutely
false"
! Classed as Mistake.
The introduction of the Dill reso1u-
ton was declared by some of the
democratic senator's, speaking pri-
vately, as untimeIy. 1t was classed
as mistake" by at least one of the
democrats who has been very active
| in the attack upon the administra-
I tion which has resulted in the resig-
nation of two members of the cabinet.
| He then read a letter by Mr.. Roose-
Welt TO q. member of the New York
! state legislature, showing that the
! assistant secretary had gone to Sec
! retary Denby to protest against the
! transfer of the oil-leasing power. and
! when Denby said it was too late"
! had insisted upon an amendment to
! the executive transfer order giving
the Navy full supervision of all
! leases.
! Letter to Senator.
| The letter from Mr.. Roosevelt to
! State Senator Campbell, under date
| of February Is, follows:
My Dear Senator:
Il have just received your letter of
february II. Thank you so much
flor it.
MY connection with the oil leases
! is briefly as follows: Shortly after
| President Harding's induction into Of
fce Secretary DENLY sent me copy
OF a proposed Executive order trans
| ferring the naval oil reserves to the
| Department OF the Interior, without
recourse. He sent at the same time a
| copy to the bureau of engineering.
| asked Admiral Griffin, who was then
! chief of that bureau and who had the
OIL under his particular care to talk
| II over with me; 1 knew very little
I
| strongly that this transfer would be
! a mistake. After thinking the mat
| ter over | decided he was probably
right.
MY grounds for coming to this con-
! clusion were that the Interior De-
| partment has as it's general mission
! the development of the resources of
| the tnited States, whereas the oil
! lands belonging to the Navy should
! not be developed except in a case of
4 necessity
/ there would be a conflict of ideas. l
! went to the Secretary and urged that
/ the lands be not transferred to the
! Interior Department. He informed
me that my protest in the matter was
I made too late. because the transfer
! had already been agreed to by the
| President. Fan and 'himself. After
| entire situation with Griffin and GER
! tain other officers.
1T occurred to me that if we could
| get an amendment to the original or
| der for transfer. making it necessary
! for the Interior Department to gain
! the consent of the Navy Department
! before leasing or drilling was under
| taken, we could guard the lands
/ against improper exploitation. A
| number of amendments with this end
! in view We're submitted to me. |
! took them to the Secretary and dis
! cussed them with him. After consid
| cradle discussion he agreed to modi-
\
| to take it to Secretary Fall, and that
| if I could get him to agree to this
| amendment. il would be all right
| with him. I took the amendment to
| Secretary Fall, who agreed to it. 1
. then took it TO the White House for
/ signature. This amendment reads as
! follows:
Text of Amendment.
! But no general policy as to drill
| ing or reserving lands located in a
, naval reserve shall be changed OF
adopted except upon consultation and
! in cooperation with the Secretary or
| acting Secretary of the Navy
/ You can see that this reserves to
| the Navy supervision over the oil re-
| serves. 1t was on account OF this
! amendment that all Of the leases un-
der discussion by the Senate commit
tee at this time were countersigned ed
| by Secretary DENLY. They could not
have been accomplished without the
O. X. of this department.
| 'At this point my active participa-
ton in the entire matter ceased. 1t
so happened that l was not consulted
on any of the oil leases. / did not
know they were under contemplation
until after they were signed. With
reference to the Teapot Dome lease
in particular, l did not know there
was a plan on foot to lease Teapot
Dome. ! did not know Sinclair was
interested in any of the leases. /
heard or tnem only dlteT tneS ndu
| been made to the general public.
I'm so far as my connection with the
Sinclair Company goes, it is as fol-
lows: / was among the group OF
bankers who were interested IN its
original formation. I was director
of the company until the outbreak OF
the war in 1917, when ] resigned My
last stock in the company was sc Id
during the war. not later than 1918
l am inclined to think in 1917. My
wife bought one thousand shares oi
Sinclair stock, however. i'll 1920 but
sold them at loss some short tins
before the leases with The Navy De-
partment were signed
Merely parenthetically. l have en-
gagged in no business of any kind
since the war. and my entrance into
politics, and have, therefore, made nc
money of any kind in business.
"All of the above is in the hearings
perhaps not quite in such ample
form as 1 have given it to you, and
fairly well scattered over a couple
of days.
You may show this letter to any
one you wish to show it to, but do not
let it get into the press, because
don't want at this time to look as il
were trying to run out" on Secre-
tary DENLY in his time of trouble.
Believe me, yours very truly,
(Signed)
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"