Evening star., 1924-03-19
RECOUNTS GOSSIP
OF oil DEAL" WITH
. c. O.P. CANDIDATE
0hioan Tells Oil Probers
Story Based on "TaIk" at
1920 Convention.
DARDEN TELLS OF EFFORT
HERE TO PROTECT CLAIM
Conferred With Harding, Fall and
Daugherty With III Success,
He Declares.

He Declares.
Gossip about an "oil deal" at the
republican national convention in 1920,
and a story about a venture in Teapot
Dome that collided with that of Harry
F. Sinclair, made up today's book OF
testimony in the oil inquiry.
The tale about the Chicago con-
vention was brought before the oil
committee by Tiffin Gilmore, deputy
secretary of state of Ohio, who work
ed in 1920 for Leonard Wood. He said
IT was common talk that there lad
been deal between oil operators
and the possible nominee; that he
understood an offer was made to
Wood and was refused; but that he
knew the names of none OF the men
concerned and had no "first-hand in
formation" whatever to support the
story.
Darden Tells of Claims.
James G. Darden, friend of Presi-
dent Harding and a man of farfiung
interests, testified about the Teapot
venture in which he himself was in
terested, along with John F. Campion
and Robert G. Taylor. He said they
had made claim to $50 acres, without
q fence or scratch" upon it; had
been promised some sort of an ad-
lustment by Secretary Payne in the
watson administration; but never had
apiied for lease and eventually had
been elected by Marines after the re-
serve wasp leased to Sinclair.
=, Darden declared he had learned
through gossip" two months in ad-
vance that Sinclair was to get the
lease. An arrangement was made
with the Mutual Oil Company to
develop the cIalm, and DardenS law
yer. Robert S. Bright, told the COM
m1ttee tnat the development company
began work after it became known
that the Sinclair lease had been Con-
summated.
Planned Legal Contest.
Their hope was, he said, to contest
the legality of the Sinclair contract,
hut when Darden took the matter up
with President Harding and Attorney
General Daugherty he found that In
terror Secretary Fall was determined
to clear the Mutual off the reserva-
tion forthwith by force.
The committee expects at tomor-
rows session to again question G. d.
Wahlberg, former secretary to Harry
F. Sinclair, and on Friday to recall
Sinclair himself.
After it's hearings were adjourned
today the committee held an execu-
tive meeting to discuss the nominal
tion of Samuel knight of San Fran
cisco to be special government coun-
sci in the suit to recover two sec
tons of land in California. A poll
Of the committee members on his con-
1rmation will be taken later in the
day.
Carmel A. Thompson, an Ohio repub-
licap leader, with whom Gilmore tes-
titled he discussed land claim after
the Chicago convention, was sub
poenasd today by the committee.
Was Wood Supporter.
Called as a part of the committees
inquiry into stories Of an "oil deal"
in the 1920 campaign, Gilmore was
asked about his connections with
that campaign. He said he attended
the republican national convention at
Chicago in 1920 as a worker for Gen.
Wood.
"We were almost hostile camps"
Gilmore said.
"Whog" asked Senator Walsh, the
committee Investigator.
I'VE had had a bitter primary as
between Senator Harding and Gen.
Wood.
The witness added that it was car
ried over to the convention.
Gilmore said he had a conference
with Carmi Thompson. a Harding
supporter, on a sleeper leaving Chi
cago for Washington He quoted
Thompson as saying:
".Tiffin, we need you worse than
ever now.
~ said you are damned right you
DO +" hte witness continued.
Thompson, he said, discussed with
him a land claim.
Asked About Land.
II asked, What did you want that
land for? Is it agricultural land?' -
Gilmore went on. He said it was
Indian land. 1 asked if it was min
eral land. He said he didn't know.
I asked if it was oil land, and he said
it hadn't been tested.
There was a man standing nearby,
and he turned and said, They have
Two wells drilled and are getting
good production.
What prompted you to make such
an inquiry of him concerning the land?"
asked Senator Walsh.
1.-The whole thing had been super
heated with charges that a deal had
been consummated between the oil op-
orators and the possible nominee Of the
convention. That was common talk"
DO you yourself know anything
about the facts?"
"I cannot say that I do know any,
thing first hand-I only know second
hand
"'You really know nothing of these
matters except gossip on the street?'
II do not"
mo man who knew ever told you?"
'.No. sir
Says Wood Rejected Deal.
Asked by Senator Walsh, democrat,
Montana, If he knew what reply Gen.
Wood had made, Gilmore said:
'I was told he walked up and down
ut his hotel and said it was shady
deal; that he would have nothing to
do with it, and that they would have
to defeat him.
With that tie witness was excused,
and the committee called James G. OAR
den, man Of many adventures, whose
name has been interwoven with dis
closures in both the Daugherty and
Teapot Dome inquiries. Process 3erv-
ers had reported failure to locate him
for a month, but he denied that he had
tried to avoid service of the commit
tees subpoena He said he was away
from home a good deal, but had seen
by the newspapers that he was sought
Continued on Page 5. Column 2.l