Evening star., 1925-07-01
Decision on Teapot Dome
-. Stirs Caustic Comment

American comment is strongly crit =
ical of the court decision in Wyoming
sustaining the Sinclair lease of the
Teapot Dome naval oil reserve. The
action by Judge T. Blake Kennedy
at Cheyenne against the Government
is contrasted with that of Judge Nc
Cormick in California on the Elk
Hills lease to the Doheny interests.
OF the Wyoming decision, the Du-
luth Herald finds that '''many suspi-
cious persons will call it a white
wash"
Condemnation comes from the Phil
adelphia Public Ledger. THE pub
lic," states that paper, will not be
satisfied for a moment with the Wy
oming decision in the Teapot Dome
oil lease. The casual and debonair
manner in which the United States
District judge swept aside the evil
dence that formed the basis for the
Governments allegations of fraud and
conspiracy makes the court findings
worthless, II not meaningless. The
sooner the oil cases are taken to the
highest tribunal the better. The pub
lie and the Washington administra-
ton are anxious to get at the bottom
of the matter. The Wyoming deci-
sion does not constitute even a ster
in that direction" In harmony with
this view Is that of the Fort Wayne
Journal-Gazette, which declares: "A
manifest want of confidence in Fed
eral courts now and then Is not with
out its reasons. In the decision OF
Federal Judge Kennedy at Cheyenne
against the Government in the Sim
clair lease of the Teapot Dome oil
reserve we get one of those reasons
So far as the litigation of the leases
- Vnyly l.
Tribue, "it has proved anything but
helpful to the Nation or satisfactory
to the public's sense of justice"
"The one suspicious circumstance
attached to the whole affair."" the
Charlotte Observer suggests. was
the $25,00O loan to Fall, but there
was explanation on that score that
satisfied the judge. And. of course
Mr.. Falls faith in the court was
confirmed. If the Wyoming jurist
has the details lined up right. then
the country has been tremendously
agitated about a matter that, in law
was perfectly all right On still
another point the Cincinnati Times
Star asserts: Judge Kennedy struck
from the records all exhibits and
records of Albert B. Falls bank ac-
not strike the record from the public
memory. And rightly so. In the
public mind the burden of proof is
on those who made the leases to
show that the Government was not
betrayed by Secretary Fall to Messrs
Doheny and Sinclair. Where there
is so much admitted rottenness the
taint would seem deep"
An inclination to leave the whole
matter to the country's highest tribu
nal is indicated by the Scranton Times
and the Albany News commends
quiet, orderly processes, declaring
that the public may well be satisfied
to await the decisions Of the United
States Supreme Court on legal aspects
in these cases" In that court, ac
cording to the Wheeling Intelligenoer
"only testimony that is genuine evi
dence is considered" and the contro
versy can be settled "once and for al
! time" Looking also to the Supreme
Court, the Lafayette Journal and
Courier remarks that thus far it has
been proved that the various issues
not only were debatable, but subjec,
to divergent interpretations"
\ y X 81
Judge Kennedy's decision Is cited by
the Anaconda Standard in support oi
the contention that "the storm in the