Evening star., 1928-12-13
SENATE EXPECTED
TO CONFIRM WEST
His Testimony Before Corn
mittee Has Lessened 0ppo-
sitiCn, Leaders Believe.

Confirmation by the Senate of Roy o.
West as Secretary of the Interior is
confidently expected by some of the
/ Senate leaders. Mr. Vests testimony
! before the Senate public lands commit
+ tee yesterday. it was said today, has
| done much to lessen the opposition to
his confirmation While some of the
/ Senators from the West may vote
/ against him on the ground that they
prefer some one more familiar with
the problems of the public land States.
1t is not believed that many will take
that position.
The nomination of Mr.. West is be-
fore the public lands committee, and
it was said today that the committee
probably would act upon the nomina-
ton BIZ the end of this week or GER
tainly by the first of next week. IT
is probable that favorable report
will be made to the Senate recon-
mending his confirmation.
Quizzed on insult Connections.
Mr West was questioned for two
hours yesterday by the committee. He
was asked particularly about his con-
nections with the Samuel IYlsull utility
interests and his consideration of pro-
tests over the renewal of the Salt Greek
y
The Secretary said he had invested
about $4,000 in stocks of the insult
companies over IS years. which he sold
for $4,000 when he took office in the
cabinet last July He said be now had
no investments in public utilities.
Mr.. West. said he had received a pro-
test from Senator Capper, Republican,
Kansas, a week after taking Office
! against the renewal of the Salt Greek
Royal Oil contract to Sinclair and on
advice of E. C.. Finney, an Assistant
Secretary of the Interior, had replied that
the entire question of the contract was
then in the hands of the Department
of Justice.
Senator Walsh conducted the ques-
tioning of the Secretary and centered
his attention on what he termed the
failure of Mr.. West to answer particular
questions in Capper's letter concerning
the Salt Greek lease renewal.
Mr.. West, who sat across the COM
mittee table from the Montana Senator,
replied that the letter of Senator Capper
came to him within few days after .he
took Office He said he read the Capper
letter hurriedly: that 'it was all new
to me and 1 called in Judge Finney, in
whom / had great confidence" When
Mr.. Finney presented him with reply,
he said. he signed it without reading 1t.
The reply said the case was in the
hands of the Department of Justice.
Il assumed the letter was answered.
he said. Il didn't read the letter of
Senator Cappsr again. Nor did he
write to me again
Two Questions Quoted.
Senator Walsh inquired why he had
not replied to these two questions In
the letter and which he contended
should have been answered. The ques-
tions we're:
WAS the existence of the optional
agreement in the Sinclair contract dis
closed at the time the execution of the
original contract was announced in the
press?"
rs it true that the State of Wyom-
ing received 81 cents barrel more for
its royalty oil than was received by the
Government for it's oil from the same
fields under the Sinclair lease?"
The Montanan insisted that Mr.. West
should have made inquiry about these
questions.
did you ever make any further in
uuiry into the protest of the White
Eagle Oil Co. which was presented by
Senator Capper?" asked Senator Walsh.
"Yes, / did, answered West.
"when?" continued Walsh.
"Soon thereaftervI asked about the
protest." West said, land was assured
that the case was entirely in the hands
of the Department of Justice, and when
it acted then would act"
Mr.. West explained how he had can
celled the Sinclair contract by wire on
| the day he had received the opinion
from the Attorney General that the
contract was void. That was last
October IT. This was two days after
the New York World had published the
| protest of the White Eagle Oil Co.,
Walsh explained.
West said he had done law work
| for the insult interests since 1897, but
principally in small criminal cases. He
| declared he had not served on salary
basis. and that the total fees collected
by his law firm from the insult COM
panies in 26 years had amounted TO
! S24,585.
After he had been dismissed Senator
Walsh called the Secretary back to ask
if he had sat as a member of the
Water Power Commission in the recent
hearing of the application by the In
sull interests for rights on the Cumber-
land River. He replied he had sat as
one of the three members on that ap-
plication, which is still pending.
The Secretary declared that he and
Mr. insult had almost always been on
opposite sides in Republican party cam
paigns in Illinois and he referred to
the 1926 senatorial primary campaign
when he said insult supported Frank
L. Smith and he and Senator Deneen
! supported the late Senator Mckinley
| for the Republican nomination.
| Chairman Nye, at the conclusion Of
| the hearing asked Mr. West if he cared
| to make any statement. The Secre-
| tary turned to Senator Deneen of
| Illinois. an intimate friend, and asked
him if there was anything else he
| should say that he had forgotten. While
not a member of the committee SEN