Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-27
A Scandal Gone Wrong.

I'll u y SIIppcIy SuDSUdIlCC, DuI vi
shale is a rocky formation. A careful
study of the Department of Justice re-
port on Mr.. Ralph Kelley's charges
against Department of the Interior
administration of oil shale lands in
vites the conclusion, however, that if
one cannot slip up on oil shale, one
may stub ones toes. Mr.. Kelley has
stubbed his toes.
When Mr.. Kelley came roaring out
Of the West with astounding revela-
lions concerning gigantic steal on
the part of various and sundry power
full interests, amounting to such hand
some sums as forty billions of dollars
worth of oil shale lands, and blamed
the theft on political favoritism shown
powerful interests by the Interior De-
partment under past and present Sec
retaries, the public sat up and took
notice An expert Government official,
with twenty-five years of faithful serv-
ice behind him, is not apt to go of
half-cocked or to shoot at the moon,
and Mr.. Kelley was an expert Govern
ment official with twenty-five years OF
faithful service behind him.
But when Mr.. Kelley laid his charges
before the public through the columns
Of the New York World, presumably at
an attractive rate per column, instead
of placing them before the Department
of Justice, public confidence in Mr..
Kelley's dynamite must have been
shaken just wee bit. A faithful public
official, possessing the knowledge or
belief that his Government and his
Nation have been victimized by schem-
ing politicians and hungry oil COM
panies, ought to find other mediums
for presenting carefully drawn in
dictment than the columns Of even so
fine and outstanding a newspaper as
the New York World.
And now the Department of Justice
has given its version of the Kelley
charges, it is difficult to decide whether
Mr.. Kelley or the Department of the
Interior should henceforth assume the
role Of defendant. For the case may
not end with the Department of Justice
report. The Senate may want to look
into it. II 1t does, Mr.. Kelley will have
as much to defend as the alleged culprit
whom he has accused.
OF the Department Of Justice md
ings, two Of them are interesting for
the light they shed on the Kelley
charges. The Government still owns
81 per cent of the S,257,79l acres Of
Government oil shale land in Wyoming,
Utah and Colorado, and has patented,
or leased, 175,724 acres in all. The
patented land constitutes per cent of
the total. The land involved in Mr..
Kelley's charges is presumably reduced
to q portion Of 1878 acres, which were
patented over Mr.. Kelley's objections;
patented with Mr.. Kelley's partial
recommendation, or patented without
Mr.. Kelley's saying anything one way
or the other.
There was o charge that Assistant
Secretary Finney wanted to destroy
some papers. Mr.. Kelleys only basis
for the charge, the Department Of Jus
tice declares. was an alleged converse
ton with former Commissioner Spry
Of the Interior Department, who now Is
dead. The papers in question. more
over, were not destroyed, but are still
on file. And why anybody should want
to destroy them, the Department Of
Justice has not been able to discover.
The Department of Justice has given
the Department of the Interior a clean
bill Of health. 1t has found nothing to
substantiate Mr.. Kelley's charges. Be-
cause one department Of the admins
tration has cleared another depart
ment Of the administration, there will
be demands that the whole business
be submitted to the Senate. Such q
course would be excellent. With copy
OF the files Of the New York World
in one hand, and copy Of the De-
partment Of Justice report in the other,
the Senate should be able to dispose
of the latest oil scandal to everybody
satisfaction, and In minimum OF
time.