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Show DICK LETTER - t. ai - d v-: ' lot Secretary 'Fisher Before! f he Committee on Controller Bay Washington, July 12 Secretary of the Interior Walter L. Fisher was the most conspicuous prospective witness wit-ness present when the House committee com-mittee on expenditures in the interior interi-or department reassembled today to inquire into the alleged attempts of the Guggenhelms or other interests to monopolize Alaska. Miss M. F. Abbott,, a newspaper writer, wlio says0 'she' discovered tho "Dick to TJlck" "letter regarding Controller Con-troller Bay maynot be calfod to testify tes-tify for seven"! day's-. Though not "subpoenaed,' Secretary Fisher was allowed id make a state-merit, state-merit, in which he decfared his conclusion con-clusion thai EhVpublfc interests iad not been jeopardized" bV r1 anything done" lnttie ease. 'tv'' -" T have satisfied "myself "that Richard Rich-ard S. Ryan has obtained -ho rights in Controller Bay whatever that jeopardize jeop-ardize the rights'" of anyone.' ' Secretary Flstier asked the committee commit-tee to nasten the inquiry into the alleged 'Dlck to Dick" letter which cannot now be found in the department depart-ment files. W. P. Fennell, counsellor the Co 1-mittee, 1-mittee, replied that the letter wxs not of so much Interest as the facts. "It was within the power of the President," added' Mr. Fennell, "to throw these lands open to all, so that the race would be to the swift, but it was not done' that way. It was Known only to a few and those few already liave obtained a monopoly of mineral lights in -that territory. That is what we want to Investigate." "I am much concerned." said Secretary Sec-retary Fisher, "about the publication of a letter which Miss M. F. Abbott says she saw In the files of the interior in-terior department and that is not there now If there is anyone in the department who would be"a party to the abstraction or destruction of public documents we want to know it. Men who had been in charge of tho files In the Interior department have left the service and others are about to leave and I urge inquiry into that as soon as possible so that we may take steps to place responsibility tor the removal of the letter, if it ever existed I never saw such a document as described, a letter from Mr. Ryan to Mr Ballinger and never nev-er heard of until I read of It in the newspaper the other day." Chairman Graham said the committee commit-tee would see to the mattor as soon as possible. Secretary Fisher said that all Information obtainable relating relat-ing to Controller Bay was being compiled com-piled for the Senate in rosponse to the Poindexter resolution of June 27. This data, ho suggested, would bo available to the House committee. Chairman Graham announced he would be glad to hear from Mr. Fisher Fish-er on the merits of the Controller Bay case, adding that the committoc "in all human probability,'' would ask hlin to appear formally later. Secretary Fisher said his, attention was first called to Controller Bay by Senator La Follette, who sought specific spe-cific information as to the claims, tho Identity of claimants, etc. After a thorough examination, Mr. Fisher said, he was unable to see how the public Interest had been jeopardized "I made up my mind," he added, ''that if anything was wrong we wanted want-ed to know it, X "checked up the case particularly to see if 1 could find anything any-thing irregular. -1 confess that I was not so much concorned whether the method of opening the lands was one way or anothor. The real thing I am looking for is to get constructive results. "I found in my investigation that Richard S. Ryan, after the release of the shore lino lands, had made throe entries, none of which had been completed. com-pleted. He made an entry as a terminal ter-minal for a railroad That has not been determined and his rights will be decided according to law and subject sub-ject tp review. I found considerable other frontage available for railroad entry. The important thing is to ascertain as-certain what shore line rights lead to deep water. If there Is only room for one railroad, the question to bo determined Is whether It shall be Ryan's Ry-an's or some other railroad." The committee adjournod until next Friday. |