Show TAFT AND WICKERSHAM I LOOK LOOI INTO COAL LAND GRAD GRAB Beverly Mass Aug Aub the tho second time lime Alt Atty Gen Gell iran has had referred to him all an Alaskan I land case alo which hits hus been a slumber hug Int volcano In t lie hc Unit d States tn rn tenor for two p alS The Tho involves coal lands In Alaska valued nt at mIllions of del dol hats and ure nrc noary neary as extensive 0 au as the coal deposits In tire tho state of In There are aro no now some claIms In involved It seems over oer two years eurs n ago o calm were hod on coal ls on th tire Alaskan coast near the forest orent CHOno where hero tremendous do de deposits posits ot of coal conI had been located n ii Garfield wits UH at al that t limo imo I or of the interior There hud had been legis za 1 lation hr by congress to lo prevent large tracts tract of coal land hand front from falling Into Inlo tire the of single holders A bill was put through congress as 39 many as four coal claims to be worked together but In case caso more than four claims were consolidated the tho title to the claims would fall fail Sonic Some of the first Alaskan were sere owned b Clarence Cunningham of Walla Talia WalIa WaHa Wash and some were helel for fOl United States Slates senators L R It I Glans chief of the tho field division of I the general land office In charge chargo or of the tho I district which includes Alaska Ines I these thes claims and filed with the theland I land at Washington evidence I which he hind had secured and which lie he maintainer maintained that the names of oC dock hands and others had been used in filing these claims and that they were fraudulent Richard A 1 Ballinger was commissioner of the tho laud office when this was filed Secretary attention was attracted to tolie I Ithe the lie case and he began to tal take steps to I cancel the cia claims Ballingor Ballinger as Attorney I Ballinger resigned from the land I office and became attorney for Gun Cun As attorney ho he urged t it pat patents ho be Issued for the land and aud a brief was filed In iii th the interior depart mont ment urging Garfield to issue the tho pat patents patents Garfied refused Soon after Ballinger Bailinger became secretary or of the In iii Interior tenor succeeding Garfield he directed that the charges against the CunninG CunninGham lane ham claims 35 of them In all were Insufficient and directed that the tho claims he be clear cear listed for or patent In Inthe inthe the laud land Glavis protested against this decision Ion arid and his protest pretest being unavailing I lie went to Washington to urge his proof of fraud ArrivIng at Washing Washington I ton ho found Cound that the claims had harl been sent back to be patented without hear hearIng hearing t Ing IngI then secured the tho submission I o of all the papers In the case to 0 Att AttI Gen Wickersham and I I I ruled that at least n a hearing must be beI beheld held and returned to Seattle to I prepare his case for fOl an Immediate hearing Au An order was given to Glans by br the land office to the effect that the hearing would not be held at Juneau but that under special ar arrangement with the claimants the commissioner or of the general land of flee would make the decision direct on the tho basis of evidence taken by Il a special special cial representative Glavis protested against this and received a letter lotter front from the land of flee Intimating that his activity was as undesirable and that illat for Iris his own onn sake It would bettor cease Ho continued to protest and although lie he felt that lie he know knew moro more about these cases than anyone else they were taken from hIm and given to Special Ment Slier Shor idan in Denver Denyer a man who had had only one years cars experience and was entirely unfamiliar with wILh cases I Sheridan was directed to expedite I the case Glais then tirade mado a final protest against the hearing being held heid before beCore I tim could finish the co col collection I lection of oC evidence and ire ho wrote and wired wire to the law officer of the foro ry I Shaw urging that the forest I IY do nil all In their power powel to avoid hast hasty action The forestry ser serie service vice ie had jurisdiction because part or of tire thc cea claims lie In tire the for forest est cst Upon the tho of Shaw Secretary Wilson ivi otc to Secretary Ballinger requesting a postponement and went lit at once to the tho Interior department anti and asked ased to see all tire flies files hearing on Oil t h hose 50 cases casos ire Ho was refused access to the and this Iris Is said to bo be the first time tinie In iii lie tho his history tory lon of I the he forest service hint thal another department denied It ac cesi 5 to public At about this tinie Bal Ballinger Ballinger linger gave ao out a stat statement In Seat Scat SeattIe tie saying that Chief Fore Forester ter I was trying to 0 mn the interiOr Depart ment hut but acting announced that the had been postponed 01 l Last gt Friday appeared here at to lay ar his troubles before President Taft TaCt Glavis representations have been to ALLy Gen Gon Wickersham ham a second limo tinie and are in his hie hands At thC lie same samo lime into a merit ment was as given ghen ont nut at Denver setting I Oct for 1 a hearing at Seattle of the cases antI and on the tho same da thur Acting Comm or of ortho the tho General Land Office Schwartz gave out a statement front from ashing ashington ton showing the activity or of the tho 11 Itt to Do part m eat In prosecuting n g frauds and In withdrawing lands of n a special value ahti |