Indianapolis Times, Volume 36, Number 120, Indianapolis, Marion County, 26 September 1924 — Page 13

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SENA TORS VOTE TO OPEN £ PROBE INTO OIL SCANDALS " By ROBERT M. LA FOLLETTE

This is thp eighth of a series of ton dealing with the outstanding events :n tho life of Senator La Sollet te in the last twelve years. The ninth article by Senator La Follette will appear in The Indianapolis Times tomorrow. Members of Congress are not much ’ different from other folks. Often it requires the dramatic—or the melodramatic—to engage their attention. Facts and figures and plain logic sometimes leave them cold and indifferent. But shown a mysterious lfgure skulking across the continent carrying a black bag containing 100,000 and told that the SIOO,OOO 1% the lean of a multimillionaire oil operator to a member of the President's Cabinet, they leap to the thrill of the chase. And we have the present situation in which the government is now endeavoring to recover through the courts the oil lands needed for the navy, given away by this Cabinet member to the friendly multi-millionaire. " For several years, prior to 1313, |he Senate and House had failed to sgree on legislation dealing with the public's oil lands. In the SixtyFifth Congress, the Senate passed a t>ill disposing of mineral lands by patent. The House rejected this bill substituted a measure providing leasing such lands. The subject was sent to a conference com l>mmitte, representing the two of Congress, but after niany meetings the conference ftgreed that their differences could not be adjusted. Friends of conservation were satwith the situation because it jsas their hope that the next Congress would be able to pass a proper leasing bill. They felt they had the support of the President. Indeed, it was the Accepted belief that it was the President's encouragement that had caused the House to stand out Against the Senate so long. But, *very late in the session, it was whispered about that messages had been received from Paris, where the President was absorbed in the peace hegotiations. urging Democratic members of the conference committee to get together and enact "some kind" of legislation disposing of the coal and oil lands. The result was that House Democrats practically surrendered to the Senate conferees. The bill agreed ji pon would eventually have allowed title to pass to all of the oil lands remaining in the public domain, i It was near the end of the session. ! The ljf p of the sixty-fifth Congress wouki expire' March 4. Appropriation bills had the right of way in the Senate. Quietly, one day, the appro priatiorv bill then hefore the Senate was withdrawn and the public land hill was slipped In. It provided for disposition of coal, oil, phosphate other public lands. JfWith legislation on a large number of subjects crowding for considera- j tipn on all sides. 1 knew that in the ; short time remaining the dangerous j character of this bill could not be ; made clear, and I resorted to a fill- ' buster to force its' withdrawal. Sena- ' tor Sherman of Illinois and Senator France of Maryland agreed to help pie. When it became apparent that See were determined to continue the ' jiiscussion until end of the session. '/ !je bill was withdrawn. A few days later. however, another attempt was Vnade to slip it through, in the hope that we would he off guard. Again j th filibuster was undertaken and the , leasing bill was stopped. %-Tncldentaily. the delay resulted in failure to pass nine of the needed appropriation bills and made an extra session of Congress necessary shat summer. For this reason our filibuster was severely condemned in feme quarters, but It ought to he, told that those nine appropriation bills as finally passed in the extra session had been reduced $900,000,990. Senator Smoot, chairman of the public Lands Committee, brought in his oil-leasing bill during the extra session, which began in May. 1919. J fought It in eight or ten speeches, trying in vain to save the Navy's pil lands from private exploitation. > Other Senators aided and to some j extant we improved the bill from the j Standpoint of the public interest. But when I offered an amendment to Strike out those parts of the bill permitting the leasing of naval nil #eserves, my amendment received Bj-' seven votes In addition to my RKn. | "The bill as drawn." I said-in a; Speech In the Senate. Sept. 8, 1919, ‘twill. T believe, destroy the naval . reserve set aside for the Navy. Truth of all this seems clear fnough now. It was so clear to the Senate in the last session that it forced President Coolldge to oust his Secretary of the Navy. Edwin L. penby, for failing to see it. ; Complete story of the naval oil j-eserve brings into strong relief the contrasting characters of two public servants and two opposing theories bf public policy. The two public servants were Josephus Daniels, for ; eight years Secretary of the Navy, fend Albert R. Fall for many years fs member of the Senate and for a J few years Secretary of the Interior. ’ -On recommendation of Admir.ii Qewey, president of the general ’ board of the Navy, President Taft issued a presidential order withdraw- j from private entry certain pub- j fie lands known to contain oil de p4sits. Throughout ti e succeeding j of President "Wilson j tjiis policy was under persistent at- i trick. Secretary Daniels was con- j finually on the job, however, and j threw the whole weight of expert paval opinion behind those members ! afi Congress who fought off the at- ' picks on the reserve policy. In every sanual report, too, he emphasized j ghtte importance of holding the reierves intact for the future. * Appointed Secretary of the Inter Kby President Harding, Mr. Fall j t little time in putting the press- j wre of his views upon the amiab'c ■ SSb-retary of the Navy, who sue Daniels. He obtained Seere Ifry Denby's sanction for an order 1 i>m :te President transferring th'- j paval teserves to the administrat on * Os th" Interior Department. It j yasn't an altogether simple busine.se i fc. involved having Secretary Denby

first send to sea those naval experts best informed concerning the oil ieserves—and therefore strongly opposed to transferring the naval oil reserves to the Interior Departmen. —in order to minimize the opposition to the transfer, but Fall got that done. Then, in comparatively short time, came the news that Secretary Fall had leased Teapot Dome, one of the very richest of the oil reserves, and naval reserves No. 1 and 2 in California, to private concerns. It bad taken the oil monopolists only thirteen years to get the oil reserves away from the Navy. They a;i peared now in position to Withdraw the oil, which belonged to the people, and sell it hack to the Government

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ANNOUNCEMENT of CONTEST — for — Indianapolis School Children

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for the Navy’s use, at their own price. Senator Kendrick of Wyoming on April 15, 1922, introduced a resolution calling on the secretary of the Navy and the secretary of the interior for information regarding the transfer and leasing of the naval oil reserves. My suspicions having been awakened by rumors regarding the possible leasing of the oil reserves, coupled with my knowledge of Secretary Fall’s hostility to conservation, I had, as my letter files show, opened correspondence with the secretary of the interior and with former Secretary of the Navy Daniels, on April 6, on this subject. Having secured facts sufficient to convince me that a crooked job was under

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way, involving the naval oil reserves, I introduced, April 21, a resolution somewhat more searching than the resolution of Senator Kendrick. I subsequently broadened the scope of this resolution for an investigation of the whole subject by the public lands committee. This resulted in tne now famous Teapot Dome investigation. No Senator dared vote against the resolution. The sensational results of Senator Walsh’s painstaking and thorough inquiry are known to every newspaper reader. But the trail of corruption left by the oil monopoly in the pages of American history reveals that Teapot Dome is only one incident among many. Dominated by the Standard Oil Company, the oil monopoly has been jthe boldest, the most brazen, the ; most aggressive violator of the law | with which any legislative body ever \ had to contend. It has forced men | all over this country out of busi- | ness, crushed competition, driven

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competitors to suicide. There are volumes of evidence taken by congressional committees in support of these statements. The oil monopo-

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$25,000 Consolidation Sale

OPENS as* mr 9 O'CLOCK Read! Attention! Read! G^ng r Aay ct M u oney Our store at 300 Massachusetts Ave, v/ill be closed during this sale and every pair of shoes in above location will be sold out at our store located at 322-24 East Washington St. Beginning tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock shoes at less than actual cost to manufacturer will be placed on sale, marked in plain figures. You have never witnessed a sale like this one. Now, folks, there is just one thing we can tell you, and that is COME and get the greatest shoe bargains ever offered in Indianapolis.

100 Pairs of Women's Strap Slippers Values to s3.§o As long as they last. Your choice—88c

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lists have corrupted Government servants, ruthlessly seized and exploited the nation’s natural resources and systematically robbed the

MEREDITH SHOE CO.

200 Pairs of MEN’S SHOES Values to $4.00 Your choice as long as they last. $1.59

people through extortionate prices. They could not have done these things if they had not had their agents in the Senate and the House

100 Pairs of BOYS’ SHOES Values to $4.00 Your Choice at SI.BB Jo

Register as a Contestant the First Day —Be Ready! The first International prize will be a home costing $15,000. Other International prizes include thousands of dollars for scholarships in leading universities. There will be eighty-five local prizes—one year’s tuition in Butler College down to cash prizes of two dollars. I Be Prepared to Enter the Contest When Supplies Are Distributed Through the Schools on or About October 1

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150 Pairs of Misses’ and Children’s SHOES Values to $3.50 Your choice at—sl

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