Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 May 1909 — SAYS BALLINGER INSULTS ILLINOIS [ARTICLE]

SAYS BALLINGER INSULTS ILLINOIS

State Informed It Must Pay For Federal Documents. CHARGE BY CHIPERFIELD Representative In Addressing Members of House Says It Is Time to 1 Pause If Those In Washington Are Going to Deal With the Commonwealth as With the Individual. Papers Sought In Connection With Submerged Lands Investigation. Springfield, 111., May 11.—If Illinois wants information from the national government or data that it possesses relative to the lake front to aid in the investigation to determine the state’s right to submerged lands, it can pay for the government’s possessions, the same as any individual. This is the substance of a communi cation read to the lower house of the general assembly. Representative Chlperfield characterized the letter as an Insult to the state. By direction of the house, Secretary of State James A. Rose directed an inquiry to the secretary of war and sec retary of the Interior to ascertain the steps necessary to be taken by the house committee that is to Investigate the state’s rightsTo submerged lands along the lake in order to obtain information that is possessed by the government.

Signed by Ballinger. The reply is signed by Secretary R. ,A. Ballinger. It is directed to “Thomas A. Rose” as secretary of state. Chlperfield said: “When I think of the vast amount the state of Illinois has given the government in its hour of need, its support in the hour of trial, of how liberally it gave of its funds, probably more so than any other state, it appears to me that the reply of the secretary of the interior that the state of Illinois may purchase, buy or procure Its documents, plats and other papers that it may see to fit to use the same as any citizen, is little short of an actual insult to the state of Illinois. I regard the reply of the secretary of the interior as such.” Chlperfield declared that if the time has come for the state to buy from the government the same as an individual, then the day also is here for the state to pause and reflect, Ballinger’s letter reads: “At the Prite Fixed Therein.” “The original documents which may be on file in this department, relative to cases involving any of the lands in question are a part of the permanent records of this department and cannot be removed therefrom except in response to a valid legal process from a court of competent jurisdiction. “The certified copies of such records can be furnished only under the provisions of section 46, Revised Statutes, at the price fixed therein.” Other than the reading of the communication from Washington thehouse session was short and without incident.