LABOR (Connecticut) NEWS
NAVAL OFFICERS CONNECTED WITH
NAVY'S OIL RESERVES WERE UNIT IN
OPPOSING FAMOUS TEAPOT DOME GRAB
Officers Who Hit Raid Transferred to Do Duty Far Away From
Washington.
By International Labor News Service.
Washington, D. C, Sept. 7. Information made available
through confidential sources to International Labor News Service en
able this newspaper to make public what is perhaps the most astound
ing fact yet revealed in connection with the famous raid on the U. S.
naval oil reserve by which "he Sinclair interests secured the lease of
Teapot Dome reserve in Wyoming.
It is now made known for the first
time that every naval officer con
nected with the naval oil reserves, in
cluding one admiral, filed recommen
dations with Secretary of the Navy
Denby opposing the lease before it
was entered into. It is further now
revealed that every one of these naval
officers, except the admiral, was sub
sequently ordered to duty far re
moved from Washington and from all
contact with the naval oil reserves.
The admiral was retired ahead of
time.
This astonishing information will
be brought out before the U. S. Sen
ate Committee on Public Lands which
will re-open the Teapot Dome hear
ings, probably in December, when
the new Congress convenes.
The admiral who protested to Sec
retary Denby was Admiral R. S.
Griffin, who during the war was. chiei
of naval operations, and admired and
loved by the entire service. - Other
i ft t jii
navai omcers, wno recoraea ineir pro
tests were Commander Steuart,
Commander Wright and Captain Hal
ligan. One of these officers has been
sent to;, the Canal Zone, another to
insular duty in the Pacific posses
sions and another to sea servicewith
the Atlantic fleet. ,
Had Charge of Teapot Dome.
These naval officers were in charge
of the administration of the Teapot
Dome reserve, some of them having
been stationed in Washington, while
others were stationed at the reserve
in Wyoming.
The terms of the Teapot Dome
lease have been fully reported in this
newspaper. A national furore was
created when the lease jwas signed.
The facts brought out in the newspa
pers associated through International
Labor News Service were cited in the
Senate as constituting cause for a
Senate investigation.
When Senator LaFollette's commit
tee began its investigation into the
oil situation during the last session
early this year some of the facts re
garding Teapot Dome were brought
out, but the bulk of the work was
purposely left to the Public Lands
Committee. It was Senator La Fol
lette who, during the closing days of
the last Congress, secured adoption
of a resolution which authorized the
Public Lands Committee to continue
the inquiry during the summer and
into the life of the new Congress.
This committee was the only commit
tee authorized to continue its work
by the old Congress andjhe fact sig
nifies to a considerable extent the im
portance that senators attach to the
Teapot Dome scandal.
Senators Walsh, Lenroot and Nor
ris visited Teapot Dome and but re
cently returned. These three consti
tute a sub-committee in active charge
of preparing for the inquiry. They
have engaged three experts to go over
the field in Wyoming, preparatory to
testifying when the hearing opens.
These experts are now in Wyoming
completing geological studies. The
purpose of these studies is to show
the truth or falsity of the Sinclair
claim that Teapot Dome oil was
draining into privately owned wells
outside of the reserve and that the
Teapot Dome reservoir would in time
have been drained entirely into the
private wells. Pressing this claim
Sinclair claimed that his lease pre
vented great loss to the government.
Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall
gave credence to this claim in signing
the lease. The fact that the United
States Geological Survey had exam
ined the field and reported that such
drainage was impossible seemed to
have had no consideration when the
lease was made.
Denby Disregarded Evidence.
For the government the lease was
signed by Secretary Fall and by Sec
retary Denby. In signing the lease
Denby totally -disregarded the evi
dence and recommendations sub
mitted to him by the naval officers in
charge of the reserve. There is a
possibility that Denby may be called
before the senate committee to ex
plain his low estimate of . the opinion
of the naval authorities who were
presumably the best informed men in
the service on the question of the
naval oil "reserves. It is of course
well known that it is customary for
department heads to have regard for
the technical advice of subordinates
who have been selected for their tech
nical ability.
Grab Profits Standard Oil.
Harry Sinclair, who secured the
Teapot Dome lease, is in fifty-fifty
partnership with Standard Oil in own
ership of the pipe line through which
Teapot Dome oil must reach the east.
Thus the most powerful oil interests
in the country profit by the letting
of the navy's richest oil deposit. Tea
pot Dome was set aside as a naval
reservoir by President Roosevelt. His
design was that the reserve should
remain as a permanent safeguard for
the American navy. Under President
Wilson Secretary Daniels sent a de
tachment of marines to protect the
reserve against private encroachment.
Secretary Fall, since resigned, is said
to have met Harry Sinclair at the Fall
ranch at Three Rivers, N. 'M., where
a pleasant time was enjoyed before
the transaction was concluded in
Washington.
. The tremendous importance of the
Teapot Dome reserve to the United
States navy is not generally under
stood. It is not generally known
that the United States is using its oil
supply 14 times as fast as the rest of
the world and that the visible oil re
serve that can be absolutely con
trolled by the United States govern
ment and tjiat is not in some sense
under foreign ownership is good for
only 18 years. The U. S. Geological
Survey is authority for this state
ment. At present the navy requires
about eight million barrels of fuel oil
a year and the Shipping Board re
quires about six million barrels.
The attempted raid on the' naval
oil reserve made in 1916 assumes a
new importance in the light of re-
jcent events. In that year there was
i before Congress a leasing bill which
Two Investigations Made.
An exhaustive investigation of the
oil supply was at that time made by
a board of naval officers and also by
a committee of the Naval Consulting
Board which was able to command
the advice of the best civilian ex
perts. Both of these boards empha
sized the necessity of protecting the
naval oil reserves against private en
croachment and exploitation.
On December 22, 1916, the Naval
Fuel Oil Board made a report of
which the following is a significant
extract:
"The most serious phase of the fuel
situation is the insecurity of the Na
tion's tenure " of duly constituted
petroleum reserves In the four
years that have passed since the crea
tion of the first naval petroleum re-
xl 1 1
serves, mere iias ueen a continuous i
lands by private interests and cor
porations. The strength of this at
tack is sufficient to threaten a change
of existing law in order to wrest con
trol of these lands from the navy.
Legislation now pending intends to
destroy the navy's title to the bulk
of its oil in the naval reserves. Action
of the congress in this matter will in
dicate whether it is possible to retain
these or similar reserves, after they
have become commercially attractive.
It will determine whether, in such a
contest between private interests and
those of the government, the latter
can survive."'
The contest then, indicated between
private interests and the govern
ment has been fought to a finish and
the great naval" oil reserve is now
under corporation control.
N. Y. CALL IS TAKEN
OVER BY GROUP OF
UNIONSJN BIG CITY
Re-organization Announced With
$500,000 Capital New Edi
torial Staff Is Named.
H. M. HODGES & BRO.
Paints, Wall Papers,
Glass, Painters' Supplies, Pictures and
Picture Framing
952 Chapel St. s?0? . 290-292 York St.
THE GO-OPERATION
of PATRONS and EMPLOYEES
for the BETTERMENT of the
SERVICE is earnestly solicited.
V:
The Connecticut Company
lit y vfiffl 7P!s . in
Little Talk On Courtesy
By THE VETERAN MOTORIST
EVERY motorist who prides himself on being a
better-than -average driver knows how impor
tant the matter of courtesy is. A whole flock of seem
ingly little things distinguish really good drivers from
only average or fair ones.
Consideration for pedestrians, especially those on the
sidewalk, is one of those little things. Hoy often you
see a driver go breezing up close to the curb full speed
right through a puddle of water. He could have
avoided it But no, he has that darned, "don't care"
habit, and a woman has a new dress or expensive
cleaning job to pay for. I don't get sore" very often.
But that particular kind of thoughtlessness always
gives me a sharp pain under the collar.
It doesn't cost a red cent to be courteous, and "it pays
big in the self-respect you get out of it always
isan m
Uniform Quality
Best Results
GASOLINE & MOTOR OIL
0 SO CO NY, fl
MfcASOLINE
MM
fl'-V' Hi 111 Jst
STANDARD OIL CO. OF NEW YORK.
26 Broadway
New York. The New York Call,
for many years the official organ of
the Socialist party, announces a
change of ownership and a new staff
of editors. Future policy of the4a
per will be announced later. The Call
has been the property of the Work
ingmen's Co-operative Publishing
Company. The new organization i's
to be known as the Labor Press Asso
ciation, Inc., which is capitalized at
$500,000. The former owners will re
tain 15 per cent of the capital stock.
"The new company, which is con
trolled by leading labor unions
through stock ownership," the an
nouncement says, "will take the old
Call, with its record for 15 years' de
voted service to labor's cause, and
develop it as a genuine labor news
paper., '
"Complete arrangements for re-or
ganization require time. Definite an
nouncement of plans and policy will
be made as "soon as possible. In the
meantime the paper will be continued
in the present form.
"How genuinely the Call is to be
labor's newspaper is proved by the
fact that the total membership of the
unions which have already subscribed
for stock is about 500,000.
"It is confidently expected that a
considerable number of other unions
will acquire stock before January 1.
The Workingmen's Co-operative Pub
lishing Association, the former owner
of the paper, continues in existence
and holds 15 per cent of thecommon
stock of the new concern."
The following organizations are
among . the original subscribers for
stock:
International Ladies' Garment
Workers' Union, Amalgamated Cloth
ing "Workers' Union, International
Fur Workers' Union, local unions
affiliated with District Council No. o,
Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators
and Paperhangers of America, United
Cloth Hat and Cap Makers' Union,
local unions affiliated with the Inter
national Bakery Workers' Union;
Fancy Leather Goods Workers'
Union,, 'United Neckwear Makers'
Union and the Press Writers' Union.
Norman Thomas has been appoint
ed editor-in-chief of the Call and
Heber Blankenhorn, managing editor.
Mr. Thomas formerly was editor of
The World Tomorrow and associate
editor of The Nation. Before his
acceptance of the editorship of the
Call he was director of the League
for Industrial Democracy. Mr. Blank
enhorn was a member of the bureau
of industrial research and for seven
years was on the news editorial staff
of, the Evening Sun. He was secre
tary of the Interchurch Commission
which investigated and reported on
the steel strike.
New Haven Wall Paper
Wall Pap ers
Paper Hangers' Supplies
' 33 Crown Street
Ca
THE BOOTH & LAW COMPANY
"YALE SEAL" PAINTS, OILS & VARNISHES
and PAINTERS' SUPPLIES
35-37 CROWN ST. NEW HAVEN, CONN.
1
SERVICE FIRST
The Southern New England Telephone Company
. Telephone Building
114-126 Court St., New Haven, Conn.
Telephone Liberty 6345
THOMAS F. CLARK
Insurance
Realty Management
Investments
Mortgages
15a TEMPLE ST., New Haven, Conn.
JAPAN THANKS
LABOR FOR OFFER
OF PROMPT AID
President Gorapers of the American
Federation of Labor has received
from the Japanese ambassador an ex
pression of deep appreciation in re
sponse to Mr. Gompers' appeal for
assistance toward the relief of those
stricken by the disaster in Japan.
The letter to Mr. Gompers from
the Japanese ambassador follows::
"Mr. Samuel Gompers, President;-
American Federation of Labor.
"My dear Mr. Gompers:
"I noticed in yesterday's paper an
account of 30UE. appeal to the mem
bers of the Federation to contribute
a part of their earnings toward the
relief of the disaster in my country.
"I wish to thank you, on behalf of
my government and my people and
to add an expression of my deep per
sonal appreciation of your noble
thought. The generosity and sym
pathy which have been shown us in
the catastrophe by , you and your
countrymen touches us deeply.
"Sincerely and gratefully yours,
(Signed) "M. HANIHARA,
"Ambassador."
POTTERS ARE ENJOINED
FROM ALMOST EVERYTHING
Mt. Clemens, Mich., Sept. 7. The
Mt. Clemens Pottery Company is at
tempting to enforce the anti-union
shop on its organized pottery work
ers. Circuit Court Judge Eugene
Law contributed a 'sweeping injunc
tion, which restrains picketing and
about every other thing that the pot
tery workers can do.
Under penalty of $10,000 to be lev
ied upon land and goods of the vio
lators of the injunction, the unionists
are prohibited from even visiting the
homes of strikebreakers to induce
them to leave the company's employ
or to accept employment elsewhere.
j , -
PROMPT SERVICE
YOU can get stereotypes and
matrices, as well as electrotypes,
at
EDW. H. PARKHURST CO.
365 STATE ST.
MECHANICS'
TOOLS
THE JOHN E. BASSETT & CO.
Ye OLDe HARDeWARE STORE
754-758 Chapel & 314 State Streets
7716 Nonpar iel
Laundry Co.
271 BLATCHLEY AVENUE
P. O. Box 1886 Phone Liberty 3047
18 to 22 CHURCH ST.
NEW HAVEN,. CONNECTICUT
ETHAN'
EVAN L. STETTNER, Mgr.
VNEW HAVEN'S LARGEST
AND ORIGINAL
CASH OR CREDIT CLOTHIERS
Everything to Wear for Man,
Woman or Child. '
GO FIRST TO
Sugenheimer's
Men's Furnishings,
Women's Wear
15-19 CHURCH ST.
Page Judge Gary I
Break News to Him That Chicago
Steel Mills Have No Trouble
Getting Men for 8-Hour
Shift. v
Judge Gary said the 8-hour day
was "impracticable" because the
additional men necessitated by the
change from the 12-hour shift
could not be obtained. Here's
what really happened in the Chi
cago district, as told in a special
dispatch to the New York World:
"A summary of the progress of
the eight-hour shift in continuous
steel processes in the Chicago dis
trict shows:
"Plenty of labor available for
the change.
"Five thousand men -already
have entered the mills.
'Fifteen thousand employes
formerly on 12-hour shift now are
on eight hours.
"The mills are stepping older
employes up, taking experiences
hands from other jobs and putting
them into the eight-hour turns as
fast as units can be placed on the
new basis and most of the 'new
labor' is going in at the bottom.
"In the last twomonths a slack
ening, in employment has occurred
in the steel industry itself, and this
is helping to speed up the spread
of the three-shift day, besides giv
ing jobs to men who otherwise
might be out of work or on part
time.
"Negroes from the South and
Mexicans are coming to the mills
in excess of demand."
PAGER'S
, Union Label Men's Wear
Hats and Furnishings
The Right Quality at Popular
Prices.
6-8 CONGRESS AVE.
THE A. E. AIUNG
RUBBER CO.
7-9-13 CHURCH ST.
NEW HAVEN, CONN.
IF IT'S MADE OF
RUBBER
WE HAVE IT
New Haven
Rubber Store
819 CHAPEL ST.
Do Not Forget That
WE DO JOB PRINTING
THE FURNITURE REPAIR &
urnuiaiiiKiNU SHOP
Succeeding
Chamberlain-Hallock
Repair Shop
Rear of 61 Orange St., New Haven,
Furniture Repaired, Refinished, Re
upholstered. Mattresses Renovated
and Made to Qrder.