OIL ROYALTIES

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 25, 30 January 1924, Page 7

OIL ROYALTIES

SCANDAL IN AMERICA

FEDERAL MINISTERS' UNDER

ATTACK

DEBATES BECOME PARTISAN AND

ACRIMONIOUS.

(BKITED PRESS ASSOCIATION;—^OPTE!„T. 1~" \ l-CXTRALIAN-T-EW ZEALAND CAIILE -ASSOCIATIONS • (Received 30th January, 12.30. p.m.)" ' WASHINGTON, 29th January:;'The oil scandal is rapidly becoming so partisan and acrimonious-as.'tb'stop, all other Legislative business. Senator Caraway "has become so bold as to'seekto draw' President Coolidge into the affair, declaring that the 'President was a member .of ex-President- Hailing:* Cabinet whicji approved the^le^as.esf'-fhe, affairs of the .Nayy ii&giximfiii ««* meanwhile beitjg r.afeed .yer tjhe coalij in the House, which threatens t<*> suminpa. Mr. Edwin Deriby, Seci*eia_y for, *h» ' " Jyayy, to explain the aljeged diyeriion of oil royalties. ThevSenate is"" to' tinual uproar over the bitter attack."' upon ihe Adm_n>trat.on. R^jntl-ns. have keen -put fprward demanding "the resignations of Mr. _»enby': '.rid' ■ Mi? Pauglierjty. .';..:..., ■- .'^-^'F^l. It has been indicated-that Presdisi}. c ,°° l. l<teg is inclined -to-suppcrt the 'acts of his £5iJ-.ir}et, but Senatprs plairjy hftit' that this may necessitate , seyeral" jm.- ' peacliment proceedings. ' Mr. De_by is ' apparently junmpyed, saying: "I did the right thing in granting'the-lease,'l'd' .do ihe same thing to-njorrpw, and I/have-, no intention .of resigning." "!.*.-

The threjitened scandal has been the' result of the disclosures made by Archi- " bald Roosevelt, son of ex-President Iheodore Roosevelt,* before''a Senatorial Committee. Mr. Roosevelt, w.Hg'jb''an ' employee-of the oil ''company which' _'.-'". ciired the-Jeases, testified that-.upon'"the advice of his brother, Thec-ibre,'■-w_t£ _s ■ -Assistant-Secretary .to the Sj*.vy.r ",_-'e- i partment, he (Archibald) resigned his W ■> sitipn in - bider^to protect*"the family name. _ He intimates that he is' dissatisfied with the maimer wherein the' leases were secured. Intimations pf bribery have been freely made and much dapiagi.ng testimony adduced. . The' "facts briefly are that ex-Secretary Fajl.^'cf . the Department of the' Interior,' having ohtaiiiSi jurisdiction' over these oil lands. from the Navy Department, which' held ' them as a naval oil reserve, leased them' to tlie Oil Corapahy,".;'Expeits estimated that the lands, cpntairiec}:,??,'----(500,000 barrels of oil, ami the l^avy«P>i- - partment bad received as payment only 1,600,000 barrels. " ■''. -' ,'