OIL SCANDAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume LX, Issue 9760, 21 March 1924, Page 5

OIL SCANDAL.

TEAPOT DOME LEASES

THE STORY TO DATE

The Teapot Dome naval oil reserve lies about forty miles from the Town of Casper, AVyoming, and takes its name from an'oddly-shaped mountain in tho vicinity. Under President Roosevelt’s Administration an agitation .was started in favour of conserving this field from private exploitation. The movement came to full success under the Wilson \Administration, the Secretary of the Navy at the time, Mr Josephus Daniels, taking a prominent part in it. In 1922 tho Secretary of the Interior Mr Albert B. Fall, with the ex-, press approval of the Harding Administration, signed a lease conveying to Harry F. Sinclair and his associates control of the Teapot Dome, field. It is this lease and the part played'by Fall and Edwin Dettby, Secretary for tho Navy, who acquiesced the agreement, that are now under investigation.. Zev, Sinclair’s famous horse, is called after his chief attorney, J. AA Zevoly of Washington. McLean, ol the- “AVnshington Post,” was said to have lent Fall 100,000 dollars, hut later in. 'the inquiry Edward L. Doheny, oil magnate, working the Californian Naval leases, said that he had lent Mr Fall 1000,000 dollars. It was noted at the time that I* all s farm in New Mexico underwent very costly improvements which were associated with an access of funds to Mr Fall.