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President Roosevelt assures Gifford Pinchot that he will have a completely “free hand” in the Bureau of Forestry in terms of policies pursued and persons appointed. There will be no difference than if he was the “independent head of the bureau.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901-10-18
Benjamin F. Sparhawk of the General Land Office testifies in court as to certain “wrong and irregular” acts by colleagues in his department, including improper approvals of land lieu selections and favoritism in the selection and promotion of employees. Sparhawk particularly implicates John McPhaul, his division chief.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-19
William Loeb requests the facts on the Senatorial Oil Company and the Department of the Interior’s relationship with the company. President Roosevelt would like to meet with Thomas Ryan regarding the matter.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-10-29
President Roosevelt has no intention to remove Joseph H. Kibbey as Governor of the Arizona territory, despite the efforts of Senator Albert J. Beveridge and his supporters. While Roosevelt is disappointed that some public officials make accusations that cannot be backed up by facts, he will protect anyone making serious accusations as long as there is sufficient evidence to support those accusations. The next time he sees Lincon Steffens he would like to review what Steffens has found out about Government officials in the West before anything is made public.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-02-26
President Roosevelt requests the information regarding Mr. Knowles’s unfitness to serve as register of the land office in La Grande, Oregon. Senator Mitchell, Senator Fulton, Binger Hermann, and J. N. Williamson will not withdraw their recommendation until seeing the evidence of Mr. Knowles’s unfitness.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-07-18
Francis P. McManamon examines the origins of the Antiquities Act of 1906 that President Theodore Roosevelt and his successors used to safeguard natural and scientific sites across the United States. McManamon asserts that it was threats to ancient archaeological sites across the American Southwest that led to calls for greater government intervention, and he highlights the case of the Casa Grande ruins in Arizona. McManamon notes the work of private organizations, government agencies, individuals, and members of Congress, most importantly Congressman John F. Lacey of Iowa, who worked to save important sites before the passage of the Antiquities Act. McManamon traces the slow path to passage of the Antiquities Act, and he highlights its important text and provisions. He notes how Roosevelt used the act to set aside eighteen national monuments, and he asserts that Roosevelt’s actions, especially in regards to the Grand Canyon of Arizona, set important precedents for his successors, especially President Bill Clinton.
Two photographs and two illustrations supplement the text.
W. G. Steel seriously objects to having Crater Lake National Park used for the political benefit of one man, as he thinks the Cascade Range Forest Reserve has been used by Binger Herman, Commissioner of the General Land Office. Steel suggests that management of Crater Lake be turned over to the Geological Survey, where he thinks it will be honestly administered.
1902-06-23
Senators Perkins and Bard forward a letter from the California Miners’ Association, expressing concern that efforts are being made to remove Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock and Commissioner of the General Land Office Binger Hermann due to decisions made concerning California mining.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-03-12
Perkins, George C. (George Clement), 1839-1923; Bard, Thomas Robert, 1841-1915
The California Miners’ Association has been informed that an effort is being made to remove Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock and Commissioner of the General Land Office Binger Hermann from office. The Association believes that this would damage the California mining industry and they urge Senators Perkins and Bard to investigate the matter.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-03-06