Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-11-11
TROUBLES FOR TAFT.
writes in Golfers Weekly of ALLEGED
Alaska Goa! Land Frauds. Baiiin.
ger Will Sue fOg lsbg.. a Nice
Bunch OF Trouble for Pre- Sidept
when Tie Arrives.

NEW YORK, Nov. 9.-The long
promised letter of l.. r. CLAWS, form
erly chief of the field division of the
general land office. purporting to eX
pose wrongful conditions in the en-
try of coal lands in Alaska, appears
today in Golfers Weekly under copy
right. 1t is used as a signed article
by the magazine under the title THE
Whitewashing of Ballinger; Are
the Guggenheims in Charge of the
Department of the Interior?'
CLAWS details his connection with
the land office from 1902 until Sep
tember, 1909, when he was removed
by Secretary Ballinger, on the au-
thoriZatiOn of President Taft. The
president, he says, in permitting him
to be removed had seen in his activ-
ties in the Alaska investigations
noting but overzeal and insubordi-
nation on my part and an opprOtun-
ity to praise the secretary of the in
terror"
WASHINGTON, Nov9. Secre-
tary Ballnger this evening placed in
the hands of a New York firm OF
lawyers the CLAWS article appear
ing in today's advance sheets of Col
iiers WeeklT, with instructions to
proceed against the publishers if in
ther estimation d charge of libel can
be sustained.
Secretary Ballinger does not hest
tate to brand the CLAWS statements
as unfounded and tissue of false
hoods and he hopes to be able to
bring the Golfers house before the
courts for what he believes to be
their reckless publication uf tn;s
sensational article.
The secretary admits that he is
considerably embarrassed just at this
time, so far as concerns his ability
to issue any adequate reply to the
CLAWS article, because of the fact
that he desires very particularly not
in any way to affect the Cunningham
bearings, which will soon be held
in Seattle.
However, as soon as the cabinet
is able to meet with the president,
which probably will not be until next
week. the matter will be taken up,
ard it is possible that Mr.. Taft may
recommend that reply be made I'M
medately.
That a reply will ultimately be
made, and one which will not be
framed in such forebearing phrases
as have been used by Mr.. Ballinger
heretofore, is definitely asserted by
the secretary this evening.
7 he Secretary today has completed
his first annual report, and as soon
as the president has reviewed it, it
will be published. This report, Mr..
Ba'iinger says, will convince the con-
servation clement of the country that
they have nothing whatever to fear
from the future policies of the pres
ent secretary of the interior in re-
gard to preservation of natural re-
sources.
notwithstanding all his past ef-
forts to adjust the differences be-
tween Secretary Ballinger and For
ester Pinchot, it is becoming more
and more apparent that this is
matter that President Taft cannot
compromise, and that before long he
will be compelled to eliminate one
of these officials from his administra-
ton. The renewal of the attack to-
day on Secretary Ballinger by CLAWS
is not wholly the act of the dismissed
special agent, for Pinchot's friends
make the boast that it was he who
originally urged CLAWS to make
charges against Ballinger, and that
more or less directly it was Pinchot
who has been urging him on to fur
ther assaults. If this proves to be
true the President will be forced to
take drastic action, but what that ac-
ton will be is n doubt.
He has publicly indorsed both
Ballinger and Pinchot, but the situ-
uation now is such that both cannot
be right and both cannot be deserv-
ing of the approval of the President.
Secretary Ballingers friends, while
venturing no expressions, entertain
strong hopes that the President, on
his return to Washington, will fur
ther show his confidence in the sec-
retary of the interior and take some
oction to relieve him from further
Of ~