Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-18
MR.. BALL|NGER SILENT
But His Secretary Answers
Latest Magazine Attack.
DENOUNCED AS UNTRUE
No Special Privileges Granted Rail-
roads or Land Grabbers.
TRY TO DISCREDIT OFFICIAL
Statements in Hampton's Declared to
Be False and Misleading-Con-
ference With President.

Secretary Ballinger was with President
Taft nearly two hours today, going over
a quantity of departmental business.
much Of II important. Mr.. Ballinger pre-
served his usual reticence as to certain
questions that have occupied much atten-
tion In newspapers and magazines lately.
Inside Information is that the President
will stand pat on his position of retaining
both Mr.. Ballinger and Mr.. Pinchot. and
that he will not be Influenced by attacks
from whatever direction. The Presidents
friends are telling him with a regularity
that lis regarded as surprising that IL is
the old muck raking" element of some
years ago that is at work at this time.
and that so long this element finds
IL will continue its labors Ger
tain writer's who were for years the sole
Of honesty and decency in
politics and business I'm this country, from
their own viewpoints. are regarded as
busily engaged trying to make II appear
that their standards Of honesty alone are
the only measures for the new admins
tration to follow in dealing with officials
and public questions.
Watterson's Remarks Quoted.
1t is this same element, the informa.
ton goes. that has been responsible for
certain stories trying to make trouble
between President Taft and former Presi-
dent Roosevelt. To a large extent many
OF these men had been discredited by Mr.
Roosevelt himself before his admlnistra-
ton closed. and friends of President Taft
DO not believe for minute that they
will be able to influence either the ex.
President himself or any of his ardent
admirers In the course they have evi.
IDENTIFY laid out to pursue.
The remarks of Henry Watterson. In q
speech to newspaper men last night. as.
serting that busybodies were trying to
stir trouble. attracted attention among
White House callers today and shows, II
was pointed out today. that the situation
10 pretty well understood.
President Taft's friends sympathize. a
Is said. with any man out Of . job. ano
they cali TO mind now that IL was Presi.
dent Roosevelt himself, in q speech at the
laying Of the corner stone Of the new
who started the downfall OF the large
brigade Of muck rakers," then so busiiy
employed.
The work Of the Taft administration ir
cleaning up the sugar trust is considered
as an evidence Of the earnestness with
which the present administration Is work
ing along the old Roosevelt system oi
going for rascals whenever there Is any.
thing against them.
Latest Magazine Attack.
The charge that Secretary Ballinger ID
friendly to the railroads and coal land"
grabbers Of Alaska, reiterated in an ar.
ticle appearing in the December number
Of Hampton's Magazine. from the pen oi
John L. Matthews. was today character
lied by Don NJ. Carr, private secretary ts
secretary
stance and implication and a direct effor
to dlscredit the Secretary.
The statement that Secretary Ballinger
thee weeks after assuming office granted
rights OF way to two differ
ent railroads along the Des Chutes river.
Oregon, and In direct opposition to the
stand taken by the Roosevelt adminis,ra-
ton was branded as absolutely false and
rights of way were granted to the rail
roads under the same conditions as other
rights Of way had been granted under
former Secretary Of the Interior Garfield
Conditions of Grant.
These conditions were that in the con-
struction OF the railways the river was
not to be interfered with and whenever
the reclamation service determined on i'm.
their tracks 100 feet if necessary The
way a hampering OF the rivers water
power facilities nor the construction of
dams or any other similar work UNDER
taken by the government
1t was stated that the grant made by
Secretary Ballinger was on the only
available side of the river and for a dis.
tance of about twenty miles. Similar
grants were made by Secretary Garfield
for about the same distances and under
the same conditions. II was declared by
of the Secretary that
these grants for rights OF way to the
two railroads In question. instead OF beina
objected to by residents of middle Ore.
gon, had been practically demanded from
les. in the belief that by introducing rail.
roads into that section Of the state the
hoped-for commercial development would
be facilitated.
No Interests Favored.
Neither the interests of the Hill road.
Or the Hartman roads or any other road
have been favored in the granting OF
these rights of way
THE government interests have beer
amply protected" Mr.. Carr explained
As to that portion Of the article which
states the Secretary acted as attorney for
the Alaska Petroleum and Coal Company
during Its efforts to obtain grants of val
liable lands in Alaska, IL was stated Mr.
Ballinger was at no time interested in the
nor at any time counsel for it
1t was declared he had nothing TO &c
with agitated legislation granting terri
torial lands to corporations as repre-
sentative of this company or other COM
panies interested in land acquisition.
1T Is simply another efort-yicious In
the extreme-to discredit a public officer
remarked the Secretary's representative.
Charges in Magazine.
The article in Hampton's Magazine fol-
lows. in part:
AT President Roosevelt's instigation.
Secretary OF the Interior Garfield mads
an investigation and discovered that the
proposed railways would ruin the water
power of the Des Chutes without any
adequate return to the people. He there
fore refused to grant the right Of way
until IL should be so resurveyed that the
railway tracks would be above the level
Of the necessary dams and reservoirs to
the country.
THE railroads refused to spend the
money necessary to put their roadbeds
higher up. played possum during the last
days of Roosevelt, and waited until rs
successor came into Office That hap
pened March 4, 1909 Their waiting was
veil rewarded Within three weeks after
he became Secretary OF the Interior. Mr..
DC llin~ar si~ned and apprOyed the NZhf9