The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-15
Suspicious Looking Copy Of
Letter Bobs Up Before
the Committee
WHITE HOUSE DENIES ALL
KNOWLEDGE OF DOCUMENT
According to the Intiriation Taft Based
His Letter xxonerating BaIlinger
Upon Draft Made In the
secretary's ONCE

Washington, May 14-oscar Lawler. as-
sistant attorney general for the interior
department, of which Richard A. Ballin-
ger is the head, did in fact prepare
draft of a letter addressed to Secretary
Ballinger and in such form and phrase
that It might have been adopted ver-
batim and signed by the President a.
Mr.. Tafts exoneration Of the secretary
from the charges of L. r. CLAWS and
authorizing the dismissal Of CLAWS from
his position of special agent Of the in-
terror department. the President in fact
appears to have made use Of certain porI
tions of the Lawler draft in debating tho
letter of exoneration which he signed
and issued from Beverly on September
| 13, last.
These two things became clear in the
developments today in connection with
| the Ballinger- Pinchot investigation. ana
| they occasioned a. great sensation In
Washington, where almost every man and
woman is either Ballinger or Pinchoe
partisan.
The thing came to head this after-
noon in the publication of a statement att
|
the stenographers in the Office Of Secre-
tary Ballinger. In which Kerby related
at length the circumstances under which
he alleged the Lawler draft to have been
prepared. Kerby asserts further that all
of the preliminary drafts used in the
preparation of the letter were burned In
a CRATE at the suggestion and under the
supervision of Don M. Carr, Mr.. Ballins
gers private secretary. Kerby drew the
| inference that the Lawler draft had beer
adopted by the President essentially a.
his own; that Mr.. Ballinger and his legal
adviser had. therefore, virtually prepared
tho exoneration which Mr.. Taft had is
sued over his own signature
wickersham sends Letter
Almost simultaneously with the publica-
ton of the Kerby statement. Attorney
| General wickersham sent to the Ballin-
ger-Pinchot investigating committee, then
in session, a copy of the LAwler draft.
accompanied by a letter to Chairman
Nelson. In which Mr.. wickersham de-
clared the document had been overlooked
| in sending the papers requisitioned by
the committee at the request of Attor-
ney Brandeis.
The publication of the Kerby statements
evoked from the White House a state
ment declaring there was absolutely no
foundation" for the statement that the
Presidents letter of September Is. 1909.
was substantially prepared for the Presi-
dents signature by Assistant Attorney
General Lawler" and asserting unequivo-
cably that the President dictated his let
ter personally, as the result of his own
| investigation of the records and consfd-
Grafton of documents and papers In his
| possession at the time and upon the re-
port of the Attorney General.
| 1t was further pointed out both at
the White House and by Attorney Gen.
cral wickersham himself that a COM
parison of the Lawler draft ana the
Presidents letter would show that the
inferences of the Kerby statement were
unwarranted. Mr.. Wickersham ALLUDED
| to the practice common in the govern
ment departments of subordinates pre-
paring the letters aud documents for
| the consideration of their superiors and
their use by them in whole or in part,
as they might see fit
Conference IL Held
| Secretary Ballinger and Mr.. LAwlerr
were in conference a long time thiS
afternoon with attorney General Wick4
ersham- While they were 80 engaged
at the department of justice a mes
senger was sent out for q copy OF q
newspaper containing the Kerby state
ment. When Mr.. Ballinger emerged
| from the conference he showed signs
of angry concern but declared vehe-
mently that there was nothing to
be ashamed Of" Mr.. Ballinger said
young Kerby had gone on on vaca-
| tlon today. st
| NO" he added. in reply to a ques-
| tion, ''he had not been discharged
| He said this with a grim smile.
Kerby is superintendent OF SUM-
| day school and head of boys bril-
gade and was absent from his post alt
day, it was said. at a picnic of one OF
these organizations.
| Attorney Wickersham declared that
| It was quite obvious that Lawler did
not prepare the letter signed by Pres
ident Taft.
Compare the letter writteE by Mr..
Lawler with that written by The Pres
ident," said Mr.. Wickersham, and you
will readily recognize that fact. There
| s only one clause which. in a meas
ure, the President adopted.
| mo, it was not regarding the dis
missal of Claws he said, in response
to further questioning. What Mr.
Lawler prepared was what might be
| termed suggested form OF letter
which the President could adopt IL
| he saw fit, practice of every day oc-
currence in the executive departments
of the government
Wickershem Says Nothing
| Mr.. Wickersham said he preferred not
| to discuss the matter. as It would be
manifestly improper for him to do SO be-
| fore he had seen the President.
| However. in his recent letter to Chair
man Parker, of the House committee on
| Judiciary, Mr.. Wickersham said the Pres-s
ident had before when he acted on thu
charges, documents and rough notes pre-
pared by him. 1t was upon these docu-
ments and notes, he said, that he had
afterward compiled at the Presidents d.
rection, the summary which the resolu-
ton Of Representative Harrison OF New
York, II adopted, would direct him t.
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