The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1910-05-20
FOR the GOOD
OF THE SERVICE
BaIIInger Swings His "Snake"
Axe on StenOgraper's Head
EXPOSED WHlTEWASH LETTER

Starting of New Forestry Row Due to
Secrecy of Administration Dis
charged Man Says He Acted For the
Public Good-President Says He
Directed LawIer to Prepare Missive
The Wickersham Letter
Washington, May 16.-Frederick
M. Kerby, the stenographer whose
statement on Saturday last brought
from President Taft an acknowledge
ment Of the accuracy of the young
mans statements, has been dis
charged by Secretary Ballinger. This
action, while inevitable under the cir
cumstances, is generally taken also
to be another step in the campaign of
elimination in the interior department
which Secretary Ballinger has char
acterized as Snake killing"
Now that President Taft has mar
rated the circumstances surrounding
his preparation of the letter exonerat-
ing Ballinger and virtually admitting
the accuracy of the statements made
by Kerby, there is disposition on all
sides to dismiss the matter, so far
as the president is concerned, with
| perhaps the suggestion that he might
have used little better judgment.
Had the government officials in
volved made all the facts known at the
beginning of the Investigation the Incl
dents would not have been regarded
as seriously as they now are. 1t is
not unusual for the president or other
government officials to call upon sub
ordinates to prepare letters for their
signature. This is exactly what the
president did when he was called upon
to review the CLAWS charges and the
fact that he selected for that task a
subordinate of the secretary of the in
terror, instead of some disinterested
official, is regarded as unfortunate
judgment, rather than indicating de-
sire to have only Ballingers side of
the case.
The text of Baliinger's letter to
Kerby is as follows:
0lI-1 Ou are u6T6Dy ulSCudFS6u
from the public service because you are
unworthy to remain in It, In divulg-
ing information obtained by you in the
confidential relation of stenographer
to the secretary of the interior; in
communicating that information to
those whom you are bound to know
are wrongfully seeking 70 bring re-
proach upon the administration and
to injure me; and in deliberately mis-
stating material facts as to which you
treacherously communicate, you show
that you are unworthy and unsafe.
The fact that your treachery is futile
cannot mitigate the character of your.
offense. For the good of the service
you are hereby discharged"
Kerby received the letter of dismiss
sal by special messenger. In discuss
ing the subject of his discharge Kerby
said the secretary's action had not
BEEN a surprise to him.
"Of course when issued my state
ment, he added, 81 realized that the
secretary would take some such ac-
ton. AS to the charges made by Sec
rotary Ballinger against me | am per-
fectly willing to leave to the judgment
of the people of the country as to
whether l acted treacherously or pat
riotically, and | feel entirely certain
that the general verdict will be in my
favor At any rate think that Sec
rotary BaIlinger is not an excellent
judge of ethics"
President Taft in person has taken
hand in the situation which has
arisen concerning the inside" history
of his letter of Sept. 10. generating
Secretary Ballinger from the charges
of special agent L. r. CLAWS and
authorizing the dismissal of CLAWS.
Over his own signature he addressed
a long letter to Senator Nelson,
chairman of the Ballinger- Pinchot in
vestigating committee, setting forth
in detail the sequence of events after
his receipt at Beverly, on Aug. is
last, of the charges by CLAWS.
He says not only that Lawler did
prepare such letter as Kerby said he
did, but that he did so by the presi-
dents specific direction. When he
received 1t, he found IL was not what
he wanted to issue, and he wrote the
letter in the form he desired, using
from LAWYERS draft only one or two
general statements.
The president goes still further and
takes up the question of the back
dating" OF Attorney General Wicker
sham's summary of the CLAWS charges,
to which Attorney Louis ID. Brandeis
has drawn attention. Taft says that
the attorney generals letter was in
fact back dated" and that this also
was done by his specific direction.
Priest KILLED While Cleaning Gun