The Washington herald., 1910-05-15
OFFICE
STIRS STORM
Continued from Page One.

House to the Attorney Generals Office
where he held a two hours conference
with AIR. Wickersham and Assistant At
torney General LaWler.
Mr. Ballinger declined to issue anv
statement, on the ground that he lad
nothing 20 explain.
Taft sought Answer.
Kerby SAYS in his statement that he
was IN Seattle with Secretary Ballinger
last fall when Ballinger got a letter
from President Taft containing the CLAWS
charges and asking him for a reply 70
them Secretary Ballinger Immediately
LETT FOR Washington with Don NJ Carr
his secretary. and with Stenograpber
kerby. Herby says that they worked ON
their answer TO the CLAWS charges all
the way across the continent and for
several days after they got to Wash
ington.
secretary Baliuger and Lawler left
ON Sunday for Beverly. and returned
10 Washington on the following Thurs
day. II was just after this. according
10 the stenoGrapher. that LAWYER took
up his quarters in Balinger's private
once and began the dictation Of the
memorandum Kerby saws that the
memorandum was written from the first
IN a form which President Taft might
nave adopted bodily as his letter TO Sec
ietary Ballinger If he so desired. Half
dozen drafts were made so the stenog-
Iapher said. before the final one.
heroy says also that LAWYER consulted
with Secretary Balinger z. G. Finnev.
assistant 10 Secretary BaIIinger Com
missioner Frederick bennett. of the Land
once Chief of the Field Service
schwartz and one or two others i'm ro-
gard to the letter. As Kerbv recalls II.
secretary Ballinger himself read the let
Ter or one OF the drafts, aloud and
general criticism from the others was in
Nited. kcrby says that LawIer in
Structed him To save all copies of the
rough drafts.
>tenoEruDhcrS i'm Conference.
When We. Massey, another steuo-
srapher. and I. had finished preparing the
final drafts. says Kerby, Massey took
the four copies of the final draft and
fastened each. Massey then asked Law
Ter what disposition should be made Of
the rough drafts. Mr. Carr came into
the room about that time The four of
us Lawlcr. Carr. Massey. and myself
conferred as 10 what should he done
with the rough drafts Iawler said
that IL would not be safe 10 trust them
20 the waste basket think il was
Carr who declared that they ought to
be burned. 10 was decided 10 90
90 room I5 and destroy the papers IN
the CRATE there. There is closed CRATE
i'm the room. and J suppose that is the
reason Why the papers were not burned
In the fireplace i'm the Secretary's room.
where there is a big open crate.
Well we all went back 10 room pa.
There were Lawler and Carr and Massey
and myself 1 can swear that Carr was
there The papers were put i'm the CRATE
and somebody touched q match 10 them
] don't remember who it was that lighted
the match. 7 think Il was Carr. This
was between 10 and 1890 O'Clock on the |
night of Friday, September 20
After burning mp am traces OF the
drafts We all went back into our Offices. |
and the final finished copies were handed I
over to Mr.. Lawler. He took the four
copies with him into the secretarv's !
room. Now 7 don't think that the sec .
rotary witnessed the burning OF the pa
pers. ] am pretty sure that he was
around and in his room. At any rate.
Mr.. LAWYER took the final copies into the
secretarys room"
burning II Admitted.
No denial of the fact that the rough
drafts Of the memorandum had been
burned was made al the Interior Depart /
ment In fact it was admitted they had /!
been burned but 10 was said that the
only purpose in destroying them was 10 I
take precautions against any fragment /
of the letter being made public before the
President acted and also against the
possibility of the memorandum falling
into the hands Of Nh Ballinger's enemies.
The Kerry StIfeu1ent .opt;Duee.