The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-05-14


following observation:
In general. Taft softened LAWYERS
draft, and doubtless very materially
changed the wording. IN that he sub
stituted for certain LavIer phrases,
phrases OF his own meaning the same
thing"
kerby's Full Signed Statement
Kerby's fun signed statement, which
admittedly is the most startling con-
tribution to the -Pfnchot con-
treversy. follows:
Ny services with the Government be-
gan in the spring or 1895. when, after
taking the civil service examination, on
February Il. I was appointed In July,
1876, Hugh y Brown, James r. Gar
ned s private secretary, took me in as
one OF the clerks IN the Commissioner
OF Corporations Office.
On as,rCh 4 1856, Garfield was made
Se''re:ary OF the Interior. and took
James . Mass-y md myself over to
be st'niE-Hpfers in Ils new office
Massey and I UOLh served under Gar
held un-il ne refined, and Bauinger was
mads SccreIsry of the Interior Just
Leforc he lift Garfield recommended
u BalIiascr ths,. We be retained IN the
Cffirr
Almost ir-she3iateIy after BaHinEer
became Secretary, Oscar Lavler was ap-
pointed sssIsts Mt attorney general for
the Interior Department. On June "A.
i91i L Ffr Tor q long trip through the
Nese with e oretary BalIingeT. Ed A
KEYS, q neHtew OF Jack Ballinger's
brOther-in-laE-- had previously been
selit Ovor The reclamation projects By
balliEG,.r as an Il spector-
Estimate Of Newell.
While I.-ys was out he wrote to
BaIIi5ser & report, from which this IS
substantially one statement I agree
with You t.at Newell. chief Of the Re
climate, Service, IS not big enough for
his job This letter IS now in the record
OF th- inet silgatiOn, where II may be
examined.
The BalIinger party OF which I was
q member Travelled through the North
west all OF last sumner We had been
In Seattle one day and were planning TO
make trip down through California,
and finally 10 join Taft on his Western
trip in Denver, when BaIinger got let
ter from Taft containing the CLAWS
charges and asking for a really to them
Immediately BaIlinger switched his
plans, cut the trip short 70 so to Wash
inguon at once and answer the charges
from there Accordingly BaIIinger, Don
II carr, his secretary, and myself start
ed back at once and got to Washington
on Friday, September 3 just before
noon
We had been working on BaIIinEer's
answer to the Claws charges during our
trip across the continent and We were
= IN IA b
the afternoon when I reached the Of
fee All the officers concerned were
called into consultation that afternoon
We worked hare until Sunday Then
Ballinger and LAWYER left Monday night
for Beverly They did not return TO the
Office again until Thursday morning.
Written As From President
Upon the return. LAWYER took I'D his
quarters in BalIingeTs private office,
calling in Massey and me for dIctation-
That was obvious from the way Law
Ter dictated the letter that II was in
tended 10 be. Moreover. there was no
attempt at concealment The letter be-
gan Sir Tt referred 10 BaIIinEer as
you IN each case, and the personal
DTOnCJn I was used throughout From
the context the T could be no other
than Taft himself.
There could be no question that Law
Ter was drafting a letter for Taft,s
signature, reviewing the CLAWS charges
and generating the Secretary It was
written in such form that Taft might
have adopted II bodily.
AS L have said, the letter was 54~+s-
Ted IN BdIlngeT's private Office BIZ Law
Ter probably half a dozen drafts Vvsre
MADE before the fnaI one was accepted.
Each time a fres4l draft was Committees
Il WOULD be taken in TO T.avvIe-t ~
would revise It For two days Massey
and / did nothing but helD rusb this
t.oIA- LAWYER frequently consulted z.
L, 6lnney. assistant 10 BaIIinger.
On the afternoon OF the second dsv
consultation was held between Bal
4ngeT,, LAYER, F1nney, Commissioner
CHIEF OF the Field Service Schv-sT1z'
and, I think First Assistant Secreta-v
frank Pierce and Private Secretary
Carr.
Letter Of Exoneratisu.
THE draft was discussed in detail.
and II is my memory that BaIIinger
himself read the letter OF draft aloud
and general criticism from the others
was invited and received.
Without attempting 70 force nv own
conclusions upon any reader Of this
statement, I want II 70 be remembered
that IL was the draft Of the letter ex-
Onerating BaIinger IN the charges
CLAWS has made against him.
The conference cut the draft 70
pieces with criticism and suggestions
and the whole thing was revamped-
BY night saturday, September ID We
were ready 90 make the final draft that
was to be submitted TO the President at
Beverly. From the draft, u1utilated o.
the conference. We prepared the final
copy.
-Four copies, an original and three
CaTbOns. were made. The original and
caTbons were written on letter size
paper. eight by ten and q half inches
The first copy was on Cranes twenty
four pound bond and the second, third
and fourth copies were on lighter grade
paper
we used Monarch black carbon
paper The letter was written on q
No 8 model Monarch typewriter, elite
type lines, triple spaced
called embarrassing letter Of Sep
triple space the letter convfnces me
that LAWYER expected Taft TO use il
only as basis for his own letter Yet
Il was written IN the first person and
addressed TO Ballinger throughout
Intended For Basis For Taft.
-'Early IN the work LAWYER had given
Massey and myself Instructions that all
rough draft copies discarded in the
composition OF the final drafts were to