The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-05-16
BALL|NGER WH|TEWASH IS EXPOSED
PUTS TAFT IN AWKWARD POSITION

Washington. May lj.-ln a long
statement published mere aul IN sever
al other citIe. turou lhout The country
today Frederick NJ Kerby. @ stcno-
graphcr FOO the Office OF Secretary Bal
luuc- declares that he and aaother
stcrographor took on di"tatlou, In
Sep. ,mbor 1903 letter by Oscoi .
Law lcr. assistant attorney general at .
tachcd to the interior department,
which President TAFT is said to have
made the basis Of his own now famous .
letter dismissing the CLAWS charges
against Ballngcr and granting Ballin-
gers request for PERMISSION 20 dis
charge CLAWS.
II il does no more Tho statement, II t.
true shows clearly something which
Balingcr. Lawler. Attorney General
Wickcrsham and all associated with
them have tried hard TO keep the pub
lie from knowing. namely that Mr.
Tafts letter made public -. Albany
i'm September. 1909 was not the croa.
tlon Of his own brain. but partly. pos
sibly greatly. was written by the one
mics of CLAWS. the friends of Baliin
ger
The following official denial OF the
story Of +. VI. Kerby was made public
at the White House late this after
noon:
"With reference 10 the published affi-
davit Of +. VI. Kerby. a stenographor
I'm the office of the secretary Of the
interior. To the effect that the presi-
dents letter Of September II, 1909. eN-
! onerating Secretary Balluger. was
substantially prepared for the presi-
dents signature by Assistant Attorney
General Lawler It was said at the
White House today that there was alb
solutely no foundation for any such
statement The president dictated this
letter personally, as the documents
and papers were in his possession at
the time
When Secretary Gallinger drove up
hurriedly. he FASTENED into Secretary
Carpenters office. The president was
called Immediately on the phone and
the statement was prepared. Secrc-
tary Ballinger. as he left the White
House refused to make any statement
l on the matter. besides saying
Its not bothoring me much"
A few minutes afterward Secretary
Carpenter asked that the folowng
words be added to the official denial
striking out the final period:
And upon the report to him by the
attorney general"
"The letter was dictated TO me
said Secretary Rudolph Forster. with
some heat ard any statement that
/ Il was dictated by any one else to any
i one else is absolutely false"
/ II was pointed ont by close obsery
! that any one else dictated the nna
draft Of the presidents letter rs giver
to the public. Kerby merely said thai
! Lawler dictated to him letter whiC,
was in such form that It could hay,
been used in toto by the president
but that in his opinion the presiden
had changed the wording
/ The Ballinger-Pinchot myestigatin.
committee today received from Attor
ney General Wickersham the memor
| andum prepared by Law Officer Iawloi
| of the interior department.
/ The Lawler memorandum is in tn,
form Of letter from the president {,
Secretary Ballingcr, and In many fca
lures Is practically the same as Tn,
| presidents letter Of September u
| 1909, cXonerating Rallineer and dis
l missing CLAWS.
] Accompanying the memorandum .,
i the Ballinger-Pmchut committee NJ
| Wickcrsham sent 10 the committee th,
| following letter
| "l beg to say that ON receipt of youl
letter caused "a further careful search
= TO be made iu the files of the depart
= mcut, ard have found a paper which
ID transmit 10 You herewith. and which
.c Is either the original cor @ opy OF th,
memorandum prepared 10y Mr. Lawiey
k ! first received either this or "A cop,
ID of this memorandum from Mr Lawlcr
September H. 1909,
10 TO the best OF my recollection.
u. lett the memorandum with other pap