Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-15
Statement Of Stenogrspher that Bal
linger Prepared His Own Exon.
Grafton Flstly Contradicted.
WITHOUT ANY FOUNDATION
!
President Personally Dictated State
ment to Secretary Forster,
HAD RECORDS IN POSSESSION
Document Was Prepared After Due
Consideration,
STATEMENT BY WICKERSHAM
AID RECORDS IN POSSESSION
BY wIcKERsHAM
Attorney General sends to Committee
Note by MIR. Lnwler which is said
90 he Basis of Presidents
VindiCatIon OF Ballinger.

D
WASHINGTON, May 1.-THE follow
/ ing statement was given out at the
White House today:
With reference TO the published at
fldavit of L. NJ Kerby, stenographer
in the office OF the secretary OF the i'm
terror to the effect that the presidents
( letter OF September 13. 1903, eXoner-
ating Secretary Ballinger was substan-
TALLY prepared for the presidents sigma
ture by Assistant Attorney General
Lawler It was said at the White House
today that there is absolutely no founda-
tion for any such statement
L. "rhe president dictated his letter per-
sonally as tho result of his own inves-
tgation of the records and consideration
of documents and papers in his posses
sion at the time and on the report to
him OF the attorney general"
Fred w. Carpenter, secretary TO tina
president and Rudolph Forster. assis-
tant secretary, both today denied the
truth of story which was given gem
eral circulation that the letter which
President Taft signed In eXoneration OF
Secretary Ballinger had been prepared
by anyone other than the president him
self. Mr.. Forester said he took the die
tatlon himself from the president.
Memorandum from Wickersham.
Attorney General Wickersham today
transmitted to the Ballinger Pnchot in
vestigating committee the memorandum
prepared by Law officer Lawler of the
Interior department. IL is In the form
of a letter from the president to Secre-
tary Ballnger and in many features is
practically the same as the presidents
! Letter of September IL, 1909, eXonerating
Ballinger and dismissing CLAWS.
Wickersham sent to the committee the
following letter:
II beg TO say that on receipt of your
letter l caused further careful search
to be made ~ the files OF the depart
ment and have fiund a paper which /
transmit to you herewith and which is
either the original or a copy of the MEM
orandum prepared by Mr.. LAWYER
first received either this or a copy of
this memorandum on September IL
1909.
TO the best of my recollection | left
the memorandum with other papers at the
presidents house in Beverly, on September
II and received it in New York about a
week later, together with other documents
and memorandum relating to the Claws
matter. Since that time to the best OF
my information, 1t mas been in the pos
session of my secretary or among the
papers in this department although it
seems TO have been overlooked in collect
ing papers in answer to your previous
communications"
Charge of Mr.. Kcrby.
There was published here this afternoon
what purports tc be statement Of Fred
erick M. Kerby a stenographer in the Of
flee of Richard a. Balinger, secretary of
the interior, that he and other stenoK-
raphers in the Interior department, wrote
from dctation OF Oscar Lawler, assistant
attorney general FOR the Interior depart
ment letter which he alleges to have
been substantially the founda tion for Presi-
dent Tafts letter eXoncrating Secretary
Balinger from tho charges of L. II, CLAWS.
The kerby statement further alleges the
original drafts ot the Lawler letter were
burned in a crate in the Interior depart
ment at the suggestion of Don c. Carr.
Balingers private secretary The state
ment attributed TO Kcrby says in part that
after the visit Of Secretary l3allnger and
Lawlcr to the presidents summer resi-
denco at Beverly, Mass, in the week be-
ginning September &, Lawler returned to
Washington ana took up his quarters in
Bailinger's private office, calling I'm Mas
sey and me for dlctation."
Kerby says that what Lawler dictated re
ferred to Ballnger as you" in each case
and the personal pronoun ~ was used
throughout
From the context the II" could be no
other than TAFT himself
There could be no question" says In,
Kerby statement, That Lawler was draft
ing letter for Taft's signature, reviewing
the Giayis charges and exonerating the
secretary. 1t was written in such form
that Talt might have adopted II bodily.
Dictated ny LuwIcr.
As have said the letter was dictated
In Ballingers private office by Lawler
Probably hair dozen drafts were made be.
fore the final one was accepted Each time
a fresh draft was completed 1t would be
taken in to Lawlcr, who would revise it,
For two days Massy and did nothing bu.
help rush this work. LawIer frequently
Il. c. Finney, assistant to Bal.
lingeT"
The statement goes on 10 say that the
draft was the subject OF several confer
ences, IN which participated" the state
ment says "Ballinger, Lawler Flnney.
Commissioner Frederick bennett Of the
land Office, Chief OF the Field service
schwartz-and, think, First Assistant
secretary Frank Pierce and private secre-
tary carr"
kerby Is quoted as saying;
without attempting 10 force my own
conclusions on any reader of this statement,
want IL to be remembered that il was
the draft OF the letter generating Bal
linger IN the charges CLAWS had made
a gainst him.
The statement says further:
Early In the work Lawler had given
Massy and myseuf instructions that ali
rough draft copies discarded in the COM
position OF the final drafts were 10 be
retained by US.
I'VE all understood from the form Of
.he letter that 1t was 10 be the basis OF
rafts letter covering the CLAWS charges