Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-05-20
Taft and BalIinqer.


The most interesting and significant
development of the CLAWS Ballinser
muddle so far, is the fact that even the
president of the United States is not
big enough to suppress an investiga-
tion of the truth when once the atten-
ton of the justice loving American
public is thoroughly engaged.
Although We do not infer from the
disclosures of last week, that President
Taft has been guilty of any deliberate
intent to suppress the truth; it does
seem evident from all the facts and
circumstances of this CLAWS Ballinger
controversy. that the president acted
rather hastily in siding so uncondition-
ally with his secretary, Mr.. Ballinger.
The row is quite an old one, and the
merits of it are reasonably clear.
There is in southern Alaska a noun
tain of coal that is estimated to he
worth not less than one billion dollars.
The Cunninghams and the Gusgen-
helms commenced several years ago to
get possession of this immense wealth.
Under such laws as existed, CLAWS
sought to prevent such a tremendous
prize from falling into the hands OF
monopolistic capital. There were laws
that seemed to ensure the division of
property like this among a large num-
ber of individual holders, and the
Cunninghams and Guggenheims were
trying to evade the laws by having in
dividuals take up the property in their
interest, with the view of consolidat-
ing it afterward. CLAWS as an agent
of the interior department, was trying
TO prevent this. BallinSer, who was
also connected with the interior de-
partment at the time, resigned and in
a short time afterward became attor-
ney for the Cunninghams. Later he
became secretary of the interior and
used his authority in that capacity to
hamper CLAWS and finally discharged
him. That is the substance Of Glavis's
contention. After CLAWS lost his posi-
ton with the interior department,
tural department as chief forester took
up the fight and helped to get the
whole matter to the attention of con-
gress, at the loss of his own position.
1t will be remembered that last Sep
tember the president wrote a letter in
which he attempted to eXonerate Bal
linger from all the imputations that
had been cast against him by CLAWS,
and it is the origin of this letter that
has just been brought into the lime
light by the recent disclosures of Stem
ographer Kerby.
The whole muddle, of course, lacks n
great deal of having been cleared up.
1t has not been proved that Ballin5er
has actually violated any law. 1t has
not been shown that the Cunninghams
and Guggenheims were not entirely
within their legal rights in all that they
have done; but it seems to be evil
dent that if Mr.. Ballinger had proper
~ supported CLAWS all along this tre-
rich property would have
been preserved to the people. and the
Cunninghams and Guggenheims would
not have been deprived of any right
or privilege that was justly or even
lawfully theirs.
1t cannot be shown and there does
not appear any good ground for believ-
ing that the president has committed
any intentional wrong. That he should
have had entire confidence in the intes-
rity of the members of his official
family, is natural. We would not be-
lieve him capable Of Intentionally try
ing to justify a wrong. He is too big
a man for that. But he seems to have
gone a little too fast in taking such
positive stand solely upon the repre-
sentations of Ballinger himself.