Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-05-16
TAFT EXPLAINS
ENUMERATION
Of BALL|NGER
KERRY CHARGES PROVOKE
REPLY FROM PRESIDENT T
Says He Personally Wrote New
Famous letter Using Only
One or Two General State
mentS From LaWley Draft

~, Morning journal special Leased wireI
Washington. May 10. President
Taft in person tonight took hand In
the situation concernine the inside"
history Of his letter Of September l3
eXoncrating Secretary Balinger from
the charges of l.. Il. CLAWS and auth
orizing the dismissal of CLAWS
over his own signature he adj
dressed a long letter to Senator knute
Nelson. chairman OF the Ballinger-
pinchot investigating committee, set
ting forth in minute detail the Sc
uuence of events Following his receipt
at BeVerly on August $ of the charg
es OF CLAWS.
The president makes no direct men
tion OF the statement OF Frederick NJ.
Kerby, the young stenDgrapher in
Secretary BaIlinger's office. in which
the stenographer declared the presi-
dents letter of eXoneratipn was pre-
pared in Ballngers office hy oscar
LaWler, assistant attorney general Of
the interior department.
Tonights utterances of Mr. TAFT
was obviously provoked by Kerby's
statement.
pare such letter as Kerry said, but
that he did SO by the presidents spe-
4 Icfc direction. When he received il.
{ he found. he said that it was not
+ what he wanted to issue. and he wrote
the letter himself IN the form in
which he desired IT. using from Law
lcr's draft only one or two general
statements.
+ The president goes stu further and
a. l.
dating Of Attorney General Wicker
shams summary Of the CLAWS charg-
es to which Attorney Louis y. Brand
els has drawn attention. Mr., Tart
says the attorney generals letter
was in fact back dated ANA that this
also was done lr his specific dress
H0n
Following is The rull text Or til.
presidents letter:
THE White House. WASHINGTON
May 10, 1910
My dear senator Nelsun--ln tie
hearings before the committee to in
Nestigate the interior department ana
forest service. reference has been
made to my decision on the complaint
and charges that Mr.. CLAWS fled with
me on the 18th of August last. against
Secretary Ballingcr and certain other
officials of the interior department
decided my action IN this case was not
in the jurisdiction Of the committee
TO investigate. In spite Of this ruling,
reference to the matter has crept into
the record. For !his reason deem it
proper To write YOU and state the facts {.
with such accuracy as my memory
permits.
Claws statement and charges
were LEFT with me by him on August
rs, 1909 | turned them over to tho
attorney general, who happened to .
be i'm the neighborhOod. ana he made
notes upon his reading. We both had I
PERSONA knowledge in respect TO SEQ
retary Ballinger's attitude toward the
Alaska coal claims, which WAS the
chief subject Of innuendo ana com
plaint for Mr.. Ballinger had very
early in the administration consulted +
US both regarding them.
Within two or three days after tho .
iiling of the charges at Il meeting at .
which the secretary of the treasury
the attorney general ana the secretary
OF tht navy were present. a fun dis
cussion Of the CLAWS statement was
had. IT resulted i'm general conch-
sion that JEALOUSY between the
bureaus of the interior department
and the forestry bureau probably eX-
planned the attitude of the interior de
partment officials, but that the init
nations of bad fnith by CLAWS against
Mr., Bailineer and the others required
that the statements be submitted t.
them for answer. Accordingly. copies
of the statement were sent TO Sccre-
tHrN Ballinger. to Assistant Secretary
Pierce. the commissioner Mr.. Den
nett, ana to chief of Field Service
Schwartze.
Mr.. Ballingcr Nns at Seattle. hut
on receipt of the cherges he came
a. ON Ia
ON Monday, September 6. Mr. Bal
linger reached Beverly accompanied
by Mr.. Lawlcr. the assistant attorney
general of the department Of Justice
to the interior department
Mr. Ballinger sent TO my house on
that day the answers of the various
persons concerned with a vOluminous
record OF exhibits. ! had "A conference
with him the evening of the day he
came. September q. ana another on
the following evening. september :.
n talked over the charges with
Mr. Balliuger the first evening and :
asked such questions as suggested I.
themselves. without intimating any
conclusion. and said I would examine .
he answers and the record, and would !
see him the next day. ] sat up until 81
8 o'clock that night reading the an >
swcrs and exhibits. So at my next =
,onfcrence / was advised Of the con-
euts of the entire record. and had L
made up my mind there WAS nothinp
n the charges. upon which Mr.. Bal
ingcr or the others accused would be-
ound guilty either ot Incompetence
nefficiency. disloyally te the inter y
.sts of the government or dishonesty ,
In the discussion of the second
'Vening. Mr. Lawler who was present \
II my suggestion. discussed the evil
ionce az some length. ! said to Mr.
D. 4