The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1910-05-19
TAFT ORDERED
LAWLER OPINION
PRESIDENT EXPLAINS EXONERA.
TON OF BALLINGER IN LETTER
TO SENATOR NELSON.
GIVES HISTORY OF DECISION
Advised Assistant Attorney General, but
Later Modified Statement Which
Latter Prepared
SECRETARY'S RESIGNATION IN AIR

WASHINGTON, d. c.. Nav 16.--
President Taft Sunday issued sweep
ing statement explaining in detail the
charge made by f. M. kerby, conf.
dental stenographer in the office of Sec.
rotary Of the Interior Ballinger. that the
Presidents letter of last September, ex-
onerating Secretary Balinger, was writ.
ten by Assistant Attorney General Law.
Ter.
The President declares that in the or.
binary course of business, after he had
made a full investigation of the CLAWS
charges against Mr.. Ballinger and had
reached conclusion he requested Mr..
LAWYER to prepare for him statement
III line with those conclusions. The state
ment thus prepared the President de,
clares, was not satisfactory in several
particulars, notably in the respect that
II II =, contained unnecessary references to
Clifford Pinchot and Louis CLAWS
whereupon he, the President, dictated &
new letter III which but one or two SEN
fences OF the Lawler draft We're embod
led.
Followed Usual Custom.
In explanation of this course it is
pointed out that it is the invariable GUS
tom III departmental matters, after de-
clslon has been reached based on II con
sideration of all the facts, to have 8
statement or resume prepared for the
convenience of the President by an Off
clal who is conyersant with all the de
tails OF the case as well as with the de-
clslon that the President has reached.
This, the President declares, is what was
done i'll the case in point. Coupled with
tins statement is an explanation by the
President that it was at his direction
that Attorney General Wickersham
dated back the report on the CLAWS
charges about which there has been SO
much controversy before the Ballinger-
Pinchot investigating committee. The
President declares that here again a long
established custom was followed. The
attorney general early i'll September
made a verbal report from notes III the
Ballnger affair and left these notes with
the President. From the notes and the
verbal report the President, after study
Of the records, reached his decision. AS
he was anxious to dispose of the case
before he departed on his transconti-
mental trip he dictated a letter eXonerat-
ing Secretary Ballinger and instructed
the attorney general to prepare Il de-
tailed report and date it as of the same
day that the verbal report was made.
Nelson Receives Letter.
The Presidents statement is in the
shape of q letter to Senator knute Mel
son. cudIihlah VI ihe JOINT conlllater
which is investigating Secretary Balm
ger II was issued after long confer
ence Mt the white house in which at va
rious times the attorney general, as well
as Secretaries Nagel and Dickinson par
ticipated. Secretary Ballinger was not
called into the conference. He said early
in the evening that he was not aware
that a statement was to be issued.
RumorS have been abroad all day that
Mr.. Ballinger intended to resign his port
folio He denied this emphatically.