Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-05-24
h 7he Halls of Congress
BY TAV.
Special Washington Corresponds

 ly show that his now famous letter exoneratin Ballinger was in substance dictated by nal named Lawler, an appointee and friend of Ba finger.
 This is the indictment which historians will b bound to record against the Taft administration Now that sufficient time has elapsed to permi careful review of all the facts, it is evident t all conversant with the case that Presiden Taft's letter exonerating Ballinger and con demning Glavis was a re-write of documen prepared in the office of Ballinger.
 To understand the situation occupied by tn president it is necessary to go back to the perio previous to September 13, 1909, the day on whic President Taft wrote from his summer home tn completely of all charges and ordering the dis charge of l.. R. Glavis from the government ser vice.
 Glavis, a young special agent of the land office had been on the trail of some politicians wh were attempting to illegally secure rich coa lands in Alaska.
 These claimants were powerful enough poit ically to have the land office in Washington cal him off the scent.
  had been called off the cases in question in or der that he would not be in the way of the pat enting of fraudulent claims
 Glavis appealed, finally, directly to the presi dent. All the facts in the case were carefully and submitted.
 The president was thereby placed in the posi- tion of judge. Gavis was the complainant Ballinger was the defendant.
 The president $ decision, equivalent to cour opinion, was rendered September 13 1909, il the form of the letter to Ballinger.
 It now develops that "the court,'' in effect permitted friend of the defendant to dictate the finding that was to be later handed down as the official verdict.
 Nor is this all. On December 21, 1909, the senate passed resolution to transmit to con gress 'any reports, statements, papers or docu ments upon which he acted in reaching his con cusions''
 On January 6, 1910, in compliance with this the president transmitted large number of documents, filling more than soc printed pages; the last of these was summary by Attorney General Wickersham dated Sep tember II, 1909, two days before the president $ action in his letter to Ballinger
 MT. Taft's declaration over his own signature that "I have examined the whole record most carefully and have reached definite conelu- sion" was accepted as having been based on Mr. lengthy and exhaustive opinion.
 The fact now develops by the admission of himself that the president did not nave his opinion when he (the president wrote ,he letter exonerating Ballinger and condemn ng Glavis.
 Fms document was prepared later and falsely lated two days before the president had written he letter in question.
 In other words President Taft had rewritten letter prepared for him by Assistant Attorney deneral Lawler, (who was Ballinger's ap- oolntee and who prepared the letter in Bal lnger's ofice) and when congress called upon nm for the documents upon which ''he acted in eachlng his conclusions" the president found lmsef in distressing predicament.
 Instead of submitting to congress the draft rom which he had prepared the Ballinger exon ration letter, the president submitted the alsely dated Wickersham opinion.
 Attorney Brandeis, counsel for Glavis. had in ome manner learned of the Lawler letter. and requently demanded the document. He was ntormed that no such letter was in existence Then 1t happened that Frederick M. Kerbv. a tenographer in Ballinger's office, came forward nd admitted that he had prepared the Lawler otter.
 Within three hours after it became known >erby had 'peached," the Lawler letter was ushed to the Balinger-Pi -Pinchot Investigating O