The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-05-14


xent~tu~nt 4 want Ii to be remembered
SBfhat thte WIS IN draft OF n letter
exoneraflng Baiiinwer IN b charges
CLAWS has made against him.
The conferences cut the draft 70
nlercx with urfticfsnss and suggestions,
and IN whole thing was reyamped.
81 night f~Saturdas. September Ia
ne ware ready to make h final draft
that was 10 be submitted TO the Pres
f&se-aFAft
mutiiated by the conference we pre-
pared the final copy.
Made Many Copies.
Four Voptes. All original and three
xxGre naada-Thc original and
sarbens were written on letter sixc
paper, eight by ten and a half inches,
The first copy was on Cranes twenty
four pound bond and the second, third
and fourth copies were on lighter
grade paper.
We used monarch black carbon pa
per letter was written on a
No. , model Monarch typewriter, elite
sspe lines. triple spaced.
svThe fact that we We're required
10 triple space the letter ~convinces
me that LAWYER expected Taft to use
IL only as q basis fer his ewn letter.
Yet IL was written in the first person
N Addressed To Ballinger through
out.
Early in the work LAWYER had
given Massey and myself instructions
that all rough draft copies discarded
In the composition of the final draft
were To be retained by us. ] remem-
her them. just how they looked that
night. They were ali on Massey-s
desk on the right hand side. face
down In n desk tray. Because OF
much pssting they made "A pile an
inch thick, 1 viii take up later what
became OF this pile of papers.
We III unuNfsfood from me FORM
OF the letter tina II was to he the
basis of Taft's letter covering the
CLAWS charges. ! did not h realize
how important IL was for me to re-
/ member every detail OF that night,
and the fact that / am able to re-
cali many OF the incidents IL an sc-
rident IN tina ! rave a good memory.
1t wa understood by rs that this work
was Of special importance
The general arrangement OF facts,
the order in which they CONE In the
presidents letter IL practically identA-
cal with the arrangement of facts In
the final LAWYER draft on so-cailed
memorandum.
Think. Taft Made Additions.
Now II II my belief that Taft him
H8a1 h0NEA tstG SAW RRt va F1 ~
ter Of Eeptembe IL, the section that
takes up the matter of general con-
servation Of natural resources. The
people Of this country viii remember
that the president had considerable
to say on this subject at the con-
clusion of the so-cailed "~white-wash-
ing'' letter of September 10. LAWYER
thought, not necessarily in these
words: And i authorize you to dts
miss from the government service
Louis X. Claws
Now In he presidents letter inn
mediately before tho remarks on on
serration, comes the ciause authorfz,
ing Bailinger to dismiss CLAWS.
I'm Baliinger,s answer to the charge
which we prepared on Il trip 10
washington and after we arrived here
Ealiinger had asked authority 10 dis-
miss Claws.
certain portions OF the Taft let
ter / can identify as being In SUD
stance the thoughts OF anvil For
instance, there ts the following pas
sage In tho Taft letter. which GER
tainiy embodies LAWYERS Thought.
The general responsibility OF cabinet
,,ositious demands the selection there
FOR Of men of the highest character
and integrity Possession OF THESE
ana ,ities, as well as AN ability n
-1xperienca which especially fitted YOU
10 direct the affairs of the depart-
snsnt az the interior, warranted your
appointment us secretary.
fn general, Taft scftenea LAWYERS
draft and doubtless very materially
the wording. In that he sup
tItuted for certain phrases
phrases Of HIS own, meaning the same
hing.
a4 49,. a~tut,AI aiGNl4RGfnn
of the letter. / will take up the events
~ the evening we drew the final draft
and Lawier made ready to go to the
president at Beverley. When We
that is, Massey and had finished
comparing the drafts. Massey took
the four copies Of the final draft---one
original and three carbons--and fast
efed zach together with a McSiH fast
ener. I remember particularly about
IT, because we two talked over the
proper way TO fasten the sheets TO-
inst about that time Mr.. LAWYER
came out into our room n asked II
the drafts were ready.
MASSEY thep asked him what dispo-
s'tfon should be made OF the rough
drafts. Massey had carefully pre-
served all these.
mr.. Carr came into the room about
his time. The four or us--LaWler
Carr. Massey and myself-eonferred az
10 what should be lone with the rough
tfraftE--which way was the best 10
dispose OF them. LAWYER said that II
+ wouldn't be safe to trust them to thu
waste basket. Then. I think 1t was
Carr who declared that they ought Il
he burned. After VIE had discussed
tho matter far a while II was decided
20 go TO room 2f6 and destroy the pa
pers in the CRATE there. That roon
was formerly occupied by ais II, G
Fanney, assistant to the secretary. has
his office there now.
There IL u closed crate In the room
and I suppose that IN the reason VIII.
the papers weren't burned IN the fire
place In the secretary's Office. where
there is a big open crate. / don't re.
memba that this WAT actually dis.