The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-17
THE PRESIDENT EXPLAINS.

! President Taft s explanation of the
substance and manner of his procedure
with regard to the letter he signed on
review of the CLAWS charges against
Secretary BalIinger, is perfectly plain
and open. He got all the aid ho de-
Sired, he called upon various subordi.
mates to submit their briefs and con.
clusions, then he made up his letter
according TO his own Judgment, using
such material rs he received under his
call, in snch manner and to such cX.
tent as he chose. That is the usual
method of procedure in official matters
There was no need to "smolSe it out, -
as the CLAWS claim is: and when
smoked out II amounts Ia nothing. As
matter of course, tho President would
call for all tho information he could
get before making up his conclusions.
In this case he seems to have made
them personally, and to have used the
materials received in his own wav,
writing the most of the letter himself.
He would have been quite within his
rights, however, if he had taken the
draft of any of his subordinates and
made 1t his own. Tho developments
put forth ostensibly in behalf of CLAY.
is in this affect nothing. Anyone
could have forcshadowed about what
had been done, without making such
an ado about it as has been made
With respect TO the dating of the
Attorney Generals $ letter ahead of the
time on which it was finally perfected
that amounts TO nothing either; be
cause the conclusions Of the Attorney
General were verbally stated to the
President on the day Of the date That
was. therefore, the date upon which the
conclusion had been reached. It was
quito proper in order TO keep up The
conference and connection of the events
to date the letter as formulated on that
date.
The fact that so much time has been
taken and so much attention given to
a mere matter of routine like this of
no consequence whatever to the general
issues, shows the thinness and weakness
of this whole prosecution Of Secretary
1t shows also the pettiness
Of mind which is at the bottom of it
all. The idea that the President should |
be arraigncd because he avaied himself |
Of the assistance Of his subordinates or
those who knew the special details of |
what he wanted to get at, is such a re-
piece of absurdity that the |
dwelling upon II gives away the whole !
case. The President habitually signs |
and thus makes his own. matter pre- !
pared for him in every department of |
the Government from laws Of Congress
down to mere matters Of detail In a |
hundred directions. IT would be abso-
utely out of the question for the Presl-
dent to personally prepare the one
hundredth part of the matter that
eeds his signature. The dragging out !
,f this mere matter Of official routine !
known to everyone and absolutely nee
sssary in the prosecution of the affairs
,f the Government, and making bug
bear out of it, is such an extraordinary
piece of Stiffness that one marvels 10
zee such an attempt as was made 10
elevate it into Importance. Probably !
his is the expiring twist of the Balm
yer prosecution, and it is a tlt ending.
Tbe people from this on will not be in
lined to bother very much about this
,ort Of attempt TO magnify into im-
,ortance things that are altogether trIv-
al. They will not devote much at
,ention henceforth to this subject; they
viii "jess laff,