New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-19
.Fro-n The Tribune Bureau-l

Washington, May Is
THE DAMNATICN OF BALLINGER.-
Is there anything which can possibly be
said in extenuation of the crime OF Rlcharo
A Ballinger? Is there the slightest cir
cunstance which the friends Of that official
can present as mitigating mis- guilt? Just
look at the record In his own confession
he SAWS: Last sunday was the guest Of
Ny George w Perkins. at Yonkers MI.
Perkins is at the head of the house OF ).
Pierpont Morgan & Co, as you perhaps
know He told me he had arranged fer
special boat TO take himself and party, IN
Guiding his family, 10 Alaska Tor the IN
vestigation of the feasibility of exploiting
Alaska in railroad construction and in other
lines in which he is deeply interested
He is DESTROYS of having an engineer
accompany him who Is not allied in any
way with railroad interests or private con-
nections which would in any way fni1Ience
mis- judgment. and he has been insisting on
my recommending some one familiar with
the Western country TO take this voyage
with him and TO advise him. Naturally, /
could think of no one so well equipped as
you to fiji this office" etc. OF course, the
effort 10 establish some improper relation
between Secretary Ballinger and the So
called Norgan-Guggenheim interests has
utterly failed, despite the fact that the con-
spiracy has enjoyed the constant services
of Mr. Ballinger's confidential stenogra-
pher, but what does that amount to be-
tween muckrakers? Mr.. Ballinger sus-
tanned friendly relations with Mr.. Perkins
and actually recommended friend, a man
who as city engineer had rendered valu-
able services 10 The city of which Mr..
Ballinger had been Mayor, to Mr.. Perkins.
Could anything be more damning? What
is this government coming to? Some day
the President of the United States will be
detected in the act of inviting Mr.. Morgan
himself to luncheon at the White House,
and then the destruction of the Republic
Will have been accomplished. But the
worst is yet to come. Secretary Ballinger
stands convicted of still worse. He has
been guilty of expressing the doubt that
Frederick T. Newell. director of the Rec
lamation Service. is big enough for his
job and is suspected Of contemplating
appointing the same engineer he recon-
mended so highly to Mr.. Perkins as Mr.
NewelfS successor. Could the most judicial
mind ask anything further to establish the
ineNpressible guilt of the Secretary of the
Interior?
THE PERFIDY OF TAFT-The perfidi-
Gus conduct of the President in his consid-
Grafton of the CLAWS charges has been
amply proved. President Taft spent an
evening cross-examining Secretary Balm
ger and Oscar LAWYER. Assistant Attorney
General on the subject of the charges.
Then he himself sat up until q. m exam
lining the written answers of Mr.. Ballinger
and his associates. The next evening he
again spent with. the Secretary and Mr..
LAWYER. and at its conclusion instructed Mr..
LAWYER to prepare the draft Of letter for
the signature Of the Executive generating
all Of the officials of the Interior Depart
ment. Then the President caused the At
torney General TO make a review of the
answers he had received from the officials
and secured from Mr.. Wickersham the
notes of his findings. From the LAWYER
draft the Wickersham notes and his own
conclusions. Mr.. Taft dictated a letter of
generation. He actually incorporated in
his letter two paragraphs and certain
phrases from the LAWYER draft, and posi-
bly-this will doubtless send the conspira-
tors off on a new scent-possiblY he also
used some of the expressions of Mr.. Wick
ersham. This constitutes most of the guilt
of the President. as esta bished by the rec
ord But it is not all, nor the most culpahle