The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-15
DID TAT 7 ONLY
SIGN LETTER
Sensational Charges as to Docu-
ment Generating Ballinger
Are Made.
SECRETARIES STENOGRAPHER
GIVES OUT STATEMENT
Virtually Declares That In
terror Department Prepared
Own Vindication.
Special to The Tribune.


WASHINGTON, May 14.-That
President Taft did not prepare, but
merely signed the letter given out as
his own from Beverly, Mass, Septem
Der 13, e1onerating Secretary Balm
ger, is charged specifically in a signed
statement made public today by Fred
erick M. Kerby, stenographer to Secre-
tary Bnllinger. The letter which pur-
ported to come from the president,
Kerby says was dictated to him by Os-
car Lawler of Los Angeles, Cal, as
sistant attorney general for the interior
department, who was aided in the prep
aration Of it by Ballinger.
The letters were the work Of Secre-
tary Carr, Assistant Secretary Frank
Pierce, Land Commissioner Fred Den
nett and other interior department Of
fcers. In other words, according TO
Kerby, the interior department. pre-
pared its own vindication, and the
president adopted it, signed and pub
lished it as his own.
Cause Of Sensation.
Kerby's statement created profound
sensation. The stenographer is a Sun
day school superintendent and was on
picnic with his class today, He seems
to have told the story to some one,
presumably ex-Secretary Garfield, by
whom he was appointed, after news
agency had spent two weeks trying to
get him to give out the statement by
offers of employment as remunerative,
as the job he now holds. Kerby ap-
pealed to ex-Secretary Garfield for ad-
vice and his patron advised him to
make it public. He Will be summoned
as witness and new line of sensa-
tional testimony may be brought out
before the investigating committee. Re
peated efforts to get from the president
and attorney general any explanation
Of an alleged divergence between the
actual date and the alleged date Of the
attorney generals statement was at
first refused. Then the divergence WAS
admitted. An effort to get tho Lawler
memorandum was fatty refused. After
the disclosures by Kerby today it was
hurried to the Investigating committee
to compare with the president IS alleged
letter. The first paragraph and many
other parts were found to be Identical
Another significant feature Is the fact
that while the resolution called for all
correspondence and memorandum and
should have included the Lawler mem,
orandum, 1t did not.
Notes Were Burned.
Kerby says that the memorapdum
uScu III JDe preparation Oh Lne lDVIcT
for President Taft to sign was all care
fully burned at the direction of Carr,
Ballinger's IS secretary, in room IN the
interior department. And Carr told
Kerby to lose his stenographer' book
containing the dictation from Lawler.
Kerbv kept it and Ballinger's s enemies
now have it. There is much disgust
among friends and supporters of Sec
retary Ballinger at the unnecessary
mystery and bungling Of the case on
the part of the administration.
Oscar Lawler, assistant attorney gen
eral Of the interior department, of
which Richard A. Ballinger is the head.
did in fact prepare a draft Of a let
ter addressed to Secretary Ballinger.
and in such form and phrase that it
might have been adopted verbatim and
signed by the president as Mr.. Taft's
exoneration of the secretary from the
charges Of Il. Fl, CLAWS and authorizing
the dismissal Of CLAWS from his posi-
tion Of special agent of the interior de-
partment.
This draft by Mr.. Lawler was deliv-
cred this afternoon TO the BalGnger
Pinchot committee and ordered spread
upon the records of the Investigation.
Careful comparison Of the Lawler draft
that Mr.. Taft did in fact adopt practi
cally verbatim two short paragraphs OF
Mr.. LAWYERS language. The substance
of the two documents is otherwise wide
ly dissmilar.
The draft prepared by Assistant At
torney General Iawler. and the letter
actually written and made public by
Continued on Page Two.