The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-07-27
Taft Scores Scandal Mongers
in Special Message to Congress

ton. the president takes occasion 20
answer severaI incidental criticisms.
Inc order has been criticised be-
cause It was not in the form Of
proclamation. instead OF an ORDER
ne writes. This was determined by
Mr. Graves. the forester, he explains.
ana ne quotes a letter OF Mr.. Graves
to the effect that when compara-
lively small area is eliminated from 1
national forest the executive order is
very commonly used instead Of :
proclamation.
AS to the charge made on the floor
or the senate that the order was se-
cret, the president says, "This was
utterly unfounded," In sunnort ~
this, he says that ten DAYS before the
order was made the details of Ryan,s
application and the probability Of its
being granted were given wide pub
licity He cites in this respect thai
the Associated Press carried an ac-
count Of the matter October 2s. 1910
as taken from typewritten state
ment issued by the interior depart
ment.
| The order has also been criticised
ne says, on the ground that 1t did not
contain provision delaying it's taking
ERECT for thirty days after its publi-
cation, as orders restoring land to set
tlement by homesteaders freouentlv
I 40. In this respect the president saws
An examination Of the record fur
nlshes an explanation of this feature
OF the order as made. When In oc-
toper the two departments had agreed
with my acquiscence that the order
should De an elimination OF only AGO
acres 1t was deemed visa
70 spread on the face of the order !
speclrlc declaration that it was mada
20 aIIord terminals for the Controller
Railway ~ Navigation Co. and as
no one else was expected to intervene
ana take up any part Of the eliminated
IacI the restoration was made i'm
mediate. The form thus amended was
submitted TO the secretary of aeri-
culture VINO expressed his preferences
LOT the immediate restoration order
When directed the striking out re
the reference to the railway conpanv
and the enlargement OF the area from,
$50 acres to 1880 acres thu forn,
OF the order in It's provision for Inn
mediate restoration was not ohanoeas
nave no doubt that this was tha
reason why the order issued toolr tba
form 1t did. Had the postnonen,anI
clause been suggested, I would. doubts
less, have directed 1T to BE- enhnagas
In the order But the event has proven
that 1t was really not important IL
TINS case, for in now nearly nina
months only the Controller RAILWAY
q Navigation Co. has made anv
scrip entries on the eliminated tract I"
Taking up the dick to Dick eni-
sode the president says In conclusion.
Dick to Dick Letter.
Before closing. / desire to alluda ia
"a circumstance which the terms Of
this resolution make apt and relevant.
1t Is statement by one Miss M. +.
Abbott that In an examination of the
files Of the interior department i few
weeks ago. she found postscript at
tached to letter Of July 13. 1910 ad-
dressed by Richard s. RYAN -
secretary Ballinger--and In the nres.
ent record--urging the elimination ~
land enough for terminals for tba
Controller Railway e. Navisatfon
Co. The postscript was said to read
as follows
Dear D.: went Il, ga a..
president the other da~. He azlred -
who It was I represented. told him
according to our agreement thar
represented myself. But this didn,h
seem to satisfy him. So / sent for
Charlie Taft and asked him to tell
his brother, the president. who It was
] really represented. The presidents,
made no further objection to my claim.
Yours
Dick
The postscript Is NOT now oa ths
Tiles OF the department. If it were Il
would be my duty to transmit it un-
der this resolution. do not trans
NIT Il, not only for the reason that n
Is not now on the files OF the depart.
ment, but for the reason that Is never
was on the files Of the department al
least as an authentic document. who
- really responsible for its wicked
fabrication If it ever existed or YoT
the victously false statement made a.
to its authenticity Is irnmaterial for ia
purpose Of this communication. The
purport of the postscript. and the A..
tention Of the fabricator was. to malr9
Richard 8. Ryan testify through
lts words to the public that althonrh
was at first opposed In the public
interest to granting the elimination
which ne requested, nevertheless
the undue Influence Of nv