The Washington times., 1911-07-27
TAFT MESSAGE
HITS P|NCHOT
AND ROOSEVELT
Executive Takes Issue
Squarely With Former
President.
Continued from First Page.)

Continued from First Page)
specific instances of corrupt or improp
er attempts to acquire vested interest.
in Alaska have been shown by evidence
that would stand the test of judicial ex
animation. Notwithstanding this. how,
ever" Then the printed story re
sumes the quotation as it appears II
the official record.
Pinchot Reiterates.
'-rhe Presidents defense shows how
hard it is to make a good excuse for a
bad mistake begins Mr.. Pinchot And
farther on Mr.. Pinchot charges that
the mile and a half of harbor front
taken up by Ryan does effectually con-
troll the valuable portion of the chan
mel" And farther:
THE public will agree with Colonel
Roosevelt that those terminal lands
ought to have been kept in the public
hands"
MIR. Pinchot declares positively and
Gnqualifiedly that Ryan had the benefit
Of advance information, and that it
enabled him to get to the lands ahead
of all possible competitors. On this
point he says:
The President denies that there was
any element of secrecy. But Mr.. Taft
does not mention that ON THE DAY
HE SIGNED THE ORDER AND NOTI-
FLED THE PRESS IN WASHINGTON,
Ryan's surveying party was in Alaska,
and that by November /, or four days
after the order was made, they had
begun a survey of the Ryan claims on
Controller Bay. The omission of the
customary thirty days notice to the
public that the lands would be opened
gave Ryan what he wanted. 1t. cut off
all chance for a competitor to locate on
the terminal lands until after Ryan had
made his selection"
The PinchOt statement indicates the
confidence with which the Adu9inistra-
tion critics intend to so ahead with the
detailed investigation of the whole
Alaska situation and especially of this
Controller Bay affair. The statement in
full follows:
''The Presidents defense of his course
in the Controller Bay affair shows how
hard il is to make a good excuse for a
bad mistake.
Claims Ryan Has Advantage.
1T leaves the root of the matter
wholly untouched. In spite of all ex-
plantations, the fact remains that Mr..
Taft, in opening the lands around Con-
troller bay without notice to the public,
has given the interests behind Ryan an
opportunity to acquire the key to the
channel of Controller bay before the
public knew what was going on. The
map which is part of the Presidents 8
message, supported as ii is by the tes-
timony of Mr.. Graves, of the Coast and
Geodetic Survey, before the Congress
sional committee now investigating this
question, appears to show that the mile
and half Of harbor front taken up by
Ryan, together with the tracts which
the Government retains, and on which
it prohibits private entry, does effectuaI-
ly control the valuable portion of the
channel.
Roosevelt Vindicated.
But whether the President is right
or whether the map is right, and who
ever Ryan and his associates will be
shown to represent, it is true, and will
remain true. that the lands about Con-
troller Bay should never have been let
go. Tho public will agree with Colonel
Roosevelt that these terminal lands
ought to have been kept in the public
hands.
The sC-called BaIlinger-Pinchot inves-
tigation opened the eyes of the public
tC the extensive and successful efforts
which are being made to monopolize
the resources of Alaska. The facts de-
Vcloped by this investigation constituted
Il solemn warning and a call upon the
Executive Cor special WatchfulneSs in
protecting public property in Alaska
In view Of the need for firm and
careful policy thus emphasized, 1t was
the Presidents duty to hold the ter
minal lands around Controller bay in
Government ownership. AS with the
coal lands, the title to the harbor lands, |
which are the key to the coal lands, |
should have been held, in any event |
until Congress could act. In the mean |
time, contrary to the general impress |
were in a national forest made them |
fully and promptly available under lease |
for every proper use, yet held them sub |
ject to Governmental supervision and |
control.
Monopoly Peril Raised.
THE President is right when he saws
that what Alaska needs is development, |
but no legitimate development of the |
harbor front on Controller bay has been |
and can be proposed that could not pro- |
ceed as we'll and as rapidly under suit
able lease on Government land as on |
private land. So long as these terminal
ands remained in Government owner |
ship no one could monopoiize the har-
Dor. The moment any of them passed |
lOpoly began. The fact remains, and |
he public will not forget, that before
he Executive order Of October 28, Con-
roller bay was both available for de-
'elopment and safe against monopoly.
Now it is no longer safe.
This Is abundantly proved, not only
D0IIDFD rFMFNT H0lIcE Il