The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-07-29

tive order of Oct. %, 1910. that 1t bas
been demonstrated by the foregoing
that no public interest has suffered
from its issue, that great good may
come from il and that no dishonest or
improper motive is needed to explain
II. | might. therefore, stop here; but,
rather, for the purpose Of the moral
/ To be drawn from them than TO vim
dictate the order, propose to consider
] the attacks upon the order that hys-
terra or rancor has prompted.
Order Was Made Public.
The charge has been made that this
was a secret order and that though 1t
WAS made In October, 1910. no one
knew 1t until April, 1911. This is ut
terly unfounded. The statement OF
Mr.. Vernon. the correspondent Of the
! Post -lntelligencer of Seattle. news
paper OF wide circulation among PEG
pie mot interested In Alaska, shows
that ten days before the order was
made news Of the details Of Ryan's
application and the probability Of Its
being granted was given wide public
ny. IL further appears from the rec
orls Of the interior department that
the evening the order was signed, Oct.
y. 1910. full notice of the issue OF
the order and it's details was furnish
ed 10y the department to all CORE.
spondcnts in the form Of news bul-
lciin. Finally the agent Of the Asso-
lated Press certities that nj 1.23 y. ~,
Oct. Is 1910, there was sent out 10y
that association TO all its newspaper
nrnts telegram taken from type
written statement issued by the in
terror department as follows:
washington. oct. Approximately IL
I 80 acres Of land in the Chugach National
/ forest Alaska have been restored by the
/ ~, rileht Tor disposition under appropri'
ate !. nd laws. according 10 Information
/ made public today by the Interior depart
mont These lands are situated on the
/ coast line u Controller bay. in southern
/ Alaska. near the Cunningham claims. and
J sn,o bcrn found upon examination TO be
/ ~ little Nalnc for forestry purposes
II would be difficult to prepare an
advertisement more informing 10 the
/ .nblir or more likely to attract the at
/ icalion of all likely TO desire acqulsi-
Il lion ~ land on Controller bay. On the
+ 2sh the chef forester sent telegram
making a similar announcement 10 his
/ district forester nj Portland. ore.
The order has been attacked on the
T .r1uud that It did not contain a pro
+ vision delaying its taking effect for
thirty days after its publication. as
riders restoring land 10 settlement by
/ aDmc tcadrIs frequently DO. An eN-
animation 81 the record furnishes an
.,plamnfion Of this feature ~ the or
Ter as made When IN October the
/ two Crpari.nruts had agreed. with my
,rquicsccncc. that the order should b"
/ - elimination II only 30 acres an
rider describing the 32D acres. direct
/ Ing rs restoration to settlement ana
containing ~. usual provision post
poninc its taking effect thirty days
was prepared in the forestry bureau
ana forwarded TO the interior deiart-
ment. There Il was deemed wiser to
spread on the face Of the order n spe-
ciiic declaration that II was made 10
afford terminals for the Controller
Railway and Navigation company. and
a. no one else was expected TO inter
yene ard take mp any part Of the elm
mated tract the restoration was made
immediate
Approved by Secretary.
The form thus amended was submit
ted ~ the secretary Of agriculture. who
expressed his preference for the i'm
medntc restoration order through his
solicitors memorandum on the face
If the order rs follows:
Mr.. Clements. Assistant Attorney In the
Interior Department-We think this o.
The secretary says Il Is the direct way
md appeals TO him.
GEORGE p MCABE.
The idea Of the secretary doubtless
was that the short form Of order was
preferable because on its face 1t was
directly indicative OF the purpose to
secure an opportunity to the railway
company 10y proper entry TO settle on
the land eliminated. and as no one else
was expected TO intervene no postpone
ment was needed. Accordingly when
the case came for decision In the cabi
net the order was without any post
ponement clause. This was the form
sent Inc for my signature by the acting
secretary Of the interior department.
When I directed the striking out Of
the reference TO the railway company
aud the enlargement Of the area from
800 acres TO 1880 acres the form OF
the order I'm its provision for imme
date restoration was not changed. !
have no doubt that this was the rea
son why the order issued took the form
II did Had the postponement clause
been suggested would doubtlessly
have directed II to be embodied in the
order But the event has proven that
II was really not important I'm this
case. for In now nearly nine months
only the Controller Railway Naviga .
ton company has made any scrip en-
tries on the eliminated tract and this
although 1000 acres and three miles I
OF water front still remain open to en- /
try and there are several different rail /
way companies in addition to the Con
troler Railway and Navigation COM
pany that had filed locations for rights
Of way in the vicinity in the last two
years who have had In the last nine
months the fullest notice Of their op-
portunity II they wished to enter on
this land.
The "Dick 10 Dick" Letter.
Before closing desire to allude TO
a circumstance which the terms Of this
resolution make apt and relevant 1t
is n widely published statement at
tributed to newspaper correspondent
that In m examination OF the files OF
the interior department a few weeks
ago a postscript was found attached to
n letter of July 10. 1910. addressed by
Mr. Richard s. Ryan to Secretary Bal
linger-and In the present record-urg-
ing the elimination Of land enough for
terminals for the Controller Railway
and Navigation company. The post
script was said to read as follows:
Dear Dick-I went to see the president
,he other day. He asked me who II was
H. Il