The Mena weekly star., 1911-08-03
TAFT SHOULDERS ALL THE BLAME
srxns SPECIAL MESSAGE TO CONGRESS- TO JUSTIFY CON-
 TROLLER BAY OPENING.
|noo;cs Existence of the Dick to p;ekn Letter and Charges Miss abbott's Story Is Wicked Fab- r;ca,ion"-Pinchot Replies.

Washington, July 27.-President ran sent a message to the senate
 yeslerday afternoon, shouldering responsibility for opening for set tlement and development i2,800 acres of the Chugach National For esl reserve in Alaska-an incident which has become to be known as inc controller Bay Affair. In concluding he brands the now fam one "Dick to Dick" postscript as wicked fabrication and says that Charles P. Taft, whose name ap- hears in the alleged postscript, has no interest in Alaska, never had and knows nothing of the circumstance es connected with this transaction Moreover, the president adds, his brother does not even remember that he ever met Richard $. Ryan
 representing the Controller Bay
 Railway and Navigation Company
 As for eliminating the island in ouestion from the reserve, the president says that there is no dan ger of the Controller Bay Railway and Navigation Company or any other interests monopolizing the field, and nothing to show that this company is in any way connected with the Morgan Guggenheim in leresls. Hence, he believes that in eliminating the land he has acted for the best interests of the nation.
 T wish to be as specific as. pos sible upon this point" says the president in his message, "and to say that I am alone responsible for the enlargement of the proposed elimination from 320 acres to i2,800 acres, and that l proposed the change and stated my reasons therefor. The thing which the ter ritory of Alaska needs is develop ment and where rights and fran chses can be properly granted to encourage investment and con- siruct a railroad without confer ring exclusive priviigels, I believe it to be in accordance with good policy lo grant them.
 Send Many Maps.
 Accompanying the presidents message are documents, reports and maps bearing on the case, as re- quested from him by a senate reso- ution of June 27, last. T deem 1t wise says the message, "to ac- company the submission Of these documents with statement in nar- ratiye form, of the action of the administration, with the reasons therefor.n Here follows a descrip- ton of Controller Bay and environs and a map showing the effect of withdrawing the much mooted F. 800 acres from the reserve. The president then takes up the thread of his narrative as concerns the events that precipitated the contro- yersy.
 The president says that he had every assurance al the time that the Controller Railway and Navigation Company was an independent en- terprise working in all good faith, and that no evidence to the con- trary has since been brought to his attention. 'Of course, it was pos sbIe,n he continues, that the own CTS of the Copper River Railway Company, (Messrs. Morgan and Guggenheim) might attempt to buy this railroad when it was built. It was possible that Mir. Ryan was act ing for the interests of the Copper River railroad, although l did not believe it; but whether this was true or not, it was clear that the order of elimination by reason oi the restrictions of the act Of con- gress would not permit the owners of either railroad to shut out any other capitaisls.' Moreover, he states, the rates to be charged would be always subject to con- gressional control, and if goverfl- ment ownership seemed the vase policy under the peculiar cifcum- stances condemnation was an easy method.