The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-07-27
Taft, in Special Message to the SEN
ate, Takes All Of the Response.
blIity for the Complicated
Alaska Case.
NO MONOPOLY THERE
Says There is no Danger of the eua-
senhelm Syndicate Gobbllna up
Everything Which Is
In Sight

WASHINGTON, July 27.-President
Taft sent special message to the
senate shouldering full responsibility
for opening for settlement and do.
velopment 12.S00 acres of the Chugacb
National Forest Reserve In Alaska--
an incident which has become to he
known as the Controller Bay affair
In concluding, he brands the now
famous Dick to Dick postscriat as
wicked fabrication and says that
Charles P. Taft, whose name appear-
ed IN the alleged postscript, has no
interest In Alaska, never had and
knows nothing of the circumstances
connected with this transaction. .
Moreover, the president adds. his
brother does not even remember that
he ever met Richard S. Ryan. repre-
senting the Controller Railway and
Navigation Company.
AS for eliminating the land in Dues
tion from the reserve, the president
says that there ist no danger of the
Controller 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-Gua-
genheim interests. Hence. he be-
lieyes that in eliminating the land he
has acted for the best interests OF
the nation
wish to be as specific as possible
upon this point" says the president
IN his message, "and to say that I
alone am responsible for the enlarge-
merit Of the proposed elimination from
800 acres to IL 500 acres, and that I
proposed the change and stated my
reasons therefore. The thing which
the territory of Alaska needs is de-
velopment, and where rights and fran
chisea can be properly granted to en-
courage Investment and construct a
railroad without comforting exclusive
privileges, believe it be in accord
ance with good policy to grant them. ;"
Accompanying the presidents mes
sage are documents, reports and maps
bearing on the case as requested from
hlm by senate resolution Of June q
last. Il deem it wise" says the mes
sage, TO accompany the submission
OF these documents with a statement
In narrative form of the action of the
administration with the reasons there
Tor. Here follows a description of
controller Bay and environs and a
map showing the effect of withdraw
Ing the much mooted 12,S00 acres
from the reserve. The president
then takes up the thread of his mar
rative as concerns the events that
precipitated the controversy.
He relates how Ryan, representing
the Controller Railway and Naviga-
tion Company applied in 1909 for the
elimination of a tract to enable this
company to secure railroad terminals.
etc. The application was referred to
the forestry bureau and. then to the
navy department with view that
perhaps the navy desired to use Con-
troller Bay as a reservation. The
forestry interests found no objection
to the elimination of the tract indi-
Gated, "or indeed" as the president
writes, ito the elimination of $4,000
acres in the northwest shore of Con-
troller Bay
The navy departments answer was
negative says the president, and
after the matter had been considered
by the secretary of agriculture, by
the secretary of the interior and the
general land Office recommends
ton was made to him that 800 acres,
with a frontage of 100 rods on the
northwest shore of Controller Bay,
be thrown open,