The Colorado statesman., 1911-07-29
Mr.. TAFT TAKES
ALL The BLAME
DISCUSSES CONTROLLER BAY
MATTER IN SPECIAL
MESSAGE.
NO MONOPOLY EXISTS
SAYS THE THING THE TERRITORY
OF ALASKA NEEDS is
DEVELOPMENT.
western New.paper Union News Service.

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
Washington-In a special message
to the Senate President Taft shoulders
full responsibility for opening for set
tlement and development 1880 acres
of the Chugach national forest reserve
in Alaska-an incident which has
come to be known as the Controller
Bay Affair."
In concluding the brands the now
famous Dick to Dick" postscript as a
wicked fabrication" and says that
Charles p. Taft, whose name appeared
in the alleged postscript, has no in
terest in Alaska, never had, and knows
nothing of the circumstances con-
nected 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 ques-
tion from the reserve, the President
says that there is no danger of the
Controller Railway & Navigation Com
pany or any other interests monopo-
lizing the field, and nothing to show
that this company is in any way con-
nected with the Morgan-Guggenheim
interests.
81 wish to be as specific as possible
upon this point" says the President
in his message, land to say that
alone am responsible for the enlarge
ment of the proposed elimination from
800 acres to 1880 acres, and that
proposed the change and stated my
reasons therefor.
"The thing which the territory ot
Alaska needs is development, and
where rights and franchises can be
properly granted to encourage invest
ment and construct railroad without
comforting exclusive privileges, be-
lieve it to be in accordance with good
policy to grant them"
He relates how Ryan, representing
the Controller Railway & Navigation
Company, applied in 1909 for the elimi-
nation of a tract to enable this COM
pany to secure railroad terminals
etc. The application was referred 10
the forestry bureau and then to the
navy department with view that
perhaps the navy desired to use Con
troller bay as reservation.
The navy departments answer was
negative" says the President. and al
ter the matter had been considered by
the secretary of agriculture, by the
secretary of the interior and the gen
eral land office, recommendation
was made to him that 800 acres with
a frontage of 100 rods on the north
west shore of Controller bay be
thrown open.
A formal order to this effect was
finally submitted to him in OCTOBER,
1910. but when the matter came De-
fore the cabinet late in that month ne
found objection to 1t. His reasons lor
taking this stand he explains in his
message in part as follows:
81 expressed dissatisfaction with
the order because it purported on It's
face to make the elimination for the
benefit of a railroad company OF 4
tract of land which the company could
not by lawful entry secure, for it was
a tract 800 acres in one body when
only 16O acres could thus be, acquired
In the second place, / preferred to
make much larger elimination of
tract facing the entire channel, ana
with sufficient room for a terminal
railway town.
| was willing to do this because
found the restrictions in the law sur
ficient to prevent the possibility OF
any monopoly of either the upland or
the harbor or channel by the Control
Ter Railway & Navigation Company
or any other persons or company. Be
cause of a lack of time sufficient to
draft memorandum myself. l re-
uuested the secretary of the interior,
who, with the secretary of agriculture,
after full discussion, had agreed in
my conclusion, to prepare a letter
setting forth the reasons for making
the larger elimination, so that IT
might become a part of the record
Mutual Insurance for Boulder.