The Washington times., 1911-07-27
THE PRESIDENTS CONTROL.
LER BAY DEFENSE.

Colonel Roosevelt, when President,
regarded these lands as so important
that he personally locked them in the
strong-box of a forest reserve. Mr..
Taft took them out, at Ryan's request,
and by a process which made certain
that Ryan would get what he wanted
ahead of any possible competitor.
Mr.. Pinchot is prompt to come for
ward and number himself among those
whom the President assails as guilty
of "wantOn recklessness and eagerness"
in attempts to besmirch the characters
of high officials having to do with
Alaskan government, and even of per-
sons not in public life.''
Mr.. Roosevelt came earlier and barred
his back to the lash of Executive cas-
tigation, with his Outlook article last
week, in which he declared that the real
question is not who has been given
these lands; the real point is that NO
BODY ought to have been given them.
Minor muckrakers, malefactors, and
wicked persons indulging "unscrupu-
lous and corrupt Misrepresentation"
will accept their modicum of the casti-
cation with such complacency as may
fortify them in view of the excellent
company they are keeping.
With all its violence of attack, the
Presidents message does not get to
those things which all his critics have
regarded as the essentials. These may
be stated as five in number:
l. President Taft did take these lands
out of the forest reserve and put them
where Ryan could get them. This ex-
actly reversed the policy of Roosevelt,
who put them IN the reserve in order
that nobody should get them.
3 Ryan had advance information that
the lands were to be opened. Mr.. Pin
chot's statement, issued today in re-
ply to the President, fatty and unqual-
itiedly says:
MR.. TAFT DOES NOT MENTION
THAT ON THE DAY HE SIGNED
THE ORDER RYAN'S SURVEYING
PARTY WAS ALREADY IN ALASKA,
AND THAT BY NOVEMBER l, OR
FOUR DAYS AFTER THE ORDER
WAS MADE, AND BEFORE GOVERN
MENT OFFICIALS IN ALASKA HAD
BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE ORDER,
THEY HAD BEGUN A SURVEY OF
THE RYAN CLAIMS.
3. The President makes the point that
he did not give Ryan possible monop-
oily, because he opened 1880 acres and
Ryan took only 320 acres.
Mr.. Pinchot retorts to this by show
ing that experts before the Graham
committee showed that this small area
taken by Ryan guarded the entire use
full and available harbor waters. Ryan
got all he needed to perfect his monop-
oily of the harbor.
The President points out that the
lands left by Ryan have not yet been
taken by anybody, which he assumes
to indicate that none of the lands
opened have much value. To the con-
trary, it shows that the remaining
l2,4SO acres have no value BECAUSE
all the value was controlled by the
Ryan lands.
4. The President does not in any
wise discuss the irregularity which in
volved the surveys. This is the crux
of the whole matter. There are no
surveys in Alaska, practically. This
survey was necessary before Ryan could
file on his claims. On the record the
Ryan surveying party began making
the survey on November l. That was
four days after the executive order
had been signed in Washington. 1t
was two days before the executive Or
der was put in the mails at Washing
ton, directed to the Federal officers in
Alaska Commissioner bennett so tes-
titled to the Graham committee.
But as a matter of fact this is not
what happened at all. The Ryan sur
vey was made long BEFORE the exec
utive order was issued. Having assur-
ance that the order was to be issued, |
Ryan made the survey BEFORE the
order was issued, then dated it as of |
a period AFTER the orders issuance.
Ryan has admitted this; Secretary
Fisher knows it. 1t is a feature of the
case for which there is no defense, and |
of which, therefore, NO DEFENSE is
OFFERED. The President, with all the
vigor and enthusiasm of his excoria-
ton of his critics, omits any single
word about the real basis of the charge
that the proceeding was irregular.
5. Ryan employed dummy entrymen
to enter this land: his brother and two
members of a New York banking firm
that claimed to be backing Ryan. This
proceeding itself is of doubtful legality.
In the matter of the 'Dick to Dick"
letter, the President is very explicit
and unqualified. He is positive it never
existed.