The Washington herald., 1911-07-09
LAND GRAB OPENS
ATTACK ON TAFT
Cox Resolution in the House
Demands Explanation.
RYAN LETTER PUBLISHED
Democrats Seize Opportunity 10 At
tack ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Is
Called Upon TO Explain Controller
Bay Incident-Note to BaIIinser
Published by Woman Investigator.

The Democrats in the House, in their
wild rush after political capital, have
turned now to the Controller Bay Incl
dent in Alaska. The zeal OF the Dem
ocrats in their hunt for evidence that
may be turned against President Taft's
political ambitions is surpassed only by
that of Senator La Toilette and other
insurgents, who are grasping in despera-
ton at anything which may be turned
to account in stemming the tide of Taft
popularity that is fast overwhelming
them.
Senator La Toilette is busy stirring UP
stories in regard to the so-called Con-
troller Bay Withdrawals of land, and the
Democrats have promptly undertaken to
roll the La Toilette ball along. Repre-
sentative Cox, of Indiana, yesterday in
troduced a resolution in the House call
ing upon President Taft to inform the
House If he was induced" to withdraw
the Controller Bay water front from the
Chugach forest reserve and throw ii
open to entry either by his brother,
Charles P. Taft, or by Richard S. Ryan,
a ''secret agent !, of the Guggenheim
syndicate
Just about the time Mr.. Cox was pre-
pairing this resolution the House Com
mittee on Expenditures in the Interior
Department was in executive session. de-
Gliding to begin on Monday an inquiry
into the Controller Bay tangle. This
committee wants to know, ii is said, if
1t is true that since the President issued
his withdrawal order in October. 1910.
the Guggenheim syndicate has obtained
control of the Controller Bay water front
through entries by Richard S. Ryan
The Controller Bay water front is the
only property available for railroad
terminus having access TO the great coal
fields of Alaska, and it is contended that
the control of this property win amount
to a control of the fields themselves,
through monopoly of the transportation
facilities.
Ryan Denies Charges.
Ryan. who is New York promoter,
has always insisted that he has no con-
nection with the Guggenheims. and that
he made his entries on these lands for
the purpose of building an independent
railroad The withdrawal of the land
was made by President Taft upon the
recommendation of the Forestry Bureau
of the Department of Agriculture. The
entries made by Ryan are not final and
are yet to be passed upon by the De-
partment of the Interior.
The Controller Bay situation has been
revived through the publication of a
postscript to a letter which a woman
writer claims to have found in files in
the Department of the Interior. This post
script purports to have been written by
Ryan to Richard A. Ballinger, in July,
1910. Mr.. Ballinger was then Secretary
of the Interior. AS published by the
woman investigator, the postscript read:
Dear Dick: went to see the Presi-
dent the other day about this Controller
Bay affair. The President asked me
whom / represented. told him, accord
ing to our agreement, that 1 represented
myself. but that didn't seem to satisfy
him, so sent for Charlie Taft and ask
ed him to tell his brother who it was
represented. The President made no
further objection TO my claim. Yours,
DICK"
President Taft's critics are seeking to
convey the impression that his brother,
Charles P. Taft, informed him that the
The story of Charles P. Taft having
interested himself in the matter was dis
credited at the White House Friday be-
fore the President left Washington, and
it is said that no such postscript can be
found in the file of the Interior Depart
ment. Secretary OF the Interior Fisher
is, however, out Of town, and no official
statement viii be made from that de-
partment until his return.
Cox Is Persistent.
''I am going to push my resolution
through the Rules Committee if it can
be DONE" said Mr.. COX last night. "If
the committee fails to act, will bring
it up on the floor of the House. There is
something radically wrong about this
whole transaction. Baked by the refusal
of the government TO allow the Cum
ningham coal claims, this gang in Wall
street is evidently determined to secure
control of this coal land by hook or
crook
After the meeting of the House Com
mittee on Expenditures In the Interior
Department. Chairman Graham said he
had issued a subpoena for Commissioner
of the General Land Office bennett.