The Sentinel=record., 1911-07-11
CONTROLLER
 BAY INQUIRY
IMPORTANT LETTERS FROM RYAN TO BALLiNGER CAN.
 NOT BE LOCATED.
Letter Purported to Show That chas. Taft Influenced His Brother to Aid Efforts of Gugeenheim
 Coal Interests.

Washington, July 10.-The story of a vanishing letter both addressed and signed Dick" from Richard s. Ryan of New York, to Richard A. Balling- Ter, then Secretary. of the Interior, purporting to show that Charles P. Taft had influenced his brother, Pres ident Taft, to forward the alleged at- tempt of the Guggenheim interests to acquire Controller Bay, the only outlet for large coal lands in south ern Alaska, figured in a congression- al inquiry begun today.
 The testimony before the house committee on expenditures in the of fees failed to lift the mystery en- shrouding the alleged letter. Com missioner Dennett of the General Land Office, the only witness today, testified that he knew nothing of it and that he would not necessarily know Of it's existence, and such q letter was not recalled in any other quarter. The letter was not to be found in the files, though Miss M. F. Abbott, newspaper writer who will testify later. says she copied such 9 document from the official files. Pres fdent Taft has expressed confidence that his brother never communicated with him on the subject either orally or in writing.
 Miss Abbott already subpoenaed as a witness, probably will appear be- fore the committee Wednesday.
 Commissioner Dennett testified to- day that some time between the framing of the first draft and that of the final order opening the Control Ter Bay lands to entry the usual pro vision was eliminated which would have required sixty days notice from anyone intending to file on the lands He did not know who struck it out and did not attach much i'm portance or mystery to that point but replying to questions, said The effect of the commission would be to give advantage to those on the ground who happened to know of the order. It was explained later that this order was given to the press at the time.
 Among the witnesses the commit tee will summon, is Ashmun Brown, a Seattle newspaper man, who was private secretary to Secretary Ball. finger and who, according to Miss Abbott. was present when she saw the alleged Ryan Ballinger letter.
 Commissioner Dennett examined w. P. Fennell, counsel for the com mittee,. who said the Cunningham coal land claims were under investi gation before the Controller Bay land was opened to entry under executive order. This land had ben withdrawn in 1907.
 Just prior then to the start of the Cunningham case" said Mir. Fennell the Controller Bay lands had been withdrawn and were in the power of the president?
 "Yes.
 Mr. Dennett declared the executive order opening the lands had not been held up by the interior department. He said the proclamation was sign ed october 2S, printed copies receiv- ed five days later and on the next day sent to the register of the gen. eral land office at Juneau, Alaska, to be posted and made public there in the customary way.
 Chairman Graham of the commit tee asked Mir. Dennett to furnish cop les of all telegrams and correspond ence regarding the claims and the re- port dealing with the surveys made there
 Secretary Fisher of the Interior De- partment issued statement today concerning the interview attributed to Miss Abbott, in which she refer red to postscript to a letter from MT. Ryan to Secretary Ballinger.
 No reference whatever" said Mir. Fisher, twas made in this interview to what Miss Abbott calls the amaz- ing postscript which she says she found attached to letter to Secre- tary Ballinger from Mir. Ryan. nor was this postscript ever mentioned or referred to in any other interview which have ever had with Miss Ab- bot or anyone else prior to it's publi- cation in a Philadelphia newspaper. T am told upon my return today