Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1911-07-29
LbeMessenn1
nH1TACkS
HIS CRITICS
Accepts Responsibility For
Opening Controller Bay.
BROTHER NOT INTERESTED
The President In Message Denies That
Corporations Were Specially Favor.
ed In Alaska Grant.

corporations WSIe oPSSie"y Fe'S'
ed In Alaska Grant.
President Taft sent a special mes
sage to the senate. shouldering full re-
sponslbillty for opening for settlement
and development 21,S00 acres OF the
Chugach national forest reserve In
Alaska--an incident which has come
to be known as the Controller Bay
Affair.""
In closing he brands the now ia.
nous Dick to Dick" postscript as a
wicked fabrication" and says that
Charles p. Taft, his brother. whose
name appeared in the alleged post
script, 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 remember that he
ever met Richard S. Ryan. represent
ing the Controller Railway and Navi'
CATION company. The Dick to Dick"
letter which Miss NJ. f. Abbott says
she saw on the files of the depart
ment of the interior, is alleged to have
been written by Ryan to Richard A.
Ballinger, the then secretary of the In.
terror.
As for eliminating the land in cues.
ton from the reserve. the president
says that there is no danger of the
Controller Railway and Navigation
company or any other interests mo-
nopolizing the field, and that there Is
nothing to show that this company is
In any way connected with the Nor
encouragement interests. Hence, he
believes that in eliminating the land
he has acted for the best interests OF
the nation.
II wish to be as specific as possible
upon this point" says the president In
his message. "and TO say that | alone
am responsible for the enlargement Of
the proposed elimination from 800
acres to 1880 acres. and that | pro-
posed the change and stated my rea-
sons therefor.
1.-THE thing which the territory of
Alaska needs Is development. and
where rights and franchises can be
properly granted to encourage invest
ment and construct a railroad with.
out comforting exclusive privileges,
believe 1t TO be In accordance with
good policy to grant them"
Accompanying the presidents mes.
sage are documents. reports and maps
bearing on the case, as requested OF
him by a senate resolution OF June 81.
81 deem II WISE" says the message.
hA t.gfr nj
these documents with statement IL
narrative form OF the action of the ad.
ministration with the reasons there.
for"
Here follows a description of Con-
troler bay and environs and map
showing the effect of Withdrawing the
much mooted 1880 acres from the
reserve. The president then takes up
the thread of his narrative as concerns
the events that preciptated the con.
troversy.
He relates how Ryan, representing
the Controller Railway and Navigation
company. applied in 1909 for the elm.
ination OF n tract to enable his COM
pany TO obtain railroad terminals, etc.
The application was referred to the
forestry bureau and then to the navy
department with view that perhaps
the navy department desired to use
Controller bay as reservation. The
forestry interests found no objection
to the elimination OF the tract indlcat.
ed. "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 at.
ter the subject had been considered
by the secretary Of agriculture. By the
secretary OF the interior. and the gen.
eral land office. n recommendation was
made TO him that 800 acres. with
frontage OF 1860 rods on the northwest
shore OF Controller bay. be thrown
open.
A formal order 10 this effect was
finally submitted to him in October.
1910, but when the matter came before
the cabinet late in that month he found
objection to II. His reasons for taking
this stand he explains in his message,
in part as follows:
Il expressed dissatisfaction with the
order because It purported on its face
to make the elimination for the ben
eft Of railroad company of tract
of land which the company could not
by lawful entry secure. for II was a
tract OF 800 acres In one body. when
only 100 acres could thus he acquired.
In the second place preferred TO
make a much larger elimination Of
tract facing the entire channel and
with sufficient room for terminal
railway town.
Il was willing 10 do this because
found the restrictions in the law suf-
ficient to prevent the possibility OF any
monopoly OF either the upland or the
harbor or channel by the Controller