The Topeka state journal., 1911-07-27
The President of the National
Conservation Association
Says Root of Controller Bay
Matter Is Untouched.
DEFENSE OF COURSE
By Taft Shows How Hard 1t Is,
He Declares
To Make a Good Excuse for a
Bad Mistake.

Washington, July 27.-Gifford Pinchot
former government chief forester and
now president of the National Conser-
vation association, today issued n
statement declaring that President
Taft Leaves the rot of the matter
wholly untouched in his message to
the senate denying that there could be
any monopolization of the water front
of Controller bay Alaska.
Mr.. Pinchot opens his statement with
this charge:
1.-The presidents defense of his course
in the Controller bay affair shows how
hard it is to make good excuse for a
bad mistake"
Concluding, Mr.. Pinchot says:
1T is unfortunate that the friends of
conservation, in their efforts to bring
about the development of Alaska for
the benefit of the people, are contin
ually obliged to expend their strength
against the men who ought to be the
protectors of the peoples property. 1t
looks to me like unnecessary duplica-
tion of Work-when we must first fight
the policemen before we can get
chance to stop the looting."
Pinchot's statement in Full.
Mr.. Pinchot's statement follows:
1.-THE presidents defense of his course
in the Controller bay affair shows how
| hard it is to make a good excuse for d
bad mistake.
'.It leaves the root of the matter
wholly untouched. In spite of all ex
plantations, the fact remains that Mr..
Taft. in opening the lands around Con
troller bay without notice to the public,
has given the interests behind Ryan an
opportunity to acquire the key to the
channel of Controller bay before th9
public knew what was going on The
map, which is a part of the presidents s
message, supported as it is by the tss-
timony of Mr.. Graves of the coast and
! geoGetic survey, and the congressional
committee now investigating the ques-
tions, appears to show that the mile
and a half of harbor front taken up by
Ryan, together with the tracts which
| the government retains and on which it
prohibits private entry, does effectually
| control the valuable portion Of the
channel
But whether the president is right
or whether the map is right and who
ever Ryan and hts associates will be
shown to represent. it IS true and will
remain true, that the lands about Con-
tro1ler bay should never have been let
go. The public viii agree with Colons
Roosevelt that these terminal lands
ought to have been kept in the public
hands.
srThe so-called BalIinger- Pinchot in
vestigation opened the eyes of the pub
lie to the extensive and successful eft
forts which are being made to monop-
olize the resources of Alaska.
Solemn Warning.
THE facts developed by this investi-
cation constituted a solemn warming
and a call on the executive for special
watchfulness in protecting public prop
erty in Alaska. In view Of the need for
a firm and careful policy thus empha-
sized, it was the presidents duty to hold
| the terminal lands around Controller
bay in government ownership. AS with
the coal lands, the title to the harbor
lands, which are the key to the coal
lands, should have been held, in any
event until congress could act. In the
meantime. contrary to the general int-
fco,4iv,,,od ~, pa,ro r-;o4+