Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-07-27
IAF1 SHOULDERS
alaskan BURDEN
TAKES FULL RESPONSIBILITY
FOR OPENING CONTROLLER
BAY LANDS.
"Dlck TO DICK" LETTER
BRANDED As FABRICATION
Denies Brother Dick Was Interested
In Affair or That 10 Had Dealings
With Richard s. Ryan-Prssident, in
Message to Congress, Says Law Pre-
vents Grab.


vents Grab.
Washington. July 27.-President Taft
sent special message to the senate
late Wednesday, shouldering full re-
sponsibility for opening for settlement
and development 1880 acres of the
Chugach national forest reserve in
Alaska-an incident which has become
to be known as the Controller bay af-
fair"
In concluding he brands the now
famous Dick to Dick postscript as
wicked fabrication" and says thar
Charles p. Taft. whose name appeared
In the alleged postscript, mas no inter-
est in Alaska, never had. and knows
nothing of the circumstances con-
nected with the transaction" More
over, the president adds. his brother
does not even remember that he ever
met Richard S. Ryan, representing the
Controller Railway and Navigation
Company.
AS for eliminating the land In ques-
ton from the reserve, the president
says that there is no danger of the
Controller Railway and Navigation
Company or any .other interests mo-
nopolizirg the field and nothing TO
show that this company Is in any way
connected with the Acknowledgment
helm interests. Hence. he believes that
in eliminating the land he has acted
FOR the best interests Of the nation.
Proposed Change Himself.
"I wish to be as specific as possible
upon this point" says the president in
his message. "and to say that I alone
am responsible for the enlargement CT
the proposed elimination from 800
acres to 1880 acres. and that I pro-
posed the change and stated my rea-
sons therefore.
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 without
confering exclusive privileges, I be-
lieye it 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 from
him by a senate resolution Of June 27
last.
II deem 1t wise,'' says the message,
Ito accompany the submission or
these documents with a statement IN
narrative form of the action Of the ad-
ministration, with the reasons there
fore"
Description Of Controller Bay.
Here follows a description Of Con-
troller bay and environs and map
showing the effect Of Withdrawing the
much mooted 1880 acres from the re-
serve. The president then takes up
the thread Of his narrative as con-
Germs the events that precipitated the
controversy.
He relates how Ryan, representing
the Controller Railway and Navigation
Company, applied in 1909 for the elm
nation Of q tract to enable this COM
pany to secure railroad terminals, etc.
The application was referred to the Tor
estry bureau and then to the navy de-
partment, with a view that perhaps the
navy desired to use Controller bay as
reservation.
The forestry interests found no OBJ
lection to the elimination of the tract
indicated, cor indeed" as the president
writes, "to the elimination Of $4,000
acres in the northwest shore OF Con-
troler bay"
The navy departments answer was
"neeatiye." says the president, and af-
ter the matter had been considered by
the secretary Of agriculture, by the
secretary of the interior. and the gen.
eral land office, a recomm endation was
made to him that $50 acres with.
frontage Of 100 rods on the northwest
shore Of Controller bay be thrown
open.
Objects TO Suggested Order.
A formal order to 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 it. 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 benefit
OF a railroad company Of a tract OF
land which the company could not by
lawful entry secure, for 1t was a tract
OF $40 acres in one body, when only
100 acres could thus be acquired. In
the second place, 7 preferred to make
a much larger elimination Of a tract
facing the entire channel, and with
sufficient room for q terminal railway
town.
II was willing to do this because I
found the restrictions in the law suf-
ficiently to prevent the possibility OF
any monopoly of either the upland or
the harbor or channel by the Controller
Railway and Navigation Company or
any other persons or company.
Larger Elimination Directed.
Because of a lack Of time sufficient
to draft memorandm myself, I re-
uuested the secretary Of the interior,
who, with the secretary of agriculture,
after full discussion, had agreed In my
conclusion, to prepare letter setting
forth the reasons for making the large
elimination, SO that 1t might become a
part Of the record.
'I wish to be as specific as possible
upon this point, and to say that alone
am responsible for the enlargement Of