The Topeka state journal., 1911-07-27

u
this case. for in now nearly nine
months only the Controller Railway &
Navigation company has made any
scrip entries on the eliminated tract
Taking up the 'Dick TO Dick" epi-
sode the president says IN conclusion:
The Dick to Dick Letter.
Before closing, I desire to allude to
a circumstance which the terms OF
! this resolution make apt and relevant
1t is statement by one Miss NJ. r
Abbott that in an examination of the
files of the interior department a few
weeks ago, she found a postscript at
tached to a letter of July 13. 1910,
addressed by Mr.. Richard S. Ryan to
Secretary Ballinger-and IN the present
record-urging the elimination of land
enough for terminals for the COntroll-
er Railway & Navigaticn company.
The postscript was said to read as fol-
j lows:
'T went to see the president the
other day. He asked me who it was
I represented. I told bin according
to our agreement, that 1 represented
myself. But this didn't seem to salts
fy him. So l sent for Charles Taft
and asked him to tell his brother, the
president, who it was I really repre-
sented. The president made no fur
ther objection to my claim.
"'Yours,
i" DICK"
THE postscript is not now on the
! files of the departm ent. If It were it
would be my duty to transmit it under
this resolution do not transmit it.
| not only for the reason that it is not
now on the files of the department, but
for the reason that it never was on the
files of the department, at least as an
authentic document. Who is really
responsible for its wicked fabrication
/ if it ever existed, or for the ViciOuSly
false statement made as to its authen-
ITCHY, is immaterial for the purpose of
/ this communication. The purport of
the postscript is, and the intention of
/ the fabTicatOr was, to make Mr. Rich
ard S. Ryan testify through it's words
| to the public that although / was at
first opposed in the pubic interest to
granting the elimination which he re-
quested. nevertheless through the un-
due influence of my brother, Mr..
Charles P. Taft, and the disclosure of
the real persons in interest. 1 was in
duced improperly and for the promo
ton of their private gain. to make the
order.
Everybody Denies 1t.
1.-THE statement, in so far as my
brother is concerned=and that is the
chief feature of the postscript-is ut
terly unfounded. He never wrote to
me or spoke to me in reference to
Richard S. Ryan or on +he subject of
| Controller bay or the granting of any
| privileges or the making of any orders
| in respect to Alaska. He has no inter-
est in Alaska, never had, and knows
nothing of the circumstances connect
ed with this transaction He does not
remember that he ever net Richard S.
Ryan. He never heard of the Con-
trolIer Bay railroad until my cable
gram of inquiry reached him, which.
with his answer, is in the record.
Mr.. Ballinger says in a telegram in
answer to my inquiry, both of which
are in the record, that he never re-
ceived such a postscript and that he
was in Seattle on the date of July 13,
when it was said to have been written.
'Mr. Richard S. Ryan. in a letter
which he has sent me without solici-
tation. and which is ir the record,
says that he never met my brother,
Mr.. Charles P. Taft, ard that so far
as he knows, Mr.. Charles P. Taft never
had the slightest interest in Controller
bay, in the Controller Railway &
Navigation company, or in any Alaska
company, and he utterly denies writ
ing or signing the alleged postscript.
The utter improbability Of his writing
such a postscript to Mr.. Ballinger at
Washington, when the latter was away
for his vacation for two months, must
impress everyone.
BaIIinger Never Saw 1t.
1.-The fact is that Mr.. Ballinger never
saw the letter of July 13. 1910, to
/
been attached. 1t was sent to me by
Mr.. Carr, Mr.. Ballinger's private sec
retary. at Beverly. on July 1.-THE
next day. I read the letter at Beverly
in August with other papers and sent
them to the White House. 1t was
placed upon the White House files and
remained there until ALril %, 1911,
when it was. by request of Secretary
Fisher. returned to the interior de-
i partment, and it was after this that
Miss Abbott says she saw the letter
with the postscript attached. Mr..
Carr saw no such postscript when he
sent the letter to me. I did not see
it when I read it. No one saw it in the
executive Office, but it remained to ap-
pear as a postscript when Miss Abbott
saw the letter in April or May on the
files of the interior department. All
others were denied the sight.
1.-The person upon whose stateme ent
the existence of what has been proper
ly characterized as an amazing post
script is based is a writec for the news
! papers and magazines. She was given
permission by Secretary Fisher, after
consultation with me, to examine all
the files in respect to the Controller
bay matter-and this under the super
vision of Mr. Brown, then private sec
retary to the secretary of the interior.
After the examination, at which she
alleges she received this postscript
from the hand of Mr.. Brc wn, she pre-
pared an elaborate article on the sub
ject of this order and Controller bay,
which she submitted to Mr.. Fisher at
length but never in the conversation
did she mention the existence of the
postscript. Mr.. Brown, who was with
her at the time and showed her the
files, testifes that there was no such
postscript in the papers, and that he
never handed her and she never saw
such a postscript there, Similar evil
dence is given by Mr.. Carr and other
custodians of the records in the in
terror departm ent-
He Is Bitter.
stronger evidence of the falsity and
1nalicin1lslv sIanderous character of the