Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-07-29
DEFENDS GRANT
Taft Calls Dick. Dick" let
fer Fabrication.
CITES BROTHERS DtNIAl
fhe President Accepts Responsibilities
For Opening Of Controller Bay
and Takes Fling at
His Critics.

TAtt sent special message to the sens
ate shouluer.na snll responsibility for
opening tol settlement and develop
mens ~ 500 acres OF the Chugach MAJ
tional forest reserve in Alaska--an In
riaent which has come to be known a.
the Controller Bay Affair"
In closing he bands the now Ia
nous Dick to Dick postscript as q.
wicked fabrication and says that
Charles r Taft. his brother. whose
name appeared in the alleged post
script. has no interest in Alaska.
never nad, and knows nothing Of the
circumstances connected with this
transaction.
Moreover, the president adds. hiss
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 +. Abbott says
she saw on the files of tho depart
ment Of the interior. is alleged to have
been written by Ryan to Richard A.
Ballinger. the then secretary OF the ArAe
terior
AZ for eliminating the land In uuas>
ton from the reserve, the president
says that there Is no danger OF the
Controller Railway and NavigaticU.
company or any other interests me.
nopolizing the field. and that there lis
nothing to show that this company ia
in any way connected with the Nor
encouragement interests, Hence. hes
believes that In eliminating the land
ne has acted for the best interests os
the nation.
II wish to be as specific rs possible
upon this point. says the president I'm
his message 'and TO say that | alone
am responsible for the enlargement of
the proposed elimination from a2h&
acres TO 1880 acres, and that | pro-
posed the change and stated my rear
sons therefor
THE thing which the territory Of
Alaska needs Ia development, ans
where rights and franchises can be-
properly granted to encourage invest
ment and construct a railroad WITH
out comforting exclusive privileges, p
believe Ii 10 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 or
him by a senate resolution oil June ~.
II deem II wise. says the message
ito accompany the submission or
these documents with a statement I'm
narrative form OF the action OF the adj
ministration with the reasons there
for
Here follows q description OF Con-
troler bay and environs and map.
showing the effect OF withdrawing tho
much mooted 12.S00 acres from the
reaerve, The president then takes ups
the thread OF his narrative as concerns
the events that precipitated the cons
troversy.
He relates how RYAN, representing
the Controller Railway and Navigation
company, applied in 1909 for the elm
nation OF q tract 10 enable his COM
pany to obtain railroad terminals, etc,
The application was referred TO the
forestry bureau and then to the navy
department with a 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 indicas-
ed, "or indeed" as the president
writes. ito the elimination of 10000
acres in the northwest shore Of Con-
troller bay"
The navy departments answer was
negative" says the president, and af-
ter the subject had been considered
by the recrctsfy Of agriculture, by the
secretary OF The interior, and the gen.
eral land Office q recommendation Was
made TO BIN hat S2o acres, with a
frontage OF $50 rods ON the nor;hwesx
shore Of Controller bag, lie throwR
open.
A formal order 70 this effect wrS
finally submitted . him IN October.
1910. bnt VIXEN the natter came before
the cabinet late in t,et month he found
objection to IL. TIis reasons for taking
this stand re explains In his messages
in part as follows
Il exp essea dissatisfaction with the
order because 1t pnrpcrtei on its face
to make the elimination for the BEN
eft OF railroad company Of tact
Of land which the com gany could nos
by lawful entry secure. for i was n
tract OF $50 acres in one body, when
only 100 acres could thus be acquired.
In the second place preferred To
make a much larger elimination OF
tract facing the entire channel ana
with sufficient room for terminal
railway town
Il was willing to do this because =.
found the restrictions in the law snf
ncient to prevent the possibility of any
monopoly of either the upland or the
harbor or channel by the Controllet
Railwav and NAVIGATION cOmnanY or