The Washington herald., 1911-07-11
"DIGK TO DICK" LETTER Is NOW MISSING

turned two pages at a time. I made
mental notes Of those pages, and when
we had been through the contents of
that envelope I held out my hand for It.
He gave 1t to me with apparent reluc-
tance and looked It through as though
were not very keen on the subject
but took especial caro- to look at sew
eral Of the places whero he had turned
two Of the pages at a time. In the first
of these places found an amazing post
script fastened to a formal letter from
Richard s. Ryan to Richard A. BaIlinger,
OF July 13, 1910"
Investigating the TanRIe,
The House Committee on Expenditures
in the Interior Department began its in
vestigation Of the Controller Bay tangls
yesterday, with Fred bennett. Cornmis-
sioner of the General Land Office, as the
first witness. The committee brought out
the fact that the executive order open
ing the Controller Bay land to entry did
not contain the usual provision postpon-
ing entry for sixty days. which permits
advertisement and other notice to pros
pective applicants. Mr.. bennett told the
committee that when the first draft OF
the executive order was prepared at the
Agricultural Department, in accordance
with the usual custom, and forwarded to
the General Land Office, 1t contained the
sixty-day provision. But the provision
was not contained in the order as finally
signed by the President. He did not
know who had eliminated the provision,
or why.
When the executive order first came
to your Office" asked John P. FenneIl.
counsel for the committee, did It not
contain the sIxty-day clause for the bene-
fit of persons having designs on the
land?"
Provision Was stricken Out.
Mr.. bennett replied in the affirmative,
adding that when the executive order
finally was promulgated no such provision
was contained in it
who struck it out?' Mr.. Fennen de-
manded.
II do not know" replied the Commits
sioner.
Did the elimination Of that clause
make a material difference so far as the
chances Of the public locating on the
land was concerned? wouldn't the effect
be in this case to give advantage to those
who knew of the order and who were on
the ground?''
Mr.. bennett admitted that those who
had knowledge officially or through the
press would be benefited.
Here are the facts OF the Controller Bay
Withdrawals as given out at the White
House yesterday: R. S. Ryan, present
ing credentials as the representative Of
the Controller Bay Navigation Company,
concern independent Of and in fact com
peting with the Guggenheim interests in
Alaska made a request Of the President
that the land fronting the bay be thrown
open TO entry in order that his company
might secure a tract OF $40 acres 'front.'
ing on the bay, as terminal site. The
request was referred to the Forestry Bu-
reau, which reported that the land In
question had been withdrawn as q part
of the Chugach national forest, but was
not forest land, and could not be claimed
as a part OF a forest reserve. With the
report Of the Forestry Bureau attached.
the request was sent to the Interior De-
partment and other executive Depart
ments interested, and was later pre-
sented by President Taft to the Cabinet
for consideration
1t was decided at Ile S4ULneh A1c0@AS
that it would be wiser TO throw the en-
tire frontage of the bay open to entry
than to permit a single grant to one con-
Germ, which might operate as q monopo-
Hstic grant. The Cabinet found that ede-
uuate protection to the interests OF the
existed in the law, which
provided that frontage land should be d.
vided into tracts eighty rods in length,
and that every alternate tract should b
retained by the government, only every
other eighty-rod tract being subject 70
patent to an individual or corporation.
Accordingly. after approval by the Cab
met, President Taft issued an executive
order restoring the entire frontage OF the
bay to entry. and Ryan was permitted
to file a claim upon an alternate piece
of land for terminal purposes. The order
was in no sense secret. Little publicity
was given to the matter at this time, as
It was considered Of minor interest and
Importance. The order, however, was IS
sued in the regular routine way and was d.
as public, SO far as the government was
concerned, as any order issued by the
President.