The Washington herald., 1912-02-13
TAFT TRIED TO
AVOID SCANDAL
Explains His Attitude in.
the Case Of Maj.
Beecher Ray.
LETTERS GO IN RECORD

That President Taft went so far as
to personally order numerous changes
of posts for Maj. Beecher B. Ray was
stated yesterday to the House Commit
tee on Expenditures in the War De-
partment, by Paymaster General Whip
pie. 1t Ik1so was testified that Maj,
Rays pull" with the President as the
result OF political services rendered
was sufficient to keep him out of trou-
BILE, save him from court-martial on
charges involving a woman. and get
him many favors not enjoyed by other
men in the army. Two letters OF the
President were introduced as evidence
On the witness stand Gen. whipple
stated that no other paymaster in the
army had been the recipient OF 50
many favors as Ray or had a record
like Rays. He said that although the
average assignment of a paymaster to
a station was between three and four
years, that Mai. Ray, in the last thir-
teen years, had been successfully sta
toned at Washington, Chicago, Denver,
San Francisco, Manila, New York City,
Chicago. San Francisco, Manila, Chi
cago. Manila, Honolulu, San Francisco,
Atlanta and Chicago during the period
in question.
Ordered by President.
In answer TO a question from Repre-
sentative Harvey Helm, OF Kentucky,
Gen. whipple stated that some of the
changes of station had been made by
personal direction OF President Taft.
He said:
'In 1903 the President asked that Ray
be sent to Atlanta, Ca, and in Novem-
Der, 1s1l he asked that Ray be sent TO
New York"
AT whose request was it." Mr.. Helm
continued, that Rays assignment was
changed, and that instead Of being sent
to New York he was stationed at Chi
cago?"
Il get orders" Gen. whippIe responded.
from the Chief of Stan 10 make the
change to Chicago. The Chief OF Stan
said that Mrs. Ray was to have a surgi-
cal operation performed in Chicago.
Gen. Carter said that this change had
been requested from the White House"
Gen. Whipple read into the record the
two personal and confidentiaF' letters
from President Taft on the Ray case,
which were mentioned at Saturdays
hearing. In one of these letters the
President directs that. in view OF the
fact that certain charges against Ray
involved the honor of the army and the
good name of a woman. that there be
no court-martial proceedings brought
against him.
President's Letter.
The other letter is:
THE White House,
Washington. July u. 1911.
my Dear General whipple: I write
this that you may show II to Mr. Hay
and Mr.. Sweet, of the Military Commit
tee. You have come to me at your own IN
stance with the statement that you have
learned that Mr.. Sweet Is indignant be-
cause he thinks he has been misquoted
IN regard to an omission of two or three
pages of the War Department report
called for by H. r. 20s. The part Of the
record omitted refers to a charge against
Maj. Beecher B. Ray OF Illicit relations
with a certain married woman, in re-
spect to which was consulted by you
at the time the charge was made, and
also at the time the resolution was
passed. / saw Mr.. Sweet in New Haven
and told him that deprecated its being
brought out as thought II would tend
TO blast the reputation Of a married
woman, who, as understood, was living
happily with her husband, and was not
probably what the committee was
searching for. I asked him 10 see Mr..
Covington. who had prompted the reso-
luton, and find that part Of the record