Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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MESSAGE ABOUT i CONTROLLER BAY Preside! Answars Critics ot His El.mi .a?on Order. THE "DICK TO OiCK" LETTER. No Tnc? of It In the File? or Else? where?Chariot P. Taft Novor Hoard I of Controller Bay Railroad, Presidon*. y toys. Until Very Recently. vYssblogtou. Juiy 2b.?President Taft today sent to the senate a message concerning the Controller bay utTuli and the reduction of tbe area of the Cbugacb latksial forest reserve to per salt tbe Controller liny Hallway and \ Narlfatloti company to acquire at ad ea tbe bay to bs used as terminal? for s railway line to tbe Hering roil Bold*, twioty live miles sway. The message la in rrnpon?e to s resolution passed by the senate June 27 laat. which **.ed for copied of all depart Afneotal orders, maps, surreys, letters, reports sod oft. mi documents In tbe case. Copies of tbsse documents sc compaur tie message. Tbe eiecutlte order of Oct. 28. ItlsV referred to in the resolution was In tbe terms following \ CRUOACH NATIONAL FOREST. ALASKA. Under authority ot the act of congress Of Juno 4. IBfT (10 ?tat.. U. at 84 and SS) sad on the recommendation of ti e oecre sary of agriculture n to hereby ordered fast the proclamation of Fob a. 1908, en larstns the Cbugacb Notional t ores* bo modified to reduce tho ores of such no? tional foroot by eliminating therefrom the BeUpwIn* (herrtt.ro tract, containing ap ^sroalrnately 12.S00 scroo of land, which ass boon found upon examination to so not chiefly valuable for national forest aosrpssss: Beginning st a point where the merUtan of longitude 144 decrees ft minutes \reet Cross is the coast line of Controller >u\ taonce north slons said meridian lln* to ^Abe psrsllel of latitude at 10 degree* 10 gfBstnutes north, thence west slons as Ml saxsllel to a point where the some crossso the coo st line at or near the mouth of Bertas river and thence along the count ftO the place of beginning The tract abov> described Is hereby re sto-.it to v * public domain WILLIAM H. TAFT ? The White House, Washington. Oct. * Us* ^ Tbe president declares that tbe order does Dot permit the Controller liny Hallway and Navigation company to se? nrv a monopoly of the Contro'lnt bay hart* r as, under tbe law. a stri>> eighty r?Hi must be left l*d\v.>en each entry, having a frontage of lim rods ou navigable water The law ajan Mtsefw the ?.?ntr<>i of the shore. whi< h Includes the fhtfa lying between hlc!: water :?nd low water, under the di rectlon of oagresa This provision, eaya Mr l aft 'ully prote< ts the pub UV and atsaoluiHy prevent* tiny in dl>;Jtiai or < or|M?rstion from acqulr .Jng a monopoly * la regard to the "Dick to Pick" let ter. In which there is a reference to Charles Taft, the president denies that bis brother ev^r spoke t?? nun ion csruing Controller Pay. it lc hard 8 Kynn or any grant In .Masks lie any* that tbe letter in qsjssjttssj cannot be l^foond In the Wea of the govemtn. *Vnd b? rsfora t? u ss a "wicked fat. rh atton " fie declares that bN brottt or never beard of Controller bay un til the president sent blm a cablegram regarding the subject Peeeible Hsrbor In Controller Bay. Tbe mesaagi doacrlbis the location Lbf Controller buy, which waa original ly Included in the C?ugach formt re? serve r or a time it wa* thought that tbe water of the bay was too shallow to maks It vulusble ss a harbor, but In lis?7 s channel was discovered ev tending Into the bay about seven mile Tbe tract taken from the forest r.> taervs by tbe President*" order covers 12JBJ0 acres In s triangular form, the tide along Controller bay being be? tween als and seven miles long, which covers tbe channel mentioned. Tbe president's message then says: All tbe territory aurroundlng Con wtroller bay was included in the Cbu gacb forest reservation in 11*70 by a proclamation of President Itooseve't Tbe Importance of Controller buy Is tbat It He* about twenty-Ov* miles from very valuable coal deposits, known ss the Bering coal fields. Kit j tails bay Is to the west of Controller ( bay and almost Immediately ndj dn? It It Is an apssj roadstead, upon the shore of arbirb an attempt was made by tbe Morgan Guggenheim syndicate to establish s railway terminal at d tbencs to build n road t M H?ring coal fields, already metitloned The attempt f illed f.-r the reason that the breakwater protecting the termlnn's ^ was destroyed liy storms and the terminals became Impr n t1 able s?.in. fifty mile-* or more farther w<?st of Katalls hsy Is the month of the ObfJ per river, where there Is nn SJ IIftfi t harbor, gel wbsri at the r..v\n of t'-.r dors. Th. re the Copper sttetf n : kToad. owtitxt I N! BfJBB (ItsjBjeti Plbeltn Interests, goal Its terminals, and the line runs to flu? northeast BttRfl tbe Cop|w?r river and has MsWtJ PBBCb Od certain rl? h ? opper mines In tho In tstior. A arancb from this mtln line Is projected to the Hering conl field* snd U f Btsfhtn, When t! e channel In the Contro'ler a bay was dtsrovered Mr Tltttnnn su p#rlnf,? of f t survey, a* shown bv his i*??ter In ttie record ? is of opinP n that It was of great ffjlM snd onghr to bs maintained aa a na Marriage Liren??* C. i ftl reservation because of Its proxim? ity to the coal fields. Fl is letter wits ?BtHttltfStl by the secretary of V*tUl' Diene AMI labor to the secretary of the Interior. H !i?? invited the commcd of the ?lue? lor of the geoiogi.nl HUt ve\ l ii.it ..fl'< er replied thai Hie h. ihr VM a poor one and thai it would not he as good for n naval res ervation as one already selected. Ihm that he tbutljcbl that private capital ought lo Dfl e!. ouraged 11? construct a railway from the channel over tlte nnd Bsttf In the Abuts and Ibetie* i?i he tfUOl lic.ds Cupiain PilUlairy of the army en glnerrs In a report in the record in d. in I'.miT mention* three pnssibts nlijee tioiM Hi run:roller hny hrsi. that the surrounding Islands may proff to be so low ns not flllly to protect the channel; second that the Mats extend two or three Sj||sj from the shore, and. third, that ice formed in the rivers entertnu the hay and. affected hy tidal currents, may de*tro\ structures put upon the flats and especially a long trestle huilt over them. Ryan Atkt For Land. In I Hi-ember. ItQfc Ith nurd S. Ryan, representing the Controller Hallway nnd Navigation company. Applied to Mr. rinchot. ihe then totester, tor an elimination froui the Chuguch forest reservation of a tract of laud to enable his company to secure railroad ter oilnnls. bunkers, railroad shops e?c. on the northwest shore ot Cont o el bay. This application ATM i?de?red by the associate forester to tin- d *tnc forester at Portland. Ore., an.. Ii) H:til to the forester In Alaska Ine re u t of these references and the npp!l?a ion was that early In Mio Mr ItrsveM, who had In the meantime become tor ester, reports! that there was no oh Jectlon from the standpoint ot forestry interest* to the elimination of the tract Indicated or. Indeed, of l.s.om acres on the northwest ??h?re of Controller bay. Tbe attention of the navy depart raent was invited by the forestry bu reau to tbe proposal to open the shore of Controller bar to entry nnd occupa tlon. and Inquiry wn* made whether the navy department desired to use Controller hay as a reservation and j whether It objected to its being opened up. The answer was In the negative The matter wu* considered by I lie forestry bureau, by the secretary of agriculture, by the secretary of lbs in . terior and by the general land otth e ; and the result wa* a recommendation j tu me In May. 1010. that au eliuiin i tion be made of ISO acres with a fron? 1 age of I HQ rod* on the northwest shore of Controller hay. : I considered the whole case In An . gust. 1910. and directed that the fcftl acres, rveommende ' by Isith depart ments. be eliminated as recommended The (pjestion finally came before the cabinet late lu October. After a full discussion of the matter and after a consideration of the law 1 expressed dissatisfaction with the order bt?catise it pAWpOftel on its face to make tin- ; elimination for the benefit of a rail \ road company of a tract of land which [ tbe cornpa'iy could not secure undM tbe statute, for It was a tract KM acre* in AM body wh??n only |f|0 acres j could be thus ncquired. In the second ? phoe. I preferred to make a much lirirer elimination of n tract facing Ibi entire channel and with suflh lent roof t.for a terminal railway town I rfcs wi'.'.'.nt; to do thin beeflflse 1 : found the restriction* in the law dent to prevent the possibility of SQJ monopoly of sltbsf lbs upland or the barboi or I h Uttel by lbs Controller Railway and Navigation company or any other psfMOM or tOUlpAllJ It h:td hsSV originally suggested hy tbe forestry hflfiAl that IH.btK) acres might saf? ly bf eliminated so far as forestry purposes were concerned, but fear had been expressed by one of the district forester* that such a large elimination would offer an opportunity to the coinp uiy to ASf land scrip and acquire title to extensive town sites, and the result of the Joint considera? tion of both departments had l>eon the reduction to J120 acres Auumei All responsibility. 1 wish to t>e as specific as possible Upon this DOlBt ??nd to say that I alone am respouslblo for the enlargement of Ibi proposed elimination from UO seres to UJMQO acres and that 1 pro? posed the change and stated my rea sons therefor, and. while both secre tarles cordially concurred In It. the suggestion was mine. Tbe statement of Mr. Uyan, who had bsSJl properly vouched to the forester by two genibinen whom I know, Mr Chester I.yman and Mr Trod Jsi nlugs. and who hid produced a letter from a reputable financial firm. Probst. NN et /der A- Co.. was that the railway company w Iii? h he represented hail ex punded ucre than $7."?.n<?n In making preparations for the construction of a rallwaj ffOtt Controller bay to tin ? oiii v.v da, twenty-live miles away, but ttint th \v wer*' ObStrttCtSd In so doing by the onb-r reserving Ibi Chugnch forest n ation, which covered a I! of the Controller bay shore. He. as well as Probst. WsfStst A Co.. gATf ??very AAsttfAOeS that tin- OOpptff RlTSf Itnllwav company, owned h.\ MOBSri Morgan and Clu-g'-nheim. fiad no con ne* tion frith thorn nnd that they were engaged In an I ndop?-ndon t enferprNe in g< 1 d fsttli to t? 1111<I an independent rallro-oj N?. STldeDCf to the confrirv AM been brought |0 ni> attention since. Of tttttfAt It was pooslbls that the owners of Ibi Ooppsf I.her Hallway company ndLlit attempt to buy tbta railroad when and if It was Iniilt It was possjbls tIi it Mr I.van was act lug In the IntffSStl of |hs Copper R|f er ral'road AttbOttftil I did not betters It Pro?ttfOA1 by Congress. If a fttttfoffd was f<> bo con*fin<tod frrifii COAffttl . ? r bttj 10 IAS HeiiAf fOftl fields It ISM perfectly evident t ti lt d iv t.? the followllIK ie cin 'ouplMI QoOfgt tlnntt and Cherry M.irvln ind there must ho n terminal town on the shore of Controller buy. und i was therefore glad ar.d ans Ion* to throw It open tu entry und settlement as one Important *'"?> ia HQcourftKiiiM mtlrond enterprise i was certain that congress had provided m ib? r iitutw a Heeling the entry und nettleuieni id Inud In Alaska limitation* Milled would pre Vint the possibility ot tin* ex lusive ?p| roprlatlon of tbe harbor ami chan nel of Control let- bay or its sh, re> ur upland to any one railroad. This I pro [i isc now to show. Tbe only practicable method for ae raring title trom tbe government In such a tract as this afier Its e.iminn tlou i> uj the use of what is called "soldiers' additional uouiestend right evidenced by scrip. The statutory ! m itntious upon this method of ncqulrtuji title are threefold: First. ?No more than UM) acres can be entered IB any single body by such scrip. Second.?No location of scrip along any navigable wjitcrs can be made within tlie distance of eighty rods of any mild* along sort) waters, and no entry can be allowed extending more than MVI rods along the shore of any navigable water, and a long such shore a space of til least eighty rods uuisi be reserved troin efttry bei ween all s ich claims. Third.- Nothing: in the act contained is to he construed to authorize en:lies to be made or title to be acquired to the shore of any navigable waters within said district. Undei the tirsi limitation the navi gtttlon company and every other per son is prevented ffori locating more than Hin acres in one body By the construction of tbe laud department, as shown In the record, this requires a separntlou between auy two entries by the same person or In the same In terest of a tract of forty acres This would prevent the possibility of any one person or auy one interest acquir? ing an entire tract like that of lii.soo acres. Frontage Held by Government. The second limitation is important in that it prevents the entry of claims at any point on the shore having a greater frontage than half a mile aud requires that between that and the uext claim taken up there shall be a frontage reserved to the public and kept in publfe control of u quarter of a mile. The consequence Is that in the seven miles of the frontage of this eliminated tract there must be reserv? ed for goverumeut control and use and such disposition as congress may see fit to Make and free from private ap? propriation a frontage aggregating two and three-quarter miles and so distributed along the shore in front ages of eighty rods as to make cer tain of a public frontage of this width having all the advantage that any pri? vate frontage can nave, in other words, if a tract with n half mile frontage Is located at a particularly advantageous place with reference to the harbor then on each side of that frontage must be reserve*! to the pnb? lic a frontage of a quarter of a mile or a half mile in all. for public uses. These two restrictions necessarily prevent a monopoly of land abutting on tiie shore, and as they necessarily prevent a monopoly by any one lo cntor, or in the Interest of any com pony for whom locators are acting they take away the motive for the ae quisition ot land and frontage merely for the purpose of Oiclndlllg other companies and possible competitors and tend to tontine locators to the ac? quisition of hind to be profitable in tts use. Since the executive order was is sued. Oct. 881 1010. there have been four locations under soldiers' ?crip, three of then of 100 rods each along the bay. separated by two divisions of eighty rods. I shall assume that all of them are In the interest of the Controller Railway and Navigation company. None of them has boon np proved or passed to patent, but 1 shall assume they can be pass?sl to valid patent. Of the shore frontage unlooated which may In? appropriated by scrip there remain six frontages of 100 rods each on the shore of the tract opened by the executive order facing the bay and Channel? and in addition at least two and three-quarter miles of front age distributed in eleven eighty-rod strips, subject to public use and the disposition of congress There is thus ample room for many other railroads to reach high water mark on Control ler bay and there to acquire tracts for terminals. Of the 12*800 acres the entries In area bare covered only ?00 acres, and all the rest is available lor scrip location under the provisions of the act. There is a third reason why the opening of this tract to settlement and limited private appropriations cannot lead to a monopoly In the Controller Bay company or any one else The ?Iis tance from the dry land - 1. e the shore land the line of high wate: mark?to the line nf low water mark Is between two and throe miles, and the distance to deeper water Is about a mile far tier, making it necessary, it a burbor is to he reo? bed and used, to eon struct a Viaduct or trestle three or four miles i??ng from the shore to the chan nel Tbl 1 i Idol flat is un ned by tho Dnlted state-,, and the Requisition un tier the public land laws nf tracts on tbe shore .it Utting these tidal flat* gives tm ri:!it or title to those flats ThlS would be the law It tin' statute was silent on the subject but not only the Statute of lsps bill also the ana ml lag statute o| IU0H expressly Imposes the restriction that no lit!., or rll lit ran be obtained under the RCt in the shore Ol a navigable body ot Wilt er I submit t" all fair minded men V h 1 may bare been disturbed over the charges made In feSPtHi to the exocil Frontage Left Open. Ned I)ohs.>n and Smie Smith. ;tli a this city. live order of Oct. 28. 1910. that It has bccu demonstrated bj the foregolug that tn? ihiullc Interest has suffered j from its issue, ttlill great good umj ! come from it and that no dishouesi oi ! linpropei motive is needed to explain I iL I might, therefore, stop here; but. rather, foi the purpo*? of the moral to be drawn from them than to rln dilute tin1 order, i propose to consider the attacks upon the order that hys terla cr rancor lias prompted OeUtr Was Mav'e Public. The charge has been made that Hi is was a secret order and that though it was made la October. 1910, u?? one knew it uutll April, 11)11. This is ut? terly Unfounded. The statement ot Mr. Vernon. tile correspondent of the Pott intelligencer ot Seattle, a news paper of wide circulation among a peo? ple most interest-..A in Alaska, shows that ten days before the order was made news ot the details ot Uyan's application and the probability of its being granted was given wide public? ity. It further appears from the rec? ords of tlie Interior department that the evening the order was signed. Oct. 28, 1910, a full notice of tile issue of the order and Its details was furnish ed b\ the department to all rorre apondenta In the form ot a news bill letln. Finally the agent of the Asso dated Press certifies thai at 7-.'j:t p. m.. Oct. 2S. 1010, tuere was sent out by j that asso( lation to all its uewspaper t clients a telegram taken from a type written statement issued by the iu terior department as follows: Washington. Oct. fg.?Approximately 12, MQ acres of land in the Chugach National f "rest. Alaska, nave been restored by the president for disposition under appropri a.e land bus, according to Information made public today by the interior depart? ment These lands are situated on the COuat line of Controller bay.*"in southern A! .ska. near the Cunningham claims, and have be?-n found upon examination to be of little vnlue for forestry purposes It would be difficult to prepare an advertisement more informing to the public or mure likely to attract the at? tention of all likely to desire acquisi? tion of land on Controller bay. On the 29th the chief forester sent a telegram making a similar announcement to his distric t forester at Portland. Ore. | The order has been uttacked on the I ground that it did not contain a pro? vision delaying its taking effect for thirty days after Its publication, as orders restoring land to settlement by homesteaders frequently do. An ex amtnatlon of the recofn furnishes an explanation of this feature of the or der as made When In October the two departments had agreed, with my acquiescence, that the order should be an elimination of only 820 acres an order describing the 8211 acres, direct? ing Its restoration to settlement and containing the usual provision post? poning Its taking effect thirty days was prepared in the forestry bureau and forwarded to the Interior depart? ment. There It was deemed wiser to Spread on the face of the order a spe? cific declaration that it was made to afford terminals for the Controller Railway and Navigation company, and as no one else was expected to inter veno and take up any part of the dim Inatsd tract the restoration was made immediate Approved by Secretary. The form thus amended was submit ted to the secretary of agriculture, who expressed his preference for the im? mediate restoration order through his solicitor's memorandum on the face of the order, a< follows: Mr. Clements, Assistant Attorney In the Interior Department ?We think this O K The secretary says it is the direct way and appeals to him GEORC1E P M'CABE. J The idea of the secretary doubtless was that the abort I til of order was preferable because on Its face it was directly indicative of the purpose to secure an opportunity to the railway company by proper entry to settle on the land eliminated, and as no one else was expected to Intervene no postpone ment was needed. Accordingly when the case came for decision in the cabi? net the order was without any post? ponement clause. This was the form sent me for my signature by the acting secretary of the interior department. When I directed the striking out of the reference to the railway company and the enlargement of the area from 3120 acres to 12.800 acres the form of the order in its provision for imme? diate restoration was not changed. 1 have no doubt that this was the rea? son why the order Issued took the form It did Had the postponement clause been suggested I would doubtlessly have directed it to be embodied in the order Put the event has proven that it was really not Important in this case, for In now nearly nine months only the Controller Railway Naviga? tion company has made any scrip on tries on the eliminated tract, and this although 11.(MR) acres and three miles of water front still remain open to en? try and then* are several different rail? way companies in addition to the Con (toiler Railway and Navigation com? pany that had Hied locations for rights of way In tic vicinity In the last two years who have had In tin* la<t nine months the fullest notice of their op port Unity If they wished to enter on tlils land The "Die* to Dick" Letter. Before dosing l desire to allude to n circumstance which the terms of this resolution make apt and relevant. It Is a widely published statement .at? tributed to a newspaper correspondent that In an einmlnntlon of the hies of the Interior department a few weeks ago a postscript was found attached to n letter of July 13, 1910, addressed bj Mr. Richard R Ryan to Secretary Pal linger and in the present record urp I lug the elimination of land enough for terminals for the Controller Railway and Navigation company. The post script was said to read as follows; Doer Dich i areal to sea tho president j the other dav II?? asked me who it Sil This Wiles affair must make Presl 1 dent Taft feel like a baseball umplrs I I represented. I told him, according to our ?greumrr.t, sat i represented myself. But tins didn't vem lo satisfy nun So I , sent (or Charit" Taft and n.ske.i him to j tell his brother, the president, who it was I I really represented The president made no further objection to my claim, yours. DICK. The postftcrlft is doi now ou the Ries of tho depnrttumt, if it were, it would be my duly t( transmu it under this resolution Who is really responsible for its wicked abrteatlon, if it ever ei Isted. or for t ic viciously false stale ment mjj)de at to Its authenticity is Immaterial foi the pur|sjses of this communication The purport of the ai leged postscrip Is and the intention of the fabricator ?vas to make Mr. Rich? ard s Ryan t? ntlfy through its words to the public that although I wits at first opposed hi the public Interest to granting the e imination which he re? quested, neveri heless through the un? due Influence of my brother. Mr. Charles IV Taf . and the disclosure of the real |?er*oi s in Interest I was in dueed Imprope ly and for tho promo tiou of their private gain to make tho order The statemon in so far as my brother is concerned-i nd that is the chief feature of the | ostsctMpt? is utterly un founded lie i ever wrote to me fa spoke to me in reference to Richard S Ryan or on th ? subject of Controller bay or the gm iting of any privileges or the making (f any orders in respect to Alaska. Hi has no interest In Alaska, never lad and knows nothing of the ciivums am es connected \vit!i this transaction He does not remem? ber that he eve met Richard S Ryan, lie never heard of the Controller Ray railroad until raf cablegram of inquiry reached him. Mr. Ballinger says iu a telegram in answer to my inquiry that he novo? received such a postscript and that he was In Seattle < u the date of July 13. when it was si id to have been wrlt teu Mr. Richard S. Ryan, in a letter which be has seit me without solicita? tion, says that ie never met my broth? er, Mr Charles l\ Taft, and that so far as he know? Mr. Charles P. Taft never had the si ghtest interest in Con? troller Day, in tie Controller Railway and Navigation company or In any Alaskan compel y. and he utterly de? nies writing ot signing the alleged postscript lila utter improbability of his writing sue i a postscript to Mr. Ballinger at aablngton when the latter was nw:n for his vacation for two months mm t impress every one. The tact is tint Mr linHinget never saw the letter ot July 13. 1010. to which this posh rrtpt Is said to have boon attached It was sent to me by Mr Carr. Seentury Bnllinger*! pri? vate st? rotary, at Beverly, on July 14?the next da\ l read the letter at Beverly iu Augt st with other papers and sent them lo the White House It was pla? ed u ?on the White House tiles and reuiiltl ed there until April 22, 1911, When ;t was. by request of Secretary Fisher for use In cohnecttoo with his answer to a senate Inquiry, returned to the interior department, and it was afte ? this that the corre? spondent is said to have seen the let? ter with the pos script attached. Mr Carr saw no SU< ti postscript when he sent the letter to me. l did not see it when I read it. No one saw it in the executive office, hut it remained to ap? pear as a (?<><?;?>?. ript when it is said that the correspf ndent saw the letter in April or May >n the tiles ot the in , terior department. All others were de nied the sight The person on whose statement the existence of wh; I has been proper!} characterized as an amazing post script is based i a writer for news papers and mtlgfl lines, who was given permission by Sc rotary bisher, after consultation witl, me. to examine all the flies in resptCt to the Controller bay matter, and his under the super? vision of Mr. Bro vii. then private sec retary to the secretary of tho interior. After the eiamln itton, at which it is nUegiMl this postscript was received from the hand of Mr. Brown, the cor respondent prepared an elaborate art! cle on the subject of this order and Controller bay. which was submitted to Mr. Fisher and which was discuss ed with Mr Ktsber at length, but nev er in the eonversition between them or in the article si bmlfted did the cor? respondent month n the existence of the postscript. M . Brown states that there was no such postscript in the papers when he IDOWed them to tho correspondent and that he never saw such a postscript. Similar evidence is given by Mr. Catr and other custo? dians of tho record* In tho interior de partmont. Stronger evtdenoi' of the falsity and maliciously slnnderoue character of the alleged posts< rlpt could not be had. Its only sign ticancc is the light it throws on the hi terness and venom of some of these who take active part in every discussion of Alaskan issues The Intensity of ! heir desire to bo smirch all who inv >st In that district and all who are officially conno ted with its administration operates upon tho minds of wetk human Instru? mente and prompts the fabrication of such false fesflmi ny as this post? script. I dislike t > dwell upon this feature of the case, but It Is so full of a lesson that ought to be taken to tho heart ot every pntrotte citizen that i cannot pass \\ ,e or In silence. When l made this order I was aware that the condition of public opinion in reference to investments In Alaska, fanned by charges < f fraud, some well founded and other* of an hysterical and unjust or false character, would lead to an attack noon 't and to the questioning of my motives In *lgnlnc It I remarked this when I made the order, and I was not mistaken But n public officer when i i' conceives It his duty to take affirmative action in the public interest h::< n > more right to al low fear of unjust criticism and attack t ??-? - when close decisiont are required,? Bcranton Trlbune-H tpubltcan. to hinder htm from inking that action that he Would r?> allow personal and dishonest motives to ?fftet him. It is easy in cum** like tins to take the course Which timidity prompts and to do nothing, but such a course fjt*?* not inure to the j ilblk* weal. 1 am in full sympathy with [fee con corn of reasonahle and patriotic men that the valuable resources of Alaska should not be turned over to Im-exploit? ed for the profit ot greet!\. absorbing and monopolistic corporation* or syn? dicates. Whatever tlie attemi t- wiin h j have been made, no one, :is a nutter of fact, has secured in Alaska not un? due privilege or franchise not com? pletely under the control of congress, I am in full agreement with the view that every care, both in sdiiiltilMtratton and in legislation* must 1? sfiserved to prevent the corrupt or unfair acqul*f tion of undue privilege, franchise or right from the government in that dis? trict. Km every one must know that the resources of Alaska can never tie come available either to the people of Alaska or to the public of the Cnited States unless reasonable opportunity is granted to those who would Invest their money to secure a return propor? tionate to the risk run in the invest? ment and reasonable under ail the cir? cumstances. On the other hand, the acrimony of spirit and the intense malice that have been engendered in respect of the ad? ministration of the government m Alaska and in the consideration of measures proposed for her relief and the wanton rseklassneaa and eager? ness with which attempts have been made to besmirch the characters of high ofBelals having to do with the Alaskan government and ren of per? sons not in public life present a con? dition that calls for condemnation and requires that the public be warned of the demoralization that has been pro? duced by the hysterical suspicions of good people and the unscrupulous and corrupt misrepresentations of the wicked. The helpless state to which the credulity of some and the malev? olent scandal mongering of others have brought the people of Alaska in their struggle for its development ought to give the public pause, for un? til a juster and fairer view be tiken investment In Alaska, which Is neces? sary to its development, will be im? possible, and honest administrators and legislators will be embarrassed in the advoe.qcy and putting Into opera? tion of those policies In regard to the territory which are necessary to its progress and prosperity. WILLIAM B. TAFT. The White House. July SM, 1911. Evolution of the Nursing Bottle. The original nursing bottle was a cow's horn, to the sum" end of which were sewed two pieces leather, as a finger of a glove, and the infant drew Its nourishment between the stitches. According to Dr. D. Forsyth. fifteenth century mothers used to nurse their babies for close upon three years, a duration still customary among the Japanese and Oreenlanders. In the time of the Stuarts It had declined to between eighteen months and two years In the time of the George* it fell to one year, and now he reckoned the average as eight months. 1 Miring the Hanoverian period the practice of feeding babies artificially been me somewhat common Tow's milk was not then considered Just the food for a baby deprived r?f its mother's milk, and the substance called "pap" was introduced through the row's horn. "Pap" wns a mixture of crust soaked water .and sugar a baby that thrived on it was usually one of rare c< nstitu tion The nursing bottle with a long rubber stern succeeded the cow's born, and by degrees the comparative sanitary Feeding bottle of today was Introduced New York World An Island In s Cloud. White island, thirty miles to th* northeast of New Zealand, is perhaps the most extraordinary island In the world. It is an enormous mass ot rock nearly three miles in circumfer? ence, rising IHNj feet above * the sea. and is perpetually sn vet oped in dark clouds, which are visible for nearly 100 miles, i'he island consists almost entirely ot sulphur, with a small per centage of gypsum Some years ago an attempt was made to tloat a com pany to work the sulphur, which is ot high quality, but sufficient capital was not subscribed. Therefore the export of BUlpbur from White island is still very small In the interior Is a lake fully fifty acres in extent, the water of which has a temperature of HO de Sroes |<\ and is strongly Impregnated with .acids On one side of this lake are craters from which steam escapes with great force and noise. This steam and the vapor from the lake form the dark cloud that envelops the island West Indies English. The moot question as to why English is spoke as she Is has apparently been settled by a colored mammy of the old school In a rt'ceiil visit to the West Indios she Accompanied her mistress and after returning regaled her envi? ous neighbors with vivid accounts of her travels "In dem IVes' fndfee.** she remarked, Ndey don' talk I'mmi r| Rtatea No. suh. rtet don. l>< tu ks roreftgu an' English -English, yes, suh An' dat English dab ain't de samt as what WS all talks. No. suh I>cy SOVS down dab, dey says. *ahn*t' for 'ain't' and Vahn't' for 'can't' an' such like d dn's. Yes. suh An' you wan' to know how conic dev talk dat fool talkl Why. suh. when he English done busted away f*um de U nah ted States dey was so 'shamed dey'd pvah belonged to us dat dey trahd lo get eben, an' |ss'out'n spite dey done ch.'nre de pronounce? ment of de whole language." St. Loir* Republic Miss Neu Teno is visiting friends In BlshopvlUe,