William Taft actually said...

"I am in full sympathy with the concern of reasonable and patriotic men that the valuable resources of Alaska should not be turned over to be exploited for the profit of greedy, absorbing, and monopoli..."

"The tract above described is hereby restored to the public domain."

"It is easy in cases like this to take the course which timidity prompts, and to do nothing, but such a course does not inure to the public weal."

"The whole contention that the executive order and the opening to settlement of the shore of Controller Bay grants a monopoly to the railway company rests on the claim that it has given an opportunity ..."