Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
This executive order, signed by President William Howard Taft on 1912-03-11, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Reserving Hunter's Rock or Prince Island in Pacific Ocean for Use of Smith River Indians." It is a direct, concise executive instruction delivering focused administrative or military commands to department leadership.
Constitutional Assessment: This action represents an orderly exercise of Article II administrative discretion, managing the internal machinery and personnel of the executive branch without abridging the ancient liberties of the people.
Key Directives & Operative Actions
▪5900 as Prince Island, be, and the same hereby is, reserved from all forms of disposal and set aside for use of the Smith River Indians, and for such other purposes as the Secretary of the Interior may direct or authorize; this withdrawal being subject to any prior valid existing rights of any persons.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
🏛️ Executive Branch Departments
🏛️ General Body of the People
Total Words
124
694 characters
Estimated Read Time
1 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
18.6
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
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Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 1495, William Howard Taft (Mar 11, 1912). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-1495-reserving-hunters-rock-or-prince-island-pacific-ocean-for-use-smith.
Official Document Text
Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)
It is hereby ordered that the unsurveyed island in the Pacific Ocean about three-quarters of a mile north of the mouth of Smith River, in California, in section 17, township 18 north, range 1 west of the Humboldt base and meridian, designated on the official plats of survey as Hunters Rock, and on the United States Coast and Geodetic Chart No. 5900 as Prince Island, be, and the same hereby is, reserved from all forms of disposal and set aside for use of the Smith River Indians, and for such other purposes as the Secretary of the Interior may direct or authorize; this withdrawal being subject to any prior valid existing rights of any persons. WM. H. TAFT. The White House, March 11, 1912