Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-10-29
statement of 1. H. LIE veen.

Statement of I. H. Lie Veen.
NEW YORK, Oct. 2S.-The Journal
today prints the following:
Governor Roosevelt was not present
when Senator Scott made his pro-trust
statement. The dinner had reached
the ice cresm stage and the governor
did not arrive until about seven min
utes afterward.
The diners sat about the table gossip
ing. Senator Scott leaned back in his
chair and laughed and joked with lis
associates. / distinctly heard him ~
Right here | want to say l believe
In trusts. They are a good thing. The
Standard Oil Company put in it's pipe
lines to all the small towns where oil
is produced, and if it was not for the
Standard Oil Company this prosperity
that we have, wouldn't be there today"
Of course / heard his threat to me,
because he spoke directly to me. His
threat ran precisely as | wrote 1t last
night:
If that newspaper man puts that
down I'll make trouble for him."
After the dinner was over I went to
the Hoffman House. While l was there
q messenger, n Of those attached TO
Mr.. Titles room in state headquarters,
came to me and said that Chairman
Odell wanted to see me. | went back
to the Fifth avenue hotel and found
Mr.. Odell In room No. rs, where ne
lives when in town.
Also In the room were Senator
Scott, Frederick S.. Gibbs, Edward G..
Riggs and Harold Anderson, reporters
of the Sun, and George Edward Ora
ham, of the Associated Press.
/ was asked: What about that
story?"
1 replied: "I've got it here, do you
want me to read it?"
Riggs broke in and told MI to read
it. | asked him what business he had
to interfere in the matter.
Turning to Odell / asked him if I
should read all that l had written
about the dinner. He said:
mo, only read that part about
Scott"
Then Scott said:
ooh, no; let him read the whole
thing"
So I began reading my story. When
/ came to that part Of it telling OF
SCOTS statement concerning coal and
iron in connection with his native
state, Scott said:
That's a d lie. l never said a
word about iron, and you all know l
didn't"
Odell interrupted, and said:
LET him read the statement and
don't interrupt him."
when l read that part about SCOTS
pro-trust statement they all got very
angry. Scott cried:
Its a d lie, and you know it,"
| replied:
81 don't know anything of the kind"
Gibbs spoke for the first time:
st was a private dinner" he said,
"attended by private guests, and you
had no right to say anything about It,,
l read on. When l got to that part
of my story telling of SCOTS threat to
make trouble for me in case | put
down" his statement concerning trusts
and the Standard Oil Company.
Scott said:
81 didn't mean that. ! meant that
you shouldn't print statements made
in private conversation.
IF you are going to tell anything,
why don't you tell my story about the
yellow muller"
| then read the rest of my story.
Riggs asked;
Didn't you make a bet of $4,000 for
Mr.. Croker?"
| told him l had not made any such
bet, and that Mr.. Croker would hear
m out in that statement.
Then Riggs retorted:
You're pretty thick with the Demo-
cratic party"
asked him what business he had to
interfere in the matter, and he replied
that he was interested in it, as an
American citizen who loves The truth.
asked him:
Then why don't you write some Of
it?"
Scott asked me why l always made it
a point to abuse him.
This isn't the first time" he said,
you have done it."
] told him that if he kept making
breaks, / couldn't be held responsible
for them.
This made him very angry, and Odell
had to quiet him. Then Odell looked
at the manuscript in my hand. He
talked with Graham for a minute, and
then he asked me to tear up the manu-
script and l did so. But it was only
a copy. The moment Scott saw the
manuscript was destroyed he grew vio-
lent and denounced me in strong terms
for writing what had occurred at a pri-
vate dinner.
Odell said to him: ooh, it is ali right
now
Il had previously sent the story to my
office, having first queried concerning
it, and having been ordered To write
the facts without regard to anybody. l
was told that it was my duty to give
the news of the dinner, and this I did.
What | wrote IA the truth absolute
ly.