The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-11
NOT TRUSTS AGENT
SPEAKER HENDERSON WILL NOT
 WORK FOR ROCKEFELLER.
Only Asked a Favor Once of the Oil Magnate, the Speaker Says, and Then He Was Turn
 ed Down.

Washington, Feb. 10.-The Post tomor- row will print an interview with Speaker D. B. Henderson of the House of Rep- resentatives with respect to reports cur rent about the Capitol connecting the Speaker with efforts to thwart antitrust legislation and with having endeavored to have enacted a substitute for the Nell son publicity section of the Department of Commerce bill. The report also said MT. Henderson will become attorney for one of the Standard Oil Companies after March. when he retires from Congress. The Speaker emphatically denied the re- ports. He said:
 ''In the first place I have never known any person or official connected with the Standard Oil Company in any way nor do I know of such official or person now"
 Rising from his desk in the Speaker s private room and walking over to one of the window recesses, he added:
 The only relations I have had with any person identified with the Standard oil Company was some years ago. Then wrote letter to Mir. Rockefeller. I asked him to assist in some project for upper Iowa University, my alma mater. l do not recall exactly what 1t was. but think I asked him to assist that insti- tution in the purchase of an organ. Af- terward I secured from Mir. Carnegie a library for the college. MT. Rockefeller. however, declined to assist in whatever undertaking I had mentioned to him in behalf of the college
 Tn the second place." continued Speak, CT Henderson. "I know nothing whatever about any Standard Oil amendment be- fore the Conference Committee on the Department of Commerce. The reports you mention are entirely new to me. I nave had nothing to do with any such amendment
 And what about your alleged opposi- ton to antitrust legislation?' was sug- gested.
 There has been a lot of lying about that matter" he said. T have all along been in favor of antitrust legislation. I got through the House a long time ago the amendments to the Sherman law which have never been completed and enacted into legislation.
 Early this season I started out to urge legislation against trusts. It was at my suggestion, after a conference with MT. Jenkins, chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House. that a special subcommittee was appointed-a commit tee Of earnest, sincere and competent men-to frame an antitrust bill. They entered upon their work and from that day was in frequent consultation with members of that subcommittee as to the progress they were making I talked often with MT. owerstreet, Mir. Jenkins, MT. Littlefeld and others of the Judi ciary Committee as to what was being done."
 You are in accord with whatever pro- gram the administration wished as to antitrust legislation2'
 Why, have been in consultation often with the President on ;hese matters" con cluded the speaker. "and ready to work in complete accord with him as I have been in other matters of legislation be- fore Congress. was at the White House yesterday shortly after 1 o'clock when We discussed the program as to the conference as to the department of commerce bill which has just been ac- cepted by the House"