Omaha daily bee., 1906-05-16
OPEN SATURDAY EVENINGS.

dents letter which l deem worthy of
notice. His attempted explanation is in
genious but not ingenious He calls in
question the integrity of purpose and utter
ance of Mr.. Chandler by declaringi
Il was asked to see ex-senator Chandler
as representing Mr.. Tiiman, who. was in
charge Of the bill. He stated to me the
thority."
lively in a written statement that the presi-
dent sent for him for the purpose of get
ting into communication with Senator
Bailey and myself and he has produced the
letter of Mr.. Loeb. .-......
now declare most emphatically that to
no human being-.have / ever given au-
thority or even expressed a wish to have
any conference with Theodore Roosevelt
in regard to the bill now under considera-
ton.
on the contrary, / have expressed the
opinion in more than one public interview
that he had nothing to do with It and that
it was the business OF the senate, and
while | did, at his request, enter into ne
gotiations with the attorney general, IL is
well known to every senator on this floor
what my attitude and feeling have been
and it is most remarkable while the presi-
dent sent for democrat after democrat
to confer with him about this measure that
stances to assert that sent an agent to
Him to begin negotiations. The statement
is absurd on its face.
The other point to which / shall refer is
the cavalier way in which Mr.. Moody dis
cusses the idea of the president not to be
bound o.. q 80. r..-
While contradcting in no instance. how
eyer slight. my statement of what occurred,
the attorney general seems to think that
the code of honor among gentlemen is not
binding upon the executive and his cabinet.
The president asked him to see Mr..
Bailey and myself We met by appointment
made by Senator Chandler and talked over
the vital question. He wrote and sent to
Mr.. Bailey his understanding of our views
and when we meet subsequently We reached
an absolute agreement, both as to the form
substance a nTOnOged
to which he said the president would assent
and help get votes for.
OF course the president was not bound
not to change, but he was bound under
such circumstances to give notice and this
was not done. Even the attorney general
himself was not notified The charge /
made and still make is that the president
is guilty of bad faith ana that the rate
bill which will be, when enacted into a
law, a much better and stronger measure
than we had hoped to get, has been. emas-
culated of one of its most valuable and
essential features by the presidents ac-
ton.
I am ready to leave the whole question to
the thoughtful and honorable men of the
country.
Soon after beginning his statement Sena-
tor Tillman injected the words ,Hthis is TILL
] man talking now" which caused litter
I'm the senate and considerable laughter in
the galleries.
When Mr.. Tillman had concluded Sena tor
Allison asked to have read the presidents
| letter to him. He only said that his OBJ,
| ject was to have the letter made as per
manent OF record as Mr.. TiIlmans state.
ment Attorney General Moody's state
ment to the president also was read.
When the words II. saw the newspaper
men in the mass" were read there was
loud guffaw in the senate and in the gal
| leries and the vice president raped sharply
| with his gavel to restore order. -
Mr.. Nelson -interposed with a motion tC
lay the pending amendment to. the rate bill
on the table, which closed the incident.