Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-05-18
PRESIDENT lssuEs sTATEMENT
REGARDING COURSE ON RAIL,
ROAD LEGISLATION.
Denies Charges Made BY Ne. Tlllmaa
In Recent Speech in Senate and Em-
phatiealIy Denies That He Ever A.
tempted to Dictate What Amend
ments Should Or Should Not % In
eorporated in the Bill.

donal rate bill incident In the senate
Saturday. during which Mr.. Tillman,
On the authority Of Former Senator
Chandler, made statements regarding
the presidents course in connection
with pending railroad rate legislation,
some Of which statements were denied
by Mr.. Lodge on behalf Of the prssi.
dent, had it's sequel Monday evening
when an official statement was issued
from the White House giving an &C.
count Of the subject on the part Of the
president and Attorney General Moody.
The statement comprised two letters.
one from the president to Senator Al
nson and the other from Attorney
General Moody to the president, both
dated May IL. The president says Tin
no case, either In the case! Of Mr..
Chandler or any one else, was there
the slightest opportunity for any hon
est misconception Of my attitude or
any belief that pledged myself speci-
6cally to one and only one amend.
ment or set of amendments or that I
would be satisfied with any amend
ment which proved the essential fea-
ture of the Hepburn bill as it came
from the house."
The president says that as to many,
Of the amendments, including the so.
called Long, Overman, Bacon and
Spooner amendments, he had said he
should be entirely satisfied to have
them in the bill. and suggested modi-
f1cat1ons as to other amendments but
that AS to none cot the amendments)
did I ever say either to Mr.. Chandler
or to anyone else that should insist
upon having them in the bill as con-
dition Of my approval" and that on the
contrary he (the president) was care
full to state that he was not trying to
dictate any particular programme Of
action.
Chandler Represented TiIIman.
The president says the statements
made to Senator Chandler were the
same In substance as those made to
Mr.. Allison and other senators of both
parties. He says he was asked to see
Chandler as the representative Of Mr..
Tillman, in charge Of the bill, and that
tho cQnfereaees~ General
Moody had with Senators Tillman and
Bailey were such as had been held
with many other senators to determine
the phraseology and discuss the ef-
feet Of amendments proposed by them.
-. The president states that he became
convinced that it was impossible for
senators with advantage" to use him
as an Intermediary and suggested to
all to whom he spoke that they COM
municate with Senator Allison. whose
purposes and the presidents were
identical" The president says that
his own opinion that the Allison
amendment in no way changed the
court review as provided in the origi.
nal Hepburn bill is also the opinion
Of Attorney General Moody and Secre
tar1es Root and Taft.
The attorney generals letter gives
an account at the presidents request
Of the conferences which Mr.. Moody,
at the presidents direction, had with
Senators Tillman and Bailey regard
ing the court review feature. He says
he advised tho president that he
should not at any stage become final
ly committed beyond recall to any
form of language In any part Of the
bill and the president affirmed the wis
dom of that course. He reviews the
discussion of interlocutory injunction
and concludes that there was nothing
In the Conversations" between the
senators and himself which bound the
president to any particular amend
ment -