The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-15

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Anlao6
ttss,rs fba .ssat8p s~suernhlsd W N 0'eloeh
m,s mrsmee tspt,tr tllatH IN e1fursng
st,B Attorney ,iru~fti dospiv hti rtilet
~ ige prad.ni toil tslsed rver vim him
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aey, hat seisbt Nv sttet intn = re-" hn
rBuif4srt Fth tNwnrfttic srN1'dra tnI
hsd r.arrtei nfrr ihe e,ssf fsi'h ~ SENATORS
Fortksr spcrnef ard knot IN ihs' cin-
yrssttiun he Prsatirh, a't'in~d ihH nt'urn
NJ his ars fnss Win W. Chandler and M.
sasetl that he would sfit" = lr'tef to srna'"t
ABson ON iiya sibier, That m'ich h"oare
known sfsf Senator Allisun retifn"d w ~"
Senate and VII tlsy lona thrre Wa y f"rlns
M suppressed eSritement On Tho Sena's
floor Everyhcdv nomrntarilv etp-cted
an o,,tb,ra, n va supposed that Senator
Nnla,n vntld rad tho letter from Tho
President and Senators iailnv ard TIL
man would make sensational aprechea IN
rsply. Rut nothing ~ tho sort occurred
shorfly after tho senate adjourned N"
President Ie,ter to Senator Allison waa
Furnished 10 the prrs- from the White
Hoi@s. with n vas o copy 81 tho letter ~
Attorney General Moody 10 the President
The Presidents letter followa.
p~psstpExt's hRrrFR ~ agShroF ALLfsoS
TINS WITT HorsI.
wAsHiS0ToN. May u
Ny Dpap SENATOR ALLISON A senator
Tnlman brought in your name In connection
with mlns In the statement he made con
corning our relation 20 the rate hill last Satur.
day. n Ia perhaps due 10 YOU that ] should
write YOU on the matter. After the rate bill
was repor,ed from the committee. and after.
BY vote ~ the committee, Mr.. riilman had
been put In charge 1T u. many Senators and
many outsiders came TO soc me with reference
20 ". Among Others | was asked TO see en-
Senator Chandler "a representing MI. TIL
man. who was In charge Of tho bill. | stated
In response that ] was, OF course. entirely
willing to see MIR. Tillman personally or to
see MIR. Chandler or any one else who could
speak for him. and I accordingly directed
my secretary to make an appointment for
Mr.. Chandler to see me. My understanding
was that he was the representative OF Mr..
Tillman.
In this first interview he stated TO me the
views of Mr.. Tillman, with seeming authority
He called on me several ines. During the
same period I saw other gentlemen who pro-
fessed 20 give the views OF other Senators,
In addition l saw numerous Senators. both
Republicans and Democrats. some of them
once or twice. some OF them many times.
] also saw numerous outsiders. railroad men.
ahippers new spaper men and students OF
traffic regulation, including especially the
Acknowledgement and the members OF the
Interstate Commerce Commission. and on
two occasions / saw groups OF newspaper
men In q mass.
To all OF these, Senators. representatives
Of Senators and outsiders alike, made the
pame those that | made to Mr..
Chandler being the same in substance that l
made to you and TO those OF your colleagues
Of both political parties with whom | had any
extended conferences on the subject. The
letter OF the Acknowledgement, which en-
close, shows fully the facts as to the con-
feren ces which at my instance he held with
Senators Tillman and Bailey. These con-
ferences we're precisely such as. at my in
ttanCt, ne tiu VIII many WV
determine the phraseology and discuss the
effect OF amendments proposed by them.
To all whom | saw ] stated that the Hep
burn bin WAS in its essence entirely salts
factory to me. The Hepburn bill as 1t passed
the House simply recognized the right OF
review by the courts-that Ii. the Jurisdiction
Of the courts-but did not attempt to define.
thus leaving the courts TO prescribe the limits
Of their own jurisdiction. This was in acS
..l.l .ha tlaaa NJ thu Aff0Fnnv-
General, his belief being that thereby we
avoided all danger OF the bill being declared
unconstitutional because OF the attempt to
confer either too much or too little jurisdiction
on the courts.
also repeatedly stated that while 1t was
entirely satisfactory TO me simply to leave
the Hepburn bill in substance as 1t was-that
Is, with the recognition OF the jurisdiction
of the courts, but without any attempt to
define that jurisdlction-yet l was entirely
willing that there should be a definition.
provided that this definition did not seek
TO grant a broad review, but explicitly mar
row ed L. to the two sub ects which. as a matter
of fact. ] believed that the courts would alone
consider in case there was no attempt to
define the limits of their review: that Is. would
limit II to the question as to whether the COM
mission had acted ultra rires and as to whether
any mans constitutional rights had been i'm
paired. 1 stated that II the question OF dein-
ing or limiting the review was brought up
at all personally felt that this was the way
In which 1t should be limited or defined.
At different times at least a score Of tenta-
tive amendments were either prepared by
the Acknowledgement at the request of sena-
tors or submitted to me by Senators. As
10 many Of these amendments ~Uncludlng.
amone others, the substance Of the so-called
Long, overman. Bacon and Spooner amend
ments) ] stated that | should be entirely
satisfied to have them in the bill, as to others
/ suggested notifications which would make
them satisfactory: as to mono did l ever say.
either TO Mr.. Chandler or to any one else. that
/ should insist upon having them in the bill
as a condition OF my approving IL. On the
contrary, l was always most careful to state
that l was not trying to dictate any particular
programme OF action
In no case, either In the case OF Mr.. Chandler
or In the case of any one else, was there the
slightest opportunity for any honest miscon-
ception Of my attitude or any belief that I
had pied ged myself specifically 10 one and
only one amendment or set OF amendments.
or that / would not be satisfied with any
amendment which preserved the essential
feature OF the Hepburn bill as II came from
the House.
You viii doubtless recall that in the course
of the several visits that you personally made
me we discussed a number Of these proposed
-.l,,an,s tryipo tn find o,it for which ona