The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-05-18
PRESIDENT IS ASSA|LED
Roosevelt Quoted as Saying He
Disagreed with Knox
and Spooner.
ADMITS NEGOTIATIONS
Followed MOOdy's Advice to Refrain
From Committing Himself to Any
Observation-Disclosures Assumed to
Dictate to Senate-Beginning of
Trouble.


Washington, D. G., May 17.-sena-
tor Tillman made public what he
asserts to behis proofs that President
Roosevelt told ex-senator Chandler
that Senators Knox, Foraker and
Spooner were trying to tie up rate
Dill legislation plans by amending
the pending bill in adding provisions
for many preteXts for courts of re-
view for decision by the Interstate
Commerce Commission on railroad
rate controversies. Tillman dis
played his documentary evidence,
consisting of an invitation to Chand-
Ter, signed by Roosevelt's private
secretary, Loeb, to come over to see
the President and discuss the rate
bill.
Chandler responded, and in his
statement to Tillman declares that
the President positively did assert
that Foraker, Spooner and Knox
were trying to injure or defeat the
bill by ingenious constitutional ar
guments, and that he had come to
complete disagreement with them"
Favors Tillman's Plan.
Chandler, who in a public state
ment declares that he places his
word against the Presidents, reiter-
ates that Roosevelt was in favor of
the proposition of Bailey and Till
man to place restrictions upon courts
to issue injunctions against the In
terstate Commerce Commission, who
under the proposed rate bill may de-
termine freight and passenger rates
so as to prevent determinations in
favor of trusts to the detriment of
small competitors.
This issue raised by Bale and
Tillman is the bone Of contention.
Senator Allisons's amendment pro-
viding that the federal courts shall
be final in decisions made by the
commerce commissions, appealed to
the courts by railroads fancying
themselves aggrieved, has been
agreed to by the Republicans, and is
dSlCCdDlc W Tie DeLlOCTdIS.
ROosevelt's Plan"
But Bailey and Tillman, along
with the majority of the Democratic
Senators and sufficient of the Repub-
iicans to make or break" the rate
bill, declare that the President is
preparing to throw them overheard
as assistants and curry favor with
the Republicans by agreeing to the
plans of Foraker, Spooner and Knox,
all of whom have been in the past
identified with railroad interests,
and frame a bill which shall not
achieve the end originally proposed
by the President, to place the rail-
roads of the nation directly under
the control of a rate-fxing body.
Tillman and Bailey state that the
entire bill is in jeopardy.
President ROOsevelt's Reply.
President Roosevelt, in an answer
to Senators Tillman and Bailey and
former Senator Chandler, declares
that neither to Mr.. Chandler nor to
any one else did he insist upon any
particular amendment to the rate
bill.
Attorney General Moody tells of
conferences with Senator Tillman
and Bailey and their tentative agree
ment upon an amendment to the rate
bill. He had advised Mr.. Roosevelt
lot to commit himself to any amend
ment and considered him at liberty
to change his views.
In long letter addressed to Sena-
tor Allison, given out from the White
House, President Roosevelt admits
that much that Senator Tillman re-
lated to the Senate about the Presi-
dents conferences with the Demo-
Gratis on the railroad rate bill is true.
Mr.. Roosevelt admits the confer
ences were held, but at the request
of Mr.. Chandler. He says he turned
the Democrats over to Mr.. Moody.
He does not assert that he notified
the Democrats before accepting the
Allison amendment. He merely
dropped them because he heard Sem
ator Bailey was of the opinion that
no agreement would muster the
needed votes, and other Democrats
told him it would be better to pass
the Hepburn bill.
He appears to have favored
almost every amendment that was
brought to him, except those provid-
ing for a broad review, and he even
saws he favored "the Spooner
amendment" He confesses that he
conferred with practically every
body
But the President is quite certain
that he made no hard and fast agree
ment with Senators Tillman and
Bailey to test the temper of the SEN
ate upon the compromise amendment
by going to vote. He insists that he
was not committed to any amend
ment of set of amendments. On this
he trusts for justification for aban-
doning his allies without notice.
disagreement Mr.. Roosevelt seems
to have understood to have been
made might be termed IAN expert
mental alliance" When he found
the experiment would not work he
turned to the Allison amendment. In
case, he says, was there the slightest
opportunity for any "honest miscon-
ception" of his attitude or any be-
lief that he had pledged himself spe-
cifically to any particular pro-
eyrammQ