The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1906-05-16
PRESIDENT
IS ACCUSED
Roosevelt Charged With In
sincerity by TiIlman.
HONOR SHOULD BIND ALL
Says Executive Asked Chandler tC
See Mr.. Bailey and Himself
Regarding Rate Bill.

Tillman renewed his attacks on the
president In the senate when the SEES
sion opened. He said he had waited
for the presidents friends TO produce
The letter addressed to Senator Allison,
but they had not done so. He read
Chambers statement corroborating
Tilman's former statement about
Chandler opening negotiations at the
presidents request
In replying to the presidents pub
lished statement that Chandler came
as the representative Of Tillman the
South Carolina senator raised his hand
and stated most solemnly Temarklng
aside. This Is Tillman talking now')
that he had never sought conference
or expressed desire for u conference
with the president Oh the rate bill NJ
any time
with that statement leave the
matter to the judgment of the thought
full and honorable men Of the country"
he said
MIR. Allison then rose and presented
ne lIt~lurii ititti anu AhN "N'vt'f"
nyIng statement from the attorney
general aud asked that they he read by
the clerk and 30 into the record
Mr.. Tillman then said
There are only two points in the
presidents letter which deem worthy
of notice. His attempted explanation
is ingenious. but not ingenious He for
IA second time calls in question the in
tegrity Of purpose and utterance Of
MIR. Chandler by declaring. He was
asked TO see ex-senator Chandler as
representing Mr. Tillman, who was in
charge of the hill He stated to me the
views of Mr.. Tillman with seeming au
thority.
Mr. Chandler has declared most
positively in a written statement that
the president sent for him for the pur-
pose OF getting into communication
with senator Bailey and myself, and
he has produced "A letter Of Mr.. Loeb to
prove it.
Il now declare most emphatlcally
that to no human being have ever
given authority or even expressed
wish Ia have any conference with
Theodore Roosevelt In regard to the
bin now under consideration. ON the
contrary. have expressed the opinion
in more than one published interview
| that he had nothing 10 do with II ana
/ that It was the business of the senate.
aud while | did at his request enter
| into negotiations with the attorney
! general II Is we'll known to every sen
/ atU1. on this floor what my attitude ana
/ feelings have been, and 1t is most re-
markable while the president sent Tor
| Democrat after Democrat to confer
/ with him about this measure that he
1 should undertake under the circum-
stances to assert that ] sent an agent
to him TO begin negotiations. The state
ment is absurd on its face.
The other point to which | shall re
fer is the cavalier way In which Mr..
Moody discusses the idea of the presi-
dent not being bound. While contra
dieting in no instance however slight.
my statement of what occurred. the at
torney 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 hy an
pontment made by Senator Chandler
and talked over the vital question. He
wrote and sent TO MIR. Bailey his un
derstandmg of our views, and when
we met subsequently we reached abso-
lutte agreement both as to the form
and the substance Of a proposed amend
ment to which he said the president
would assent aud 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 and that the rate bill. which will
be when enacted into law much bet
ter and stronger measure than we had
hoped to get. has been emasculated of
one of It's most valuable and essential
features by the presidents action. |
am ready to leave the whole question
to the thoughtful and honorable men
Of the country"
with the exception of the antipass
amendment the senate has concluded
Its consideration of the railroad rate
bill rs in committee Of the whole and
as soon as that provision shall be dis
posed Of will take 1t up in the senate.
The general expectation is that the bill
may he passed before the close Of to-
days session.
~ I.suu