Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-05-15

| having Decn pfcphIcu ny "ii'
and presented to him as representing the
Presidents views. -
The Enclosure from Mr. Moody, 10 the
main, confirms the statement made by
Mr.. TiIlman, though it is manifest that
a laborious effort has been made to make
the statement of the President and that
Mr.. Moody conform. The note OF trans
initial from Mr.. Moody l., hr. Bailey,
under date Of :Apriljl6, is ,iiable to,be
misleading, az it relates to particular
point Of the negotiation without referring
TO what had gone before or what follow
ed it.
On the whole, the response from the
White House is in the nature of con-
fession and an attempted avoidance.
Following is the Presidents letter:
The WHITE House,
Washington, May IA, 1906.
Ny Dear Senator Allison
As Senator Tillman brought ia your
name 10 connection with mine 10 the
statement he made concerning our reia-
tions TO the rate bill last Saturday, 1t Is
perhaps due to you that | should write
you on the matter.
After the rate bill WIS reported from
the committee, and after, by vote OF The
committee, Mr.. Tillman had been put in
charge of il, many Senators aud many
outsiders came to see me with reference
to it. Among others | was asked to see
ex-senator Chaudl. r, as representing MIR.
Tillman, who wss in charge OF the bill.
| stated in response that | was OF course
entirely willing to see MIR. Tlllnan per
sonally or TO zee Mr.. Chandler or any
Que else who could speak for hiu, and !
accordingly directed my secretary to make
All appointment for Mr. Chandler 10 see
me. Ny understanding gas that he WAS
the representative of MIR. Tillmsn. Ia
this first interview be stated to me the
views of Mr.. Tillman, with seeming au-
thority. He called on me several times.
During the same period | saw other
gentlemen, who protested to give the
views of ether senator's. In addition |
saw numerous senators, both republicans
aud democrats, SOME. of them once or
twice, some OF them many times. | also
saw numerous outsiders, railroad men.
shippers, newspaper men anu students of
traffic regulation, including especially
the Attorney General and the members
of the Interstate Commerce Commission,
and on two occasions I law groups
of newspaper men in mass. To
all of these Senator'S, representatives, Of
Senators aud outsiders alike made the
same statement; those that made to Mr.
Chandler being the same in substance thst
| made to you and TO those ofyour col
leagues, of both political parties, with
whom | had an extended conference on
the subject.
"The letter of the. Attorney General,
which inclose, shows July the facts as
to the conferences which, at my instance,
he held with Senators rilImau and
Bailey. Those conferences were precise ly
such as, at my instance, he held with
many other Senators. to determine the
phraseology and discuss the effect OF
amendments proposed by them.
"To all whom | saw | stated that the
Hepburn bill was, in its essence, entirely
satisfactory Ia me. The Hepburn bill, as
il passed the House, simply recognized the
right Of review by the courts; that is, the
jurisdiction of the courts, but did not at
tempt to define it, thus leaving the
courts 10 prescribe the limits of their
own jurisdiction. This was in accord
ance with the ideas OF the Attorney
General, his belief being that thereby
we avoided all danger oi the bill being
declared unconstitutional because of the
attempt to confer either too much or too
little Jurisdiction on the courts.
II also repeatedly stated that while it
was satisfactory tome simply to leave
the Hepburn bill in substance as it
was-thst il, with the recognition of
the jurisdiction of the courts, but with
out any attempt 10 define that juris-
diction-yet that | was entirely will
ing that there should be definition,
provided that this definition did not
seek to grant a broad review, but
explicitly narrowed il to The two sub
jecls which, as a matter OF fact, be-
lieve that the courts would alone con-
slider in case there WIS no attempt to
define the Limits of their tesiewi that
is would limit it to the question as to
whether the commission had acted ultra
wires and as to whether any mans con-
stilutional rights had been impaired.
/ stated that if the question of defining
or limiting The review was brought up
at all, personally felt that this was
the way in which Is should he limited or
defined. frr.-i
cat different times at least score If
tentative amendments were either pre-
pared by the Attorney-General al the
request Of Senators or submitted to me
by Senators. As To many of these
amendments, including among others
the substance Of the so-called Long,
0yermsD, Bacon and SpOoner amend
ments. ! stated should be entirely SAITH
fed to have them 10 the bill; IS to others
suggested notifications which would
make them satisfactory; As to none did
ever say, either to Mr.. Chandler or to
anyone else, that ! should insist upon
having them in the bill a. condlii III
of my approving it, On the contrary,
Was always most careful To slate that
[ Was not trying to dictate any particular
program of action. 10 no case either
in the case OF Mr. Chandler or in the
case of anyone else, was there the slight
est opportunity for any honest miscon=