Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-16
Mr.. Chandler Reafirms Assertions

Mr.. Chandler Reaf1irms Assertions.
WASHINGTON, d. c., May 16, 1905
My Dear Mr. Tillman:
AS the telephone denial by President
Roosevelt sent to the Senate through SEN
ator Lodge remains In the Congressional
Record of May Il, it seems to me that
should take some notice of it. which l do
by now reaffirming the essential truth of
the statement L made to you and which
you repeated In the Senate. Much as 1 re-
gret that the hasty action of Senator Lodge
and the President has forced an issue be-
tween the President and myself, the ex-
IRENE language he used makes such issue
unavoidable, and l cannot shrink from or
evade 1t, although l cannot use toward the
chief executive of the nation language like
MS own. Upon our respective statements l
submit the controversy with confidence to
the judgment of those who know me-
For those who Go not know me there is
fortunately circumstantfal evidence of a
high order which shows that the President
could not have omitted to mako In SUBJ
stance the statement which he denies Nor
could he have then made the whole state
ment. which he now substitutes His irnp1ll-
siveness has led him into serious error upon
a point or no Importance in itself, but only
as Affecting his attack upon me- / give to
you further statement, as follows:
Summoned to the White House.
Prior to March 81 I had not seen the
President for long time / did not go
to the White House as q representative of
Senator Tillman but solely because the
President summoned me there by the let
ter from Mr.. Loeb, and waited for him
TO express his object. 1t was unmistak-
ably stated to be communication with Mr..
Tlllman, who had the rate bill in charge
and other democrats of the Senate for
the purpose of securing the adoption In
the railroad rate bill of a court review
clause limiting the inquiry to the ques-
fion whether the commission had exceed
ed its authority or had violated the con-
sututional rights of the carrier. 1 knew
and he Knew that 1t was impossible for
him to open conferences with Mr. Tillman
unless he was fully satisfied that the
President had absolutely given up all in
tention of coming to an agreement with
the senators who had been making the
contest for an unlimited court review
and in stating his object he said that he
had parted from them finally, naming
senators Knox, Foraker and Spooner as
the senators who had made the argu-
Tents in the Senate to sustain that view
and he used as nearly as l can recoIlect
the language given in my statement re-
peated by Mr.. Tillman. The conversation
Included the understanding which he had
that day reached with Senators Long and
Allison, the fact that not over one-third
the republican senators could be relied on
TO vote for the limited court review and
- twas vital that the support of near
ly All m democrats should be obtained.
Tillman Slow - Be Convinced.
When an hour later v1slt.ci Mr.. TILL
man and told him my mission from he
President | found him distrustfuI and sus-
picious. He questioned me closely as to
what the President had said and 1 related
TO him as accurately as 1 could the state
ment made by the President to me- and l
convinced him that the President had
ceased TO hope for compromise with the
senators named and the other advocates
Of an unlimited court review. When sat
ished thar this was the case he readily
consented to cooperate with the President
and said that he would see Senator Bailey
and report to me the result, which he did,
saying there would be perfect accord upon
the limitation of the right of review IL
carried forward in connection with linli-
tation of the right to issue ex parte in
functions.
The conferences thus begun We're on the
18th at my suggestion transferred to At
torney General Moody, and al once re-
suited in understanding that the effort
should be made to limit the right of court
review stated in the Long amendment
and In the paper drawn up on April l6 by
Mr.. Moody and later perfected by Messrs.
Moody, Tillman and Bailey.
Regarded Break as Natural.
WAS It not natural and essential that
the President should have satisfied me
that he had finally separated upon the
question OF the court review from the SEN
ators who were the principal opponents
o. any limitation of that review, which
they believed would be unconstitutional,
snd that should have repeated his state
ments TO Mr.. Tillman? Is 1t possible that
i went directly that night to Senator Till
man at the Colonial Hotel and poured tn.o
his ears deliberate and unqualified false.
hood?
Consider next the statement which the
President says he thinks he made instead
or the one narrated by me. Senator For
aker. he says was not mentioned. I am
quite sure he is mistaken. Senators Knox
and Spooner he says, were mentioned but
that all that was said about them was, as
TO Senator Knox. that the President did not
agree with a portion OF his proposed amend
ment, but that he thought he had made
strong argument for asserting affirma lively
the Jurisdiction or authority of the court
and as TO Senator Spooner, that his name
was only mentioned by him to express a
cordial approval of Senator Spooner's
amendment
This Spooner amendment was not offered
In the Senate until May 10. but learn that
IL had been in existence and shown to the
President, whether early as March 81
does not appear But this Is certain, that
II the President had on that night told me
that he cordially approved of IT. and had
20 reported to Mr.. Tillman, there would