The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-05-15
ROOSEVELT REPLY
President Writes Letter About
the Rate Bill.
Made No Promise to Support
Bailey Amendment.
DIDN'T BREAK FAITH.
Submits Correspondence With
Moody on Question.
Was Careful to Avoid Making
Promises.
DIDN'T BREAK FAITH.

Washington. May 15.-President
Roosevelt caused to be given out for
publication from the White House late
Monday afternoon a letter he had adj
dressed to Senator Allison in the nature
of a reply to the charges made by Sen
ator Tillman, ex-senator Chandler and
Senator Bailey
At the same time q letter addressed to
the president by William H. Moody,
the attorney general, whose name was
associated with that of the Democratic
senators in reaching an alleged rate I'll
agreement was made public.
The essential feature of the presidents
letter was that ex-senator Chandler
had sought to be an Intermediary and
that the Democratic senators had
sought the president on the subject
rather than the president seeking the
Democrats. The president uttered an
emphatic denial of any binding com
pact with the Democrats and in this he
is corroborated by his attorney general,
Mr.. Moody, who in the concluding para
serts that he was not authorized by the
president to commit him to any amend
ment and dio not attempt to do SO.
Democrats to Answer.
Shortly after the presidents statement
was made public ex-senator Chandler
called at Mr.. Tillman's and the two left
to take a walk together. A half hour
later newspaper men found both of
them at the home CT Senator Bailey. 1t
was BaIley's mission to keep Tillman
from taking. Tillman and Chandler
were in room together. while the big
Texas senator blocked the passageway
to it. He made no secret Of his purpose.
q col +1 f<---y
that Tillman could not help hearing it:
I regard Senator Tillman as a very
able man, but I do not think he ought
to talk on this subject"
The trio had a copy of the presidents
letter and also the Moody letter to the
president, and let it be known that they
would again be heard from.
The Democratic senators were mis-
taken IN the kind Of an answer they
thought the president would make. The
majority of them were inclined to be-
l1eve that the president would assign as
his reason for agreeing to the Allison
amendment that he had become con-
WINGED that the Democrats would not
give him genuine support. They
were prepared to attack this conten-
ton, but will now have to meet a sec
Ond< presentation.
It is probable that the Democrats will
one after another declare that they were
requested to come to the White House
ana Will 8Llef1pI TO snow Dy other evil
dence that their aid was sought. Presi-
dent Roosevelt,s letter to Senator ALI
son follows:
The Presidents Letter.
my Dear Senator Allison: AS Sena-
tor Tillman brought in your name in
connection with mine in the statement
he made concerning our relations to
the rate bill last Saturday, it is per-
haps due to you that I should write you
on the matter. 44
after the rate bill was reported
from the committee and after, by a
vote of the committee, Mr.. Tillman had
been put in charge of it, many senators
and many outsiders came to see me
with reference to it.
Among others was asked to see
ex-senator Chandler as representing
Mr. Tillman, who was in charge Of the
bill. I stated in response that I was,
of course, entirely willing to see Mr..
Tillman personally or to see Mr.. Chan
der or any one else who could speak
Tor him, and 1 accordingly directed my
secretary to make an appointment for
Mr.. Chandler to see me. Ny under
standing was that he was the repre-
sentative Of Mr.. Tillman. In this first
interview, he stated to me the views of
Mr.. Tillman with seeming authority.
He called on me several times.
Had the Advice of Many.
During the same period saw other
gentlemen who professed to give the
Views Of other senators In addition, I
saw numerous senators. both Republf-
cans and Democrats, some of them
once or twice, some of them many
| times. I also saw numerous outsiders,
railroad men, shippers, newspaper men
! and students of traffic regulation, in
Guiding especially the attorney general
and the members of the interstate COM
merce commission, and on two occa-
| sions saw groups of newspaper men
/ in mass
- IL.
sentatives of senators and outsiders
alike, made the same statements;
those that made to Mr.. Chandler be-
ing the same in substance that made
to you and to those of your collea gues
/ of both political parties with whom ]
had any extended. conferences on the
subject. The letter of the attorney
/ general, which I inclose, shows fully
| the facts as to the conferences which
at my instance. he held with Senators
i Tillman and Bailey.
Those conferences were precisely
such as, at my instance, he held with
many other senators to determine the
! phraseOlOgy and discuss the effect OF
amendments proposed by them
Liked the Hepburn Bill.
ITO all whom I saw stated that the
4 Hepburn bill was in its essence entire
4 " satisfactory to me. The Hepburn bill
as 1t passed the house simply recogniz-
ed the right of review by the courts
but did not attempt to define it, thus
leaving the courts to prescribe the lin
its of their own Jurisdiction. This was
in accordance with the ideas Of the
attorney general. his belief being that
thereby we avoided all danger of the
/ bin being declared unconstitutional be-
cause of attempt to confer either toe
much or too little jurisdiction on the
courts
II also repeatedly stated that while
it was entirely satisfactory to me sirnp-
" to leave the Hepburn bill in sub
stance as it was-that is. with the rec
i pgnftion Of the jurisdiction of the
/ courts, but without any attempt tC
define that jurisdiction-yet that I was
entirely willing that there should be g
definition, provided that this definition
/ did not seek to grant a broad review
but explicitly narrowed it to the two
! 81, I.ae.,t. .-l....l. -..at.a-. 81