The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-05-15
PRESIDENTS Side OF
rate BILL incident
AN NOFFICIAL STATE1TE ISSUED
FROM THE WHITE
HOUSE.

LIN No Case Has There Been the Slight
est Opportunity for Amy Honest Mis-
cOnception of His Attitude or of ANY
Belief That He Pledged Himself
Specifically to One and Only One
Observation-Disclosures Made to MIR.
Chandler the Same as Those to Mr..
Allison and Other Senator's of Both
Parties.
Washington, May 14-The sensational
rate bill incident in the senate Satur-
day during which Mr.. Tillman, on the
authority of Former Senator Chandler,
made statements regarding the presi-
dents course in connection with pend
ing railroad rate legislation, some Of
which statements were denied by Mr..
Lodge, on behalf of the president, had
its sequel this evening When an official
statement was issued by the White
house giving an account of the subject
on the part of the president and Attor-
ney General Moody. The statement
comprised two letters, one from the
president to Senator Allison and the
other from Attorney General Moody to
the president, both dated to-day The
president says sin no case, either in the
case Of Mr.. Chandler or any one else
was there the slightest opportunity
for any honest misconception of my at
titude or any Belief that pledged my
self specifically to one and only one
amendment or set of amendments or
that / would not be satisfied with any
amendment which preserved the essen
tial features of the Hepburn bill as 1t
came from the house.
The president states that as to many
amendments, including the so-called
Long, Overman, Bacon and Spooner
amendments he had said he should be
entirely satisfied ito have them in the
bill and suggested notifications as to
other amendments but that "as to none
of the amendments did 1 ever say eth
er to Mr.. Chandler or to any one else
that | should insist upon having them
in the bill aus a condition of my approx
AL" and that on the contrary he (the
president) was careful to state that he
was not trying to dictate any particu-
lar programme of action. The president
said the statements made by ex-Sena-
tor Chandler were the same in SUBJ
stance as those made to Mr.. Allison
and other senators of both parties. He
said he was asked to see Mr.. Chandler
as the representative of Mr.. Tillnan
in charge Of the bill and that the con-
ferences Attorney General Moody had
with Senator's Tillman and Bailey were
such as had been held with many other
senator's to determine the phraseology
and discuss the effect Of amendments
proposed to them The president states
that he became convinced that 1t was
impossible for senators with advant-
age" to use him as an intermediary and
suggested to all to whom he spoke that
they communicate with senator Alli-
son, whose purposes and the presi-
dents were identical" The president
says that his own opinion that the AL
lison amendment in no way changed
the court review as provided in the
original Hepburn bill is also the opin-
ION of Attorney General Moody and
Secretaries Root and Taft. The attor-
ney generals letter gives an account,
at the presidents request, of the con-
ferences which Mr. Moody had by the
presidents direction with Senator'S
Tillman and Bailey regarding the court
review feature. He says he advised the
president that he should not at any
stage become finally committed beyond
recall to any form of language in any
part of the bill and the president af-
frmed the wisdom of that course He
reviews the discussion of interlocutory
injunctions and concludes that there
was nothing in the conversations" be-
tween the senators and himself which
bound the president to any particular
amendment.
Following is the correspondence en-
braced in the statement given out by
the White House:
The Presidents Letter.
"The White House,
"Washington, May H. 1906.
my Dear Senator Allison-As Sena-
tor Tillman brought in your name in
connection with mine in the statement
he made concerning out relations to
the rate bill last Saturday, it is per-
hans due to you that / should write
you on the matter After the rate bill
was reported from the committee, and
after by vote of the committee Mr.. Till
man had been put in charge Of it, many
senators and many outsiders came to
see me with reference to it. Among
others. 1 was asked to see ex-senator
Chandler as representing Mr. Ttllman,
who was in charge of the bill. I stated
in response that I was, of course, en-
tirely willing to see Mr.. Tillman per-
sonally. or to see Mr.. Chandler or any
one else who could speak for him, and
/ accordingly directed my secretary to
make an appointment for Mr.. Chandler
to see me. My understanding was that
he was the representative of Mr.. Till
man. In the first interview he stated
To me the views of Mr.. Tillman with
seeming authority. He called on me
several times. During the same period
] saw other gentlemen who professed
TO give the views of other senators. In
addition. [ saw numerous senators, both
republicans and democrats, some OF
them once or twice, some of them many
times. l also saw numerous outsiders,
railroad men, shippers, newspaper men
and students of traffic regulation, in