The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-05-15


 Washington, May 14.-The sensational rate bill incident in the Senate Saturday during which MT. Tillman on the author ity of former Senator Chandler made statements regarding the Presidents s course in connection with pending rail- road rate legislation, one of which state ments were denied by Mir. Lodge on behalf of the President. had it's seequel this aft ernoon when an official statement was Is sued by the White House. government giving an account of the subject on the part of the President and Attorney Gen eral Moody. The statement comprised two letters one from the President to Sen ator Allison, the other from Attorney General Moody to the President, both dated today The President says;
 Tn no case, either in the case of MT. Chandler or any. one else, was there the slightest opportunity for any honest mis- conception If my attitude ar any beaef that I pledged myself specifically to one. and only one amendment. or set of amendments or that I would not be sat isfled with any amendment which pre- served the essential features of the Hep burn bill as it came from the House.
 Did Not Try to Dictate.
 The President says that as to many of the amendments, including the so- called Long. Overman, Bacon and Spooner amendments, he said he should be entirely satisfied to have them In the bill, and suggested notifications as to other amendments, but that "as to none (of the amendments) did ever say either to MT. Chandler or to any one else, that I should insist upon having them in the bill as a condition of my approval
 And that on the contrary he (he Pres ident) was careful to state that he was not trying to dictate any particular pro gramme of action
 The President says that the statements made to Senator Chandler were the same in substance as those made to MT. Ali son and other senators of both parties. He said he was asked to see Senator. Chandler as the representative of MT. Tillman in charge of the bill. and that the conference Attorney General Moody had with Senators Tillman and Bailey were such as had been held with many other senators to determine the phrase ology and discuss the effect of amend- ments proposed by them. The President stated that he became convinced that it was impossible for senators with ad- vantage" to use him as an intermediary, and suggested to all to whom he spoke that they communicate with Senator AL lison, whose purposes and the Presidents were identical.
 Is Opinion of Others.
 The President says that his own opn- ion that the Allison amendment in no way changed the court review aspect as provided in the original Hepburn bill, is also the opinion of Attorney General Moody and Secretaries Root and Taft.
 The Attorney Generals letter gives account a t the Presidents request of the conferences which MT. Moody had by the Presidents direction, with Senators Till man and Bailey regarding the court re- view 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 affirmed the wisdom of that course. He revives the discussion of interlocutory iniunctions. and concludes that there was nothing in the "conversations" between the sena- tors and himself which bound the Pres- dent to any particular amendment
 TIIIman Talks.
 Senator Tillman talked freely tonigh. with a number of his callers about the statement issued by President Roosevelt. He expressed his preference. however, not to be quoted, pointing out that whatever he wished to say on the subject of the statement issued by President Roosevelt. the Senate. He expects that the question will be brought to the front in some way in the Senate tomorrow. He discussed the President statement tonight with for mer Senator Chandler, and he urged MT. Chandler to issue a statement giving q full history of the whole matter. Senator wanted the fact to go Into the that he did not In any way initiate the negotiations with the Pres- dent regarding the democratic support for the railroad rate bill, and that he did not ask Senator Chandler to go to the White House.
 Part of Correspondence.
 Following is part of the correspondence embraced In the statement given out by the White House this evening:
 The Presidents letter:
 White House. Washington, IA "Mr Dear Senator Allison-As Senator brought in your name in con- nectlon with mine in the statement he made concerning our relations to the rate bill last Saturday. 1t is perhaps due to you that I should write you on the mat ter. After the rate bill was reported from the committee. and after. by vote of the
 
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