Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-03-26
Proceeds, However, to Elaborate and
Justify His Statements,
WEST UReINlAws MOTIVE ARRAIeNEO
Governor Insists He is LabOring in
Interests of Corporations.
CITES OPINIONS FROM OTHER SOURCES
Reiterntes statement Attorney for
aaIIroads sat at EIkins' Elbow
ana Handed auestIOns to
the senator.

DIES MONIES, March 25.-Governd :, y
minis has mailed to serstor EIh'sz
West Virginia reply hthe sena
letter in which he critici y stateme 2
made by the governor in 50 $Aes to II =.
voters OF Iowa regarding his Emination
before the senate committee on erstate
commerce when II had under cons, Satiou
the railway rate bill. The letter 2 as
follows: =
7 acknowledge receipt Of your commN p,
cation. consisting Of. eighteen typewrittN
pages, dated March 10, 1905,
Your entrance into the Iowa campaign
Is unexpected, but assure you it Is not
unwelcomc. Before you came In the rail-
road companies Of the state were fighting
me with might and main and II the rail-
way companies and coal trusts of West
Virginia desire to add their strength 70
the corporations already opposing me II
may make the fight OF national interest.
but II Will make no difference IN the out
tell YOU frankly in the beginning that
when you say II have no interest In your
campaign for third term do not be-
licve YOU. You have not chosen this par
ticular time to write me an eightcen-page
letter and give it TO the press throughout
the country simply to correct alleged mis-
takes IN speeches that have made in
the state Of Iowa, or to vindicate the
fidelity OF the Interstate commerce commit,
tee against my criticisms, You understand
perfectly that the issue in Iowa AT the
present moment iss whethSr the corpor-
panies shall be permitted TO dominate the
policy Of the state, aud your purpose is
To- give your influence to ne talIways INV, mere;
to them when / appeared before the inter-
state commerce committee at Washington.
Intended to He Candid.
intend to be candid about this matter
and shall leave nothing for you to read
base my belief in the motives have i'm
puted 10 YOU will present before 1 close
turn now 70 the specific statements Of
your letter. You set forth what purports
10 be an extract from a speech recently
made in Fort Dodge and an extract from
speech made a few weeks ago at Spirit
Lake, I have no way of determining
orally correct. Both speeches were ex-
temporaneous, insofar as phraseology goes,
which 10 test the exactness of your ex-
tracts: There Is some language in both
sF sSSf PVT ss2ss sft fPaESp5s hs
terial. for the spirit and substance OF
both. quotations are correct.
VftatiOn to appear before your committee
was procured for me by the Iowa Manu-
facturers association; that when J. took
the stand your committee room was full
Of witnesses waiting to be heard, and
was either a railway employe or had gone
TO Washington upon railway pass; that
after delivering my statement. which re-
quired less than forty-flve minutes | was
cross-examined nearly six hours; that with
a very few exceptions the cross-examina-
tion touching the subject of statement was
hostile and Intended to overthrow my posi-
tlon q did not include the examination
Of Senator Howlands upon another sub
jecO: that YOU cross-eXamned me for
nearly four hours, and that you did not
y, put to me single friendly interrogatory;
Nsssne attitude that a relentless cross-ex-
aminer occupies toward a hostile witness;
that during the cross examination counsel
for the railway companies sat at your
right hand, so close. that at times II seemed
to me your arms We're interlocked; that
l saw him pass to you many written ques-
tions to be propounded to mei that I re-
garded your attitude as unfair to the people
man and unfsithful to the obliga tions you
had assumed, and that l resolved then
and there that would denounce the spec
tacle throughout the length and breadth
OF the land
Takes Up Complaints.
] am not rewriting my speeches and
Withdraw nothing from them am sim
ply putting In cold, calm type the sub
stance. Of what ! intended to say and
ing to reproduce the literal phrase that
at any time employed.
faisehood in the following respects: First
In declaring that the cross-eXamination
conducted by you was hostile; & second. "
companies sat at your right hand durins
the cross-exaraination; third that you ap-
with this attorney; fourth. that during th'
cross-eXamination the attorney handed tC
you written questions TO be propounded tC
/ shall give some attention to these fopi
accusations, promising that / shall not
waste my time in defending my descrip
ton OF the senate as "mausoleum OF gooC
resolutions" This. ! take it. is purely :
changing yours, and as Il is not probable
that YOU could change mine, discussion
take up YOUR complaints Was your cross
examination hostile and unfair, and dil
you transgress the proprietes Of your po
MAY ask you. first. what you under
stand 10 be the duties and obligations o
the chairman of a legislative committee
appointed TO investigate the subject you
committee had under consideration?
, lions to be similar TO those OF an advo
cate, ! then have no criticism Of YOU
the side Of the railways instead OF on th'
side OF the people. / have thought, how
1ES 'Ss or as tiss snd obsaiion aIh com com
more nearly like those OF Judge namely
to hear both sides patiently, without bia
or prejudice. and then 10 decide impair
daily. without fear or favor. You hear
patiently but Il was clearly apparent 4
your cross-eXaminatiOn that you had de
oided the case in favor OF the railroads
and you were determined TO shatter m
evidence II you could
You quote the following question an
answer 10 show that the crOss-examins
ton was not hostile;
'Q. Governor have you anything furthe
A. Nothing except 10 express m
IN which the members of the commtte
have listened 10 my statement"
Never Questioned Courtesy.
Remember that / never alleged any
thing against your courtesy. II you ha
taken the trouble TO quote other parts Q
my speeches at Fort Dodge and Spiri
Lake IL would have appeared that / gaV
YOU full credit for courtesy Your cOuI
tesY was SO complete that Il became a
elaborate as that OF the knights OF III
olden time when they were about TO dra'
blood. II cannot be that you have live
20 middle life without observing the cor
stant association OF courtesy and hostilit,
You were very kind and patient With mi
personally, but you were determined
slaughter what l said.
have rcread your crOss-eNa amina tiof
and / repeat that those parts which 20
quote. az well as All the remainder OF 4
show conclusively that you had made u
your mind that the proposed authorit
ought NOT TO be given to the Interstat
Commerce commission. and Your encI
scOntinued GA Second Page)