Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-04
PRESIDENT. IghANks
Finale Of the Controversy About
the |. C. C.
REPORT SENT TO SENATE
Letter From Mr.. Roosevelt Arraigns
His Friend.
INVESTIGATORS INVESTIGATED
Report by Garfield and Neill Declarer
Charges Against Statistician
Adams Are Unfounded.
REPORT SENT TO SENATE
INVESTIGATORS INVESTIGATED

connection Of Messrs. c. s. Hanks and e.
w. r. Hartman with the interstate COM
merce commission was sent to Congress by
the commission today. 1t was accompanied
by letter from the President and another
from the interstate commerce commission
detailing the facts already known of the
connection Of these two gentlemen with the
commission where they were sent by the
President with view to proving from the
records that freight rates could be reduced
all over the country without hurting the
railroads They were given access to the
records OF the commission for this purpose,
but failed to establish their contention and
are not now connected with the commits
sion.
The most interesting feature of the report
is a letter from the President to Mr.. Hanks
in which President Roosevelt calls him for
his accusations against the interstate COM
merce commission and telling him his
statements have proved to be utterly I'M
founded, he may consider the incident
closed" .'
Mr.. Hanks was employed on the payroll
OF the commission from June q. 1906, to
January 10. 1907. and drew $2,535 for his
services. Mr.. Hartman wa semployed as
an expert for little shor:eS f>Taod, anu
was paid 50, 100.
President was able to PIN MIR. Hartman
down was that the statistics Of the COM
mission were grossly inaccurate and mis-
leading In the returns of the Lake Superior
terminal Company; the capitalization Of the
Seaboard Air Line and that there were
errors in the trackage credited to the vari-
GUS railroads of the country.
Commissioner Of Labor Charles Neill and
commissioner of Corporations James r.
Garfield went into these charges thoroughly
and announced at the conclusion Of their
Investigation that they Were utterly un-
founded"
The letter Of the President to Mr.. Hanks
goes into the history of the case quite fully
and gives his conclusions in the matter
He says:
The Presidents Letter.
My dear Mr. Hanks:
1 am in receipt of your letter Of the 29th
I send you herewith the report Of Messrs
Neill and Garfield on the only specific
charges I was able to get Mr.. Hartman
to make after repeated efforts on my part
Mr.. Starek joins in the report The charges
are completely disproved.
Last winter you came to me on several
occasions, sometimes with and sometimes
without Mr.. Hartman, assuring me that
very grave errors and SHORTCOMINGS exist
ed In the work of the interstate commerce
commission. these being due primarily to
the work of its statistician, Mr.. Adams.
The allegations made were so grave that
l had both Of you meet certain members
Of the commission. .on which occasion you.
commission In possession. of Information
which would practically revolutionize much
Of the work they were doing il you were
soohs the ehanse to- have access to their
gave you such access. You were engaged
In the researches last spring. When 1 re-
turned to Washington last fall heard from
occasions that you had found errors of
the gravest and grossest character In the
work OF the statistician-errors which COM
pleteiy nuiihed and rendered valueless the
work Of the whole commission.
THE charges you had made and were
then making were Of so grave character
that l did not feel justified in failing to
them. for. Of course. there was nothing more
important than to find out whether or not
the work of the interstate commerce COM
mission was accurate and trustworthy /
endeayored to have Mr.. Hartman state to
me definitely what his charges were. You
admitted that your only knowledge OF the
matter was from him. l. found It almost
impossible to pin him down to any definite
statement, and finally, in view Of the re-
peated statements of both you and himself
that only: experts could go into the matter,
appointed Mr.. o. p. Austin to look into
the charges "a
Charges Without Foundation.
He reported to me that after careful ex-
animation of the charges AZ presented in
the paper of Mr.. Hartman and OF the re-
ply Of Professor. Adams he believed the
charges were without foundation. You and
Mr.. Hartman insisted that Mr.. Austin had
erred and you yourself suggested that 1
should have Mr.. Neili and one or more.
bank examiners examine your charges. I
summoned Mr.. Hartman to meet me with
Mr.. Neill, Mr.. Garfield and Mr.. Adams. l
spent an entire evening endeavorfng to get
Mr. Hartman to make specific charges.
telling him that he had been many months
at work and that 1t was out OF the ques.-
ton for me any longer to accept general
allegations or sweeping accusations without
specific statements to back them up.
at proved exceedingly difficult to pin him
down to anything specific. but finally did
pin him down to three definite charges !
explained to him repeatedly that he must
then and there make any charges he had
to make; that It was impossible to take up
the time of officers of the administration
any longer with loose exclamation and tnae
I would consider nothin~ whatever save
what charges he then and there presented:
that would have them tested by COM
mission consisting Of Mr.. Garfield. Mr.. Neill
and Mr.. Starek. one OF the best bank ex-
aniners in the government service.
'"The examination has been made and the
charges Of Mr.. Hartman are found to be
without any foundation whatever. Under
the circumstances II would be simply folly
for me to pay any further heed to any
allegations whatever made in regard to the
work of the Interstate commerce commits
sion by either Mr.. Hartman or you. The in
cident is closed and shall forward a copy
Of this letter to the chairman Of the inter-
state commerce commission. Very truly
yours, THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
Letter Of Transmittal.
The letter Of the interstate commerce
commission transmitting the report of the
investigation to the Senate is as follows:
To the Senate Of the United States: The
interstate commerce commission has the
honor to submit the following in response
to the resolution Of the Senate adopted
January Is. 1907, directing the commission
to report. as therein specified. in relation
to the employment Of Charles 8. HankA
The commission employed Mr.. Hanks
for the reasons and in the capacity herein
after stated from June 81, 1906, to Janu.
airy 10. 1907. He has been paid In full for
his services up to and including the 2Ist
day of December. 1906. the sum of $2.536,
For the same reasons and in the same
capacity the commission also employed Mr..
George w. r. Hartman from June "a. 1906
to January 10. 1907; and he has been paid
In full for his services up to and including
$500.
These respective amounts were paid to
Mr.. Hanks and Mr.. Hartman out of the
general appropriation to the commission for
the fiscal year 1907. except the sum Of $780,
~ hfr1 - not nrrf Of