The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-22
LOEB SENDS LETTER
ASKS MIR. SIMS TO MAKE RETRAC-
 TI0N
The Presidents Private Secretary Ex- plains How he Came Into Pos- session of so Many Shares
 of Traction stock.

Washington, April 2I.--The refer ences to Mir. Loeb. secretary to the President, in the House yesterday by Mir Sims. in connection with his own- ership oof 4.700 shares of stock in the Washington Railway and Electric Com- pany. called for a letter from Mir. Loeb to that gentleman explaining how the stock came into his possession. and suggesting to MT. Sims that he should be more scrupulous in dealing with mems characters or reputations. Mir Sims read the letter.
 Explaining his possession of the stock Mr. Loeb says:
 Forty seven hundred shares of the capital stock of the Washington Rail- way and Electric Company stand in my name on the books of the company. One hundred of those shares, enough to enable me to qualify as director. are mine; 4,600 are holdings of friends of mine for whom l simply acted as representative at the last meeting of the stockholders of the company at which I was elected director with the view of my possible election as president of the company if l decided to take up that line of work after leaving official life. This record has been and still Is open to you or any other honest man at any time and is clearly demonstrates that any insinu- ation that in any mysterious or un- worthy way or in any way whatever, I have accumulated such considerable fortune as your speech implies. Is as unfair to me and 1t is worthy Of you
 Speaking of what he calls Mir. Sims's 'intimation that I have improperly in- terfered with traction legislation" MT. Loeb says:
 Immediately after my election as a director of the company the chairman of the House District Committee. MT Smith. called upon me and started to ask my advice as to certain bills af- fecting the traction company pending before the committee. I at once in- formed him that while I occupied the position of secretary to the President | I could not and would not discuss with any members of Congress any matters of legislation affecting the local public service corporations. have seen Chairman Smith. who will verify this l statement and I cite this instance to show how scrupulously careful have been to observe the proprieties in the case No Senator among my intimate friends has been either directly or in- directly approached by me on any phase of the traction legislation.
 After reading the letter Mir. Sims said that he was the last person to take advantage of any Congressional privilege to say anything derogatory of any man and therefore he felt that the letter should be read in as public a manner as he had made his state lment. Mir Sims declared. however that he had based his statement on ar official communication to the Speaker wherein Mir Loeb had 4,700 shares of che stock in his name.
 Later Mir Sims. without mentioning the name of the Senator to whom ht yesterday referred. but who 1t wal learned through the Senator himseh was Mir. Newlands of Nevada, as own ing over 1000 shares of Capital Trac ton stock. read a statement from thu Senator saving that the stock cam' into his possession as trustee of th' sharon estate. long before his entry into public life and that since he con trolled it. he had not participated 1T any legislation on street railway mat ters.
 Senator Newlands himself gave ou a statement in which he said that wheI the legislation regarding the stree railways connection with the unloi | station came before the District Com | mittee, he informed the members O the committee of his interest in tn stock and announced that he would no participate in their deliberations, ant | that he has since taken no part in tn deliberations or action of the Distric Committee or of the Senate on thi subject.