The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-21
WANTS LIGHT TURNED ON Congressman Hardwick
 Scores Roosevelt. A CORNER" ON INFORMATION MT. Mann Says Resolution is Re-
 flcction on President. A, ResoIution Calling on the President to Supply Insormstion on Cor poratiens Gathered by Bureau,
 Defeated In House.

Washington, March 20--By a vote of 14S to 1l5. the House-t6day laid on the table a resolution calling upon the President to supply the information on corporations gathered by the Bureau of Corporations.
 / President Roosevelts failure to make public certain information concerning correspondence gathered by the Bureau of Corporations. was criticized in the House today hy Mir. Hardwick. Geor- gia. He maintained that ss0o.o00 had been expended in gathering such information, and yet. he said, Congress had not been taken into the Presidents confidence.
 We ought to have this information at first hand" he declared. and not second hand, not by piece meal and in dribiets. according to the will of any one man. whether he be President of the United States or anybody else"
 It was time. he asserted, that Con- Rresa should show it's manhood and say to the President: You let usf have this" He did not believe in the Pres' ident's having a ''ccrner" on informa' ton.
 He Is no more entitled to the exclu- sive possession of information which is to be used as the basis of legisla- tion than the House is," said Mir. Hard- wick. and Congress would have no mora right to keep 1t from the Presi- dent. than the President had to keep 1t from the House.
 The President. Mir. Hardwick con- tinued. always had been the advocate of turning on the light. Let us ask him." he insisted. 'to turn on all the lights and turn them on at once
 Reflection on President.
 Although the resolution was report cd from the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce by Mir. Mann, that gentleman vigorously opposed 1t and vigorously defended the President. He declared that the resolution had no other object that a reflection on the honesty of the motives of the Presi- dent, who he said. had no information given to him under the bureau of cor- poratIons act which he had kept from the House.
 aTfle only purpose of this res61n- tion,' he said '.is to make 1t out that the President Is ondeavoring to con- ceal information from the House and the public"
 Mir. Mann admitted that the bureau of corporations had acquired a large amount of information which has not been made public.
 Docs the gentleman" he Inquired with some warmth. desire information before the Investigations are com pleteQf
 He challenged Mir. Hardwick to show that the President withheld any of the reports of the beef trust" and the Standard oil Company. 'Tf he does so say" he added with increased vigor, ''then I deny It."
 The President, he continued. had been the leader of the reform movements against the trusts.
 He has been the man whom we have been proud to follow on both sides of this hail in his effort to make gov ernmental control supreme over these Interstate organizations and corpora tions."
 And" he continued, T do not pro- pose, if I can help it. in this House, to cast any reflection upon his motives or his action, as this resolution would do."
 He then moved to lay the resolution on the table and on that motion the Democrats forced roll call which re- suited in its adoption. 14s to 115.