The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-20
Senator LaFOHeIte Says His
 Charye Is Proven Correct
SENATOR GORE QUESTIONS
Oklahoman Asks LaFollette If Roose- welt and CorteIyou Are Not Also Star Actors In the Strln-
 eency Being Felt.

Washington, March 19.-Directing his remarks to the charge formerly made that the recent financial stringency was started by great bankers and fnanclers, Senator Lafollette today declared that since he spoke on Tuesday he had secured additional information proving that his charge was correct. He read letter signed by H. R. Vermilla, auditor of the Washington Life Insurance company, calling upon an agent to send premiums, collected weekly, to New York and he said such letters were sent to agents of that company all over the country
 "Other New York insurance com panes,'' said MT. Lafollette, controlled by identical and allied interests at the same time gave similar instructions to their state managers throughout the coun- try'
 Senator Gore, the blind representative of Oklahoma, interrupted to ask whether in view of the charge made by the senator from Wisconsin the President was justified in congratulating the men who brought on the panic.
 Docs the senator think he asked "that President Roosevelt and Secretary Cortelyou were not star actors in that performance or at least that they con- graduated the chief actors when it was over?
 He quoted from a letter sent by Pres ident Roosevelt to MT. Cortelyou.
 Partisan Politics Barred.
 MT Lafollette deprecated the idea of bringing partisan politics into the discus sion and said he did not propose to be drawn into criticism of the President, who had done the best he could to relieve the situation and had not thought it wise at that critical moment to attempt the punishment of the incendiaries who had started the confiagration which the Pres ident sought to put out.
 'Whatever the agencies were back of that panic" said MT. Lafollette, what ever the purposes were behind it, the President and his secretary of the treas ury were confronted with condition. The panic was on,' declared the senator. We saw that legitimate business was put in peril and the responsibility came to him as the head of the government and to his secretary as the head of the treas- ury What else could he have done to stop the panic, no matter what infiu- ences might have been behind this bill ?"
 Senator Bailey said he agreed with the Oklahoma senator that the money should have been sent to the banks throughout the country whose money was in New York. and was kept from them, and he did not think such a performance should have ended taf. of ftt1a from the President.
 Mir Gore said he justified the President fin standing and delivering to these pi- rates and depositing with them peoples money when their dagger was at his throat But I cannot" he said. 'excuse him for eongratulating the pirates as pub lic-spirited benefactors. I excuse the President for helping the incendiaries who llindled the fire, but I can hardly so so far as to approve his proclamation of them as the delverers of the country
 Gore Seconds Idea.
 Mr Gore stated that he heartily agreed with the senator from Wisconsin. that Mr Rockefeller and MT. Morgan brought upon this country a panic which had rip ened to a point of falling but he did not think they should be hailed as benefactors afterward."
 Referring to the Aldrich bill as origin ally reported, MT. LaFollette declared that the railroad bonds had been ''whisked'' out of the measure.
 we are not through with that propos tion, he added, 'it will appear again and again until finally it is overwhelm- ingly beaten or until it is worked n and engrafted upon the currency system or this country" He then discussed at some length his resolution for the valuation of railway property. which he said had been sent to the committee on interstate com merce, but was not accomplished.
 This is not the first time in the his- tory of legislation he continued. that the chairman of the committee on finance has brought in proposition by executive decree to work railroad bonds into the treasury department as bearing on the financial operations of that great depart ment of the government"
 Mr. LaFollette said he would resume his discussion Monday next.