The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-26
Explains Temporary Connection
With the Standard Oil
Company
He ALSO DISCUSSES THE
BROWNSVILLE INCIDENT
The Ohio Senator Severely BeIabors
the President, Mr.. Taft and Others
Who Have Tried to Show
Him In Bad Light.

Cincinnati, o., September 25.-In a lonz
and carefully prepared statement United
/ States Senator ]. b. Foraker tonight took
/ up recent charges made by William r.
! Hearst and President Roosevelt, explain-
ing his temporary connection with the
Standard OIL company, and discussing the
Brownsville Incident, and his connection
/ with the rate bill. The statement is In
part as follows:
! The President commences his state
ment connected with the publication OF
Judge Taft's letter with bitter arraign-
ment of me because of Mr.. Hearst's
charges, which he appears to have ac-
cepted as fully proven as soon as made.
He does not wait for proof or explana-
tion, nor accept the same when Offered.
Mr.. Hearst's charges are not simply
that l was in the employment of the STAN
dard Oil company, and that I was paid
for my services, but that I was secret
ly in that employment for illegitimats
purposes, and that the money | received
was paid as compensation for improper
ly influencing legislation by congress in
conflict with and in violation of my Of
ficial duties
HE read number of letters and made
certain comments calculated. if unansw-
cred or unexplained, to create the belief
that his charges were true.
Employment Open.
THAT | was employed by the company
was never concealed or denied. On the
contrary, such employment was we'll
known at the time to all concerned. Only
/ few days ago, ex-Attorney General
Monnett, who was prosecuting the pro-
/ ceedings against the Standard Oil COM
| pany at the time stated In a public in
! terview that l told him at the time that
! had been retained by the company. II
employed and rendering services. presum-
ably l was compensated.
In announcing therefore, the mere
fact that was employed by the company.
and showing that l received payments
on that account, no information was i'm
parted by Mr. Hearst and no offense
was established, for 1t remained that such
employment and payment might be en-
tirely proper and legitimate.
Under all the circumstances an ex-
PLANTATION was required and in former
statements l made such explanation by.
showing that my employment was con-
fined to the affairs of the company in
! Ohio and its reorganization after the
trust was dissolved by order of our su-
preme court, and that my employment
had no relation in the slightest degree
to anything in which the federal govern
ment was then interested, or with respect
to which the congress was then legis-
lating or at that time proposing to leg
islate, and that the employment was end
| ed long before the company was made the
! subject of any special attention in CON
gress and longer still than 1t was at
tackled in the federal courts or proceeded
/ against in any way by the federal gov
ernment; and further that the employ
ment was not to defend the company
against charges of violation of the laws
of Ohio, or the United States or tho
orders of any of the courts, but only to
assist in so executing the orders of the
courts and so re-organizing as to conform
to all laws. state and national and to
fully comply with all the orders of the
courts that had been made against IT.
From the beginning of our government.
senators and congressman who were law
yers have been regarded as free to con-
tinue the practice of their profession, if
they so desired during their terms of Of
flee insofar they might be able to do
so without interfering with their public
duties, and in such practice free to take
any kind of employment that was Offered
which did not in any way conflict with
their duties as members of congress. No
body has ever before been criticised on